An Act of God is a natural force outside of human control (such as an earthquake, tsunami, or hurricane), and may relieve a party or parties to a contract or agreement from having to perform their obligations. Such Acts of God are often addressed in a force majeure clause, which typically appears near the end of the contract or agreement. A force majeure clause may also excuse a party's performance of its obligations for other reasons beyond its control, such as unavailability of products, riots, civil unrest, pandemics, and terrorism.

In Arizona, as in many jurisdictions, an 'Act of God' refers to unforeseen natural events that are beyond human control and can impact contractual obligations. Arizona law recognizes that such events may excuse nonperformance under a contract if they prevent a party from fulfilling their contractual duties. This is often addressed through a force majeure clause within the contract. A force majeure clause is designed to outline the circumstances under which parties may be relieved from their obligations due to extraordinary events. In addition to natural disasters, these clauses may cover a range of other events such as pandemics, riots, civil unrest, and terrorism, provided these events are specifically listed in the clause and meet the criteria of being beyond the control of the contracting parties and rendering performance infeasible. It is important for parties to a contract in Arizona to carefully draft and review force majeure clauses to ensure clarity on what constitutes a force majeure event and the consequences thereof on their contractual obligations.