Selling Arizona land without utilities

A lot of Arizona's privately owned land has never had a utility connection of any kind. If yours is one of those parcels, you're in common company. Buyers of rural land know the drill: the question isn't whether there is power, water and sewer, but how hard and how expensive each would be to get. The more of that you can answer, the better your land will sell.

Power

Line extensions

In rural Arizona, the cost of extending electric service to a parcel without it is usually charged to the person asking for it. Policies differ by utility. One published example: Navopache Electric Cooperative, which serves Apache, Greenlee, Gila and Navajo counties in Arizona, gives up to a $1,500 construction credit for permanent consumers in its line-extension policy, and the applicant pays the rest as a contribution in aid of construction. Other utilities, such as UniSource Energy Services around Kingman and Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative around Willcox, have their own rules, so the right number for your parcel comes from your utility, not from a rule of thumb.

The single most useful fact you can give a buyer is where the nearest power line is. A pole at the road frontage and a line two miles away describe very different parcels. Our guide to checking for power near your land shows how to find it.

Solar

Many off-grid buyers plan on solar with battery storage instead of a line extension. That doesn't remove the power question; it changes who is asking. Recreational buyers and people planning a cabin are often fine with it. Buyers who need financing or plan a conventional house may not be.

Water

Wells

Without a water provider, water usually means a well. Under A.R.S. 45-454, a well with a pump capacity of 35 gallons per minute or less is an exempt well, exempt from most groundwater regulation. Outside Active Management Areas the rules are lighter, though a notice of intent to drill and a completion report are still required. Inside an AMA, generally only one exempt well may serve the same non-irrigation use at the same location.

Whether your parcel is inside an AMA depends on where it sits. Arizona's eight AMAs are Douglas, Phoenix, Pinal, Prescott, Ranegras Plain, Santa Cruz, Tucson and Willcox. Most of the state is outside them. Our page on selling land with or without a well goes further into this.

Hauled water

Some owners haul water to a storage tank instead of drilling. It is common on recreational and weekend parcels. Buyers will want to know how far the nearest water source is, and whether a well is realistic at your location if they want one later.

Water and splitting land

Water affects what a larger buyer can do with the land. Inside an AMA, A.R.S. 45-576 requires a person offering subdivided lands to have a certificate of assured water supply or a commitment from a designated provider. A buyer who plans to split land will price that in.

Septic

Without sewer, a home needs an on-site wastewater (septic) system. ADEQ has delegated on-site wastewater permitting to all 15 Arizona counties, so you apply to the county, not to the state. Soil and site conditions decide which system type a lot can use, conventional or alternative, and that affects cost. Our septic requirements guide explains the permit process.

What buyers will ask

• How far is the nearest power line, and who is the utility?
• Is there a registered well on the parcel, or on a neighbor's, and how deep are wells nearby?
• Is the parcel inside an AMA or an Irrigation Non-Expansion Area?
• Has anyone done a soil or percolation test for septic?
• Is there legal and physical access, and who maintains the road?
• Is any part of the parcel in a FEMA flood zone?

You don't need all the answers. Every one you can give removes guesswork, and guesswork is what pushes offers down. Our free parcel lookup fills in several of these from public records.

Disclosure

If you're selling five or fewer unsubdivided parcels in an unincorporated area, A.R.S. 33-422 requires an affidavit of disclosure that covers, among other things, utilities, septic, access and floodplain status. The buyer receives it at least seven days before transfer and can rescind within five days. Waivers of liability in that affidavit are void, so answer it accurately.

Your options

• List it with a land agent who knows rural land. Off-grid land has a real buyer pool, and an agent who works it can reach them. Expect a commission and more time on market.
• Get one utility answer before you sell. A written estimate from the electric utility, or a well-cost quote from a local driller, can make a listing much stronger.
• Offer owner financing. Many buyers of off-grid land pay cash or use seller financing because lenders are cautious with raw land. Carrying a note widens your buyer pool, with the risk that you may have to deal with a default.
• Sell to a neighbor who already has power or a well nearby.
• Sell for cash as-is. A direct buyer like us prices the land without utilities and handles the research. Faster, usually less than a well-marketed listing.

How we handle land without utilities

First 48 Offers is an Arizona company that buys land directly with cash, and most of the land we look at has no utilities. We buy as-is, charge no commissions, cover normal closing costs and close through an Arizona title and escrow company. We aim to give you a written offer quickly, with no obligation; land with title or access issues may take longer to research. Call (480) 818-4105.

Questions sellers ask

Is land without utilities worth anything?

Yes. It is valued differently from land with service, and the distance and cost to bring utilities in is part of that value. Access, location, size and water outlook matter as much.

Should I drill a well before I sell?

Usually not just to sell. Drilling is expensive and the result isn't guaranteed. If you're curious, look up registered wells near your parcel in ADWR's well registry first; neighbors' well records say a lot about what a buyer can expect.

Who issues septic permits in Arizona?

Your county, under ADEQ's delegation. Call the county's environmental or development services office for the parcel.

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.