Third-party rights are requests by non-parents for court-ordered time with or involvement in a child's life. In Arizona, grandparents, stepparents, and persons who have stood in loco parentis to a child may petition for parenting time or legal decision making rights under specific statutory provisions.

Third-party rights carry a higher burden than parental rights. When both legal parents are fit and agree that third-party contact is not in the child's best interests, Arizona courts give significant weight to that united parental position. The Arizona Court of Appeals confirmed in Rivera v. Webb (May 2026) that when two legal parents disagree about third-party visitation neither parent is entitled to a presumption over the other based on their level of decision making authority. The court conducts an independent best interests analysis.

Third-party petitions require careful threshold analysis before filing. Standing is the legal right to bring the petition must be established. The factual basis for the petition must be sufficient to support relief. And the likely outcome must be worth the cost of the proceeding to the people involved.

Grandparent visitation, stepparent visitation, and in loco parentis claims all have their own specific requirements under Arizona law. See the separate Grandparent Visitation and In Loco Parentis entries in this glossary.