Arizona § 36-523 Petition for evaluation

Arizona Statutes

§ 36-523 — Petition for evaluation

Arizona § 36-523

Title 36Arizona Revised Statutes

Ch. 5MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Art. 4Court-Ordered Evaluation

This text of Arizona § 36-523 (Petition for evaluation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 36-523 (2026).

Text

A.The petition for evaluation shall contain the following:

1.The name, address and interest in the case of the individual who applied for the petition.

2.The name, and address if known, of the proposed patient for whom evaluation is petitioned.

3.The present whereabouts of the proposed patient, if known.

4.A statement alleging that there is reasonable cause to believe that the proposed patient has a mental disorder and is as a result a danger to self or others, has a persistent or acute disability or a grave disability and is unwilling or unable to undergo voluntary evaluation.

5.A summary of the facts that support the allegations that the proposed patient is dangerous, has a persistent or acute disability or a grave disability and is unwilling or unable to be voluntarily evalua

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A. The petition for evaluation shall contain the following:

1. The name, address and interest in the case of the individual who applied for the petition.

2. The name, and address if known, of the proposed patient for whom evaluation is petitioned.

3. The present whereabouts of the proposed patient, if known.

4. A statement alleging that there is reasonable cause to believe that the proposed patient has a mental disorder and is as a result a danger to self or others, has a persistent or acute disability or a grave disability and is unwilling or unable to undergo voluntary evaluation.

5. A summary of the facts that support the allegations that the proposed patient is dangerous, has a persistent or acute disability or a grave disability and is unwilling or unable to be voluntarily evaluated, including the facts that brought the proposed patient to the screening agency's attention.

6. If the petition is filed by a prosecutor pursuant to section 13-4517, any known criminal history of the proposed patient, including whether the proposed patient has ever been found incompetent to stand trial pursuant to section 13-4510.

7. A statement of any facts and circumstances that lead the petitioner to believe that the proposed patient may be safely transported to the evaluation agency by an authorized transporter, if available in the jurisdiction, without the assistance of a peace officer.

8. The petition shall state the names and contact information of any persons known who witnessed the behavior exhibited by the proposed patient on which the petition is based. The agency may not decline to process a petition for court-ordered evaluation because no witnesses acquainted with the proposed patient have been identified.

9. Other information that the director by rule or the court by rule or order may require.

B. The petition shall request that the court issue an order requiring that the proposed patient be given an evaluation and shall advise the court of both of the following:

1. That the opinion of the petitioner is either that the proposed patient is or is not in such a condition that without immediate or continuing hospitalization the patient is likely to suffer serious physical harm or further deterioration or inflict serious physical harm on another person.

2. If the opinion of the petitioner is that the proposed patient is not in the condition described in paragraph 1 of this subsection, that the opinion of the petitioner is either that the evaluation should or should not take place on an outpatient basis.

C. For a petition filed pursuant to sections 36-520 and 36-521:

1. The petition for evaluation shall be accompanied by the application for evaluation, by the recommendation of the county attorney pursuant to section 36-521 and by a prepetition screening report, unless the documents have not been prepared under a provision of law or in accordance with an order of the court. The petition for evaluation shall also be accompanied by a copy of the application for emergency admission if one exists.

2. The petition and other forms required in a court may be filed only by the screening agency that has prepared the petition.

3. If the petition is prepared but not filed because it has been determined that the person no longer needs an evaluation, the medical director of the agency shall make a written statement of the reasons why the evaluation was determined to be no longer necessary and shall retain the petition together with the medical director's statement and the various reports annexed to the petition as required by this section.

4. If the petition is not filed because it has been determined that the person does not need an evaluation and a prosecutor filed a petition pursuant to section 13-4517, the person shall be remanded for a disposition pursuant to section 13-4517. If the person is out of custody, the court may order that the person be taken into custody for a disposition pursuant to this section.