Buying a Horse Property in Arizona: The Due Diligence List

Step one: zoning and animal count

Call the jurisdiction that governs the parcel, whether that is the Town of Cave Creek, the Town of Carefree, the City of Scottsdale or Maricopa County, and ask for the zoning designation and the permitted animal units for that lot size. Get it in writing or from the published ordinance. A neighbor keeping four horses is not evidence that you may.

Step two: the HOA

Permissive zoning does not override restrictive covenants. Read the recorded CC and Rs and the current rules, and confirm with the association in writing. Some communities allow horses but restrict structures, arena lighting or trailer parking, which can matter just as much.

Step three: water

Identify the source. If municipal, confirm the service and the meter size, since livestock demand can exceed a small residential meter. If a private well, obtain the well registration, recent flow test and water quality test. If a shared well, read the shared well agreement carefully, because you are inheriting an obligation with your neighbors, including cost sharing for pump replacement.

Step four: wastewater and manure

Confirm sewer availability or the septic system's age, capacity and last inspection. Then ask about manure management: where it will be stored, required setbacks from wells, washes and property lines, and how it will be hauled. This is a recurring operating cost and a compliance issue, not an afterthought.

Step five: access and easements

Have the title company identify every recorded easement, both those benefiting the property and those burdening it. Trail access that exists by neighborly courtesy disappears when the neighbor sells. Driveway access across an adjoining parcel needs to be recorded, not assumed.

Step six: the improvements

Inspect the barn structure and roof, stall size and footing, automatic waterers and plumbing freeze protection, fencing type and condition, arena base and footing material, shade structures, and tack and feed storage including rodent control. Ask when the arena was last reworked. In Arizona soil, an arena that has not been maintained rides like pavement.

Budget for the operating cost

Horse properties cost more to run than comparable homes. Water use, feed, manure removal, arena maintenance, fence repair, additional liability insurance and equipment all recur annually. Build the number before you buy, not after your first summer.