Land for Sale in Yavapai County, AZ
Yavapai County is central Arizona's fast-growing high country, with 236,209 residents (2020 census), Prescott as its seat and about 38% of the county in national forest. Land in the Prescott area is the most expensive of Arizona's rural markets, and which water rules apply to a parcel depends on whether it sits inside the Prescott Active Management Area. This guide explains the difference.
Yavapai County at a glance
- County seat: Prescott. Other places: Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Sedona (partly) and Wickenburg (partly).
- 2020 population 236,209; about 8,128 square miles.
- Highways: Interstate 17, State Routes 69, 89 and 260, and US 93.
- About 38% of the county is National Forest land.
- The Prescott Active Management Area covers about 485 square miles, including Prescott, Prescott Valley and part of Chino Valley.
The Yavapai County land market
The market centers on the Prescott area: Prescott, Prescott Valley and Chino Valley, where buyers look for 1- to 40-acre homesites in high-elevation pine country. The Verde Valley (Cottonwood, Camp Verde) and the Sedona area are more expensive and tourist-driven, and the lower desert near Wickenburg and Congress is cheaper. Parcels with views and national forest access cost the most, while flat desert parcels far from towns cost the least.
The Prescott Active Management Area and assured water supply
The Prescott AMA covers about 485 square miles of Yavapai County, including the City of Prescott, the Town of Prescott Valley and parts of Chino Valley, and its statutory goal was safe yield by 2025. Inside it, a new subdivision of six or more parcels must prove a 100-year assured water supply, and since the AMA was declared out of safe yield in 1999, new subdivisions there may use only renewable or imported supplies from outside the AMA. The City of Prescott is the only designated water provider in the AMA with a 100-year assured water supply.
A small private domestic well designed to pump no more than 35 gallons a minute is an exempt well, and exempt wells are not subject to those requirements, which is one way lots can be built outside a designated provider. Exempt wells now make up a meaningful and growing share of the AMA's water demand. Before you buy, ask whether the lot belongs to a subdivision with an assured water supply certificate, whether it will be served by a provider, or whether it depends on its own well.
Big Chino and areas outside the AMA
The Big Chino sub-basin north of Chino Valley is largely outside the Prescott AMA, so the AMA's subdivision rules do not automatically apply there. Flat land, shallow groundwater and 2-acre minimum zoning have made it attractive to developers, while Prescott and Prescott Valley hold rights to pump Big Chino water and move it to the AMA. Confirm the water arrangement for any Big Chino lot directly with Yavapai County and the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
Lot splits, access and zoning
As elsewhere in Arizona, owners can split land into parcels of 36 acres or more with limited disclosure and no formal subdivision review, and older rural subdivisions may have recorded easements but unmaintained roads. Yavapai County Development Services sets zoning and minimum parcel sizes outside city limits. Ask for recorded legal access, check the road's maintenance status and confirm what the zoning allows.
Before you buy land in Yavapai County
- Whether the parcel is inside the Prescott AMA, and whether it has an assured water supply.
- Water source: provider, private company or an exempt well, and its depth and cost.
- Zoning district, minimum lot size and recorded legal access.
- Whether the lot is in a recorded subdivision or a lot split.
- Wildfire and flood exposure; the county has large forested and wash areas.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Prescott Active Management Area?
A groundwater management area of about 485 square miles in Yavapai County. New subdivisions of six or more parcels inside it must prove a 100-year assured water supply.
Can I drill a well on a lot in the Prescott area?
Small domestic wells that pump no more than 35 gallons a minute are exempt wells and are generally allowed, but check whether the lot belongs to a subdivision with assured water supply conditions and confirm with ADWR.
How much of Yavapai County is national forest?
About 38% of the county is National Forest land.