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What disclosures and checks matter in Arizona — water supply, HOA documents, flood zones?

Short answer

Three checks are specific to Arizona. Water: confirm the home is served by a city or regulated utility with an assured supply, not a private well or hauled water on the fringe of the metro. HOA: read the recorded CC&Rs and the resale disclosure package before the review period ends. Flood: check the FEMA flood map, because a home in a special flood hazard area needs flood insurance and desert washes flood violently.

The Phoenix area sits in an Active Management Area where new subdivisions must show a hundred-year assured water supply, and most homes are on municipal water; but at the metro’s edges there are homes on private wells, shared wells or hauled water, and a 2023 dispute in which a community lost its hauled supply showed what that risk means. The Department of Water Resources explains the assured-supply rules and lets you check a provider’s designation [1]. The seller’s disclosure statement states the water source; ask for well records if it is a well [2].

For an HOA, the covenants are public record at the county recorder, so you can read them before offering, and the statute obliges the association to deliver the resale package (budget, reserves, violations, litigation, rules) within set deadlines; the contract gives you time to review and cancel [3] [4] [2].

Flooding is not intuitive in a desert: dry washes and low crossings carry fast water during the monsoon. Look the address up on the FEMA flood map; a lender will require flood insurance in a designated hazard zone, and it is worth considering elsewhere since standard home insurance excludes floods [5]. The county flood control district keeps local floodplain maps and the floodplain status of any parcel [6], and the county’s environmental services handle septic transfer inspections where a home is not on sewer [7].

Checklist

  1. Water source on the disclosure statement; provider’s assured-supply designation [1].

  2. Recorded CC&Rs and the HOA resale package inside the review period [3].

  3. FEMA flood zone for the address; quote flood insurance [5].

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Sources

Official and institutional sources this answer is based on. The numbers in the text point here.

    1.
    • Officialazwater.gov
      Arizona Department of Water Resources ↗

      State water policy and supply: groundwater rules, Active Management Areas, the 100-year assured water supply program relevant to new subdivisions, and drought/Colorado River updates.

      checked Sep 12, 2026 · verify manually

    2.
    • Officialaaronline.com
      Arizona REALTORS® ↗

      The state REALTOR® association: standard Arizona purchase contract and disclosure forms, buyer/seller advisories and how to find a member agent.

      checked Sep 12, 2026 · verify manually

    3.
    • Officialrecorder.maricopa.gov
      Maricopa County Recorder ↗

      Recorded documents — deeds, deeds of trust, liens and HOA CC&Rs — searchable by name or parcel; also voter registration and early voting for the county.

      checked Sep 12, 2026 · verify manually

    4.
    • Officialazleg.gov
      Arizona Revised Statutes — Title 33 (Property) ↗

      The statute text itself for property law: landlord–tenant, condominiums and planned communities (HOAs), deeds, liens and disclosures. Primary legal source; not a plain-language guide.

      checked Sep 12, 2026

    5.
    6.
    • Officialmaricopa.gov
      Flood Control District of Maricopa County ↗

      The county flood agency: floodplain maps and the floodplain status of any parcel, rainfall and stream-gauge data during the monsoon, and guidance on flood insurance and building near washes. Complements the federal FEMA maps for Phoenix-area addresses.

      checked Oct 8, 2026

    7.
    • Officialmaricopa.gov
      Maricopa County ↗

      The county covering Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale and the rest of the Valley: property taxes and assessments, recording, public health, animal care, elections, courts and county services.

      checked Sep 12, 2026

Reviewed: October 7, 2026. General information with sources, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and fees change: check the linked sources and talk to a licensed professional about your own case.

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