- Jurisdiction City of Willcox inside city limits; Cochise County outside
- ZIP 85643, 85644
- Elevation about 4,170 ft
- County Cochise County
The Willcox basin is the newest Active Management Area in this part of the state, and it changed the economics of farmland overnight. Since ADWR's designation took effect, only acres that were legally irrigated in the five years before 23 October 2024 can be irrigated at all, and the deadline to apply for grandfathered rights has passed. Large wells must be metered.
For a landowner, that splits the market. Farm ground with documented irrigation history carries a right that new ground cannot get. Vacant desert and grassland without that history is valued as rural residential or recreational land, where a 35-gallon-per-minute exempt domestic well is still allowed.
If you are selling irrigated land, the paperwork behind its irrigation status is as important as the acreage. If you are selling vacant land, the questions are the usual ones — access, power from SSVEC, and whether a domestic well is realistic at your location. Look the parcel up first; it tells you which conversation you are in.
What the public record says about Willcox
- Willcox AMA. The Willcox AMA was designated on 8 January 2025 as a subsequent active management area covering the Willcox groundwater basin in Graham and Cochise counties. Source
- Irrigation limits. Only acres legally irrigated in the five years before 23 October 2024 may be irrigated in the AMA; grandfathered-right applications were due 8 April 2026. Source
- Well metering. Non-exempt wells pumping more than 35 gallons per minute must be metered. Source
- Electric cooperative. Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative (SSVEC) lists Willcox among the communities it serves. Source
Water
At the county level: Two Active Management Areas reach into Cochise County. The Douglas AMA was designated on 1 December 2022, replacing the former Douglas Irrigation Non-Expansion Area. The Willcox AMA was designated on 8 January 2025 and covers the Willcox groundwater basin in Cochise and Graham counties. Confirm the designation for your exact parcel with the research tool.
Who decides what can be built
Willcox is incorporated city. Zoning and permits: City of Willcox inside city limits; Cochise County outside. County planning: Cochise County planning & zoning. Deeds, easements and recorded restrictions are at the county recorder — see the Cochise County office list.
Look up a Willcox parcel
Sources
Checked 2026-10-02. Links go to the agency or publication named.
General information, not legal, tax or survey advice. First 48 Offers LLC is a real estate investment company that buys land. It is not a law firm, brokerage, surveyor or title company. Arizona statutes, county procedures and agency boundaries change, and every parcel turns on its own facts. Verify anything important with the county, the agency named, or an Arizona attorney before relying on it.