There are several areas within the Great Phoenix area that are not really part of any incorporated city or town. In Maricopa County, where most of Greater Phoenix is located, there are people who can get their mail at an address that says “Scottsdale” or “Gilbert” because those post offices serve those areas, but they don’t really live in those cities. They live on the county islands.
What is a county island?
A county island is an area of unincorporated land that is completely surrounded by a city or town. County islands are created when a city or town annexes land within its corporate boundaries but excludes certain areas. The excluded areas that remain under the jurisdiction of the county are called “county islands.”
People who live on the county’s islands generally do not receive services from the surrounding city. They may have to pay for water, sewer, and garbage separately. In Maricopa County, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office provides police protection to all unincorporated areas, including the county’s islands. Maricopa County does not provide fire protection.
Arizona law prevents the creation of new county islands. Property owners within the existing county islands generally initiate an annexation by the city surrounding the county island. While the annexation of large tracts of undeveloped land is a relatively simple task for cities and towns, it is more complex when an annexation involves multiple owners. And it is even more complicated when annexation involves already developed land.
Why wouldn’t county island owners want to be annexed?
Many property owners in the county islands would pay higher property taxes if they were annexed to a town or city.
Why do the owners of an island in the county want to annex?
Higher municipal taxes can be offset by an overall reduction in the total costs to the owner of obtaining urban services. Some examples are subscribing to a private garbage collection service, subscribing to an emergency fire protection service, or creating a special fiscal district for fire protection. Individuals residing in the county islands cannot vote in municipal elections in the surrounding city.
Why wouldn’t a city or town want to annex an island from the county?
A city or town may be reluctant to annex certain county islands due to higher infrastructure and service delivery costs.
Where are the county islands in Maricopa County?
There are actually many small islands in Maricopa County. Some of these areas are large enough to have their own names such as New River, Rio Verde, Sun City, Sun City West, Sun Lakes, and Tonopah. Many other county islands are scattered throughout Maricopa County, predominantly in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the county.
A common misconception about county islands
Sun City residents may not pay taxes to any local school district, but that is not true for other islands in the county. Most of the county’s islands are located within a school district. If you live on an island in the county that is part of a school district, your children can attend those schools just like children who reside in the surrounding city.
County Island Trivia
The Phoenix Country Club in downtown Phoenix is an island in the county.
Thanks to the Maricopa County Department of Planning and Development for providing the county island information for this article. County island details are subject to change without notice.
