Maricopa County Recorder: Free DD-214 Recording and Copies

ARS 11-465 makes recording a discharge free in every Arizona county, and the Arizona entry covers it. In Maricopa County the Recorder records the DD-214 so that a certified copy can be had if the original is lost. To get copies later, complete the Recorder's Military Discharge Public Records Request Form, sign it before a notary, and mail it or bring it to the downtown Phoenix or the Mesa office. The county says the service is free and includes five certified copies. Under the statute a recorded DD-214 is not open to the public; only the veteran, a guardian, attorney or personal representative, or a federal official can get it, for use in a benefit claim. The Recorder's own site (recorder.maricopa.gov, read at menu level in a browser on October 12, 2026) publishes no discharge-specific page in its Recording or Information menus, and since September 13, 2026 it requires photo identification for all in-person or kiosk recordings under ARS 11-472, so bring ID.