By Nathan, Sell My Land Arizona · Updated October 22, 2026
What the trustee can do
Arizona's trust code lets a trustee sell property for cash or on credit, at public or private sale (A.R.S. 14-10816). Whether the trust allows it is a separate question the trust instrument answers, and the certification below is how the trustee proves it.
If the trust is revocable and the person who made it is alive, that person usually is the trustee and signs. If the person has died or can no longer act, the successor trustee named in the document takes over and signs.
The certification of trust
Instead of handing the title company a copy of the trust, the trustee can sign a certification of trust (A.R.S. 14-11013). It states:
- That the trust exists and the date it was signed.
- The identity of the person who made it.
- The identity and address of the current trustee.
- The trustee's powers.
- Whether the trust is revocable, and who can revoke it.
- Whether co-trustees must sign together.
- How title to trust property is held.
It must also say the trust has not been revoked or changed in a way that makes those statements wrong. Any trustee can sign it. It does not have to reveal who inherits what.
The statute protects both sides. A title company that relies on a certification in good faith is not liable and can assume the facts in it, which is why they accept it. It may ask for excerpts naming the trustee and granting the power to act in the sale. It may not demand the parts that say who gets what, or who the successor trustees are, without a verified statement of reasonable need, and a party that demands the whole document without that is liable for damages and fees.
What title will ask for
Expect the escrow officer to ask for: the signed certification, the trustee's government ID, a copy of the recorded deed or a title search showing the trust as owner, and, after a death, a certified death certificate for the person who made it. The title company will tell you whether it also wants a trustee's deed prepared. That list is what we expect, not a rule, and title companies differ, so ask the escrow officer for their trustee-sale checklist up front. The paperwork list covers the rest of the documents.
If the land was never put into the trust
This is the most common problem. A trust only controls land that is titled in it. If the parcel is still in the owner's name and the owner has died, the trust does not control it, and the land may have to go through probate or an affidavit process before anyone can sell. The transfer-after-death guide covers those routes, and the inherited land page explains how we close on them.
If the land sits in the trust but several people share the beneficial interest, the trustee still signs for the trust. If instead the land has passed to several heirs as co-owners, you are in the situation on the co-owned inherited land page.
