Who sends your electric bill, how to ready a house for the heat and the monsoon, how Maricopa County property tax works, and what an HOA means under Arizona law. Each one from the agency that runs it.
Two large electric companies serve the Valley, SRP and APS. Which one serves a home is set by its address, so check the exact address with both before you call to start service.
SRP describes itself as a community-based not-for-profit water and energy company in central Arizona. Its address lookup shows which SRP services reach a location. Prices run on three seasons: winter is November through April, summer is May, June, September and October, and summer peak is July and August. The time-of-use plans on its comparison page set peak hours of 6 to 9 p.m. or 5 to 10 p.m., and you can try a new plan for 90 days. Compare SRP plans.
APS calls itself Arizona's largest energy company, serving about 1.4 million homes and businesses in 11 of the state's 15 counties. It publishes service area maps, including one for the Phoenix metro area. On its time-of-use plans, on-peak hours are 4 to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Its rate adjustors change with approval from the Arizona Corporation Commission. Compare APS plans.
On a time-of-use plan, the expensive hours are late afternoon and evening. APS suggests a programmable or smart thermostat to pre-cool the house before on-peak hours, and running the dishwasher, washer and dryer outside them. Pick the plan after you know the house, then use the trial or plan change if it does not fit.
Two offices, two jobs. The County Assessor values every property and sets its legal class. The County Treasurer bills, collects and distributes the tax. In between, the county, the city, the school districts and special districts each set a rate per $100 of assessed value, by the third Monday in August.
Two values on every notice. Full cash value is the Assessor's estimate of the property's value. Limited property value is the one taxes are set on: last year's limited value plus at most 5 percent, capped at full cash value. Assessed value is that value times the class's ratio, 10 percent for a primary residence. The tax is assessed value divided by 100, times the combined rate.
Two checks after you close. If the home you bought was a rental and you now live in it, the Assessor asks you to email them to remove the rental registration. If your home is not classed as your primary residence, the Assessor's Notice of Claim process runs through December 31 and can reach back three prior years. Assessor FAQ
Arizona has two laws for associations: one for planned communities (Title 33, chapter 16) and one for condominiums (chapter 9). A home outside an association carries no association dues and no association rules. City zoning and codes still apply either way.
The address sets your electric company, your taxing districts and whether an association comes with the house. Send me the ones you are looking at and I will tell you what comes with each.
Electric: SRP service area and price plans; APS service area maps, service plans and plan FAQ. Summer and monsoon: City of Phoenix; Maricopa County; National Weather Service Phoenix, monsoon safety, heat and the monsoon outlook (season dates). Property tax: Maricopa County Assessor residential calendar and FAQ; Treasurer tax calendar; Arizona Revised Statutes 42-12003, 42-13301, 42-15003, 42-15101, 42-16051, 42-17151, 42-18052 and 42-18053. HOA: A.R.S. 33-1806 and 33-1816; Arizona Department of Real Estate. All checked 14 October 2026. Rates, plans and dates change, so confirm with the agency before you act. Nothing here is tax or legal advice.