Terms Used In Arizona Laws > Title 33 > Chapter 3 - Landlord and Tenant

• Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Adult: means a person who has attained eighteen years of age. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Improvement: means required installations, pursuant to this article and subdivision regulations, including grading, sewer and water utilities, streets, easements, traffic control devices as a condition to the approval and acceptance of the final plat thereof. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Month: means a calendar month unless otherwise expressed. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• municipality: means an incorporated city or town. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Personal property: includes money, goods, chattels, things in action and evidences of debt. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Petty offense: A federal misdemeanor punishable by six months or less in prison. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Planning agency: means the official body designated by local ordinance to carry out the purposes of this article and may be a planning department, a planning commission, the legislative body itself, or any combination thereof. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Plat: means a map of a subdivision:

  (a) "Preliminary plat" means a preliminary map, including supporting data, indicating a proposed subdivision design prepared in accordance with the provisions of this article and those of any local applicable ordinance. See Arizona Laws 9-463

• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Property: includes both real and personal property. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Street: means any existing or proposed street, avenue, boulevard, road, lane, parkway, place, bridge, viaduct or easement for public vehicular access or a street shown in a plat heretofore approved pursuant to law or a street in a plat duly filed and recorded in the county recorder's office. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Subdivision: means any land or portion thereof subject to the provisions of this article as provided in Section 9-463. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Subdivision regulations: means a municipal ordinance regulating the design and improvement of subdivisions enacted under the provisions of this article or any prior statute regulating the design and improvement of subdivisions. See Arizona Laws 9-463
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Writing: includes printing. See Arizona Laws 1-215