Can you drill a well without a permit in Arizona?

Exempt — no permit or water right. Small non-irrigation 'exempt' wells (pump capacity 35 gpm or less) are allowed statewide, including inside Active Management Areas and INAs, but must be registered with ADWR; outside any AMA/INA groundwater is essentially rule of capture. Inside an AMA a new subdivision or large use must show an Assured Water Supply.

Which Arizona counties have groundwater restrictions?

11 Arizona counties sit in a managed, over-appropriated, adjudicated, or critically overdrafted groundwater basin — including Cochise County, Graham County, La Paz County, Pinal County, Yavapai County. Each county profile cites the specific basin and rule.

Arizona · off-grid water rights

Water rights in Arizona

Whether a new off-grid home can legally get its own water in Arizona: the state well and water-rights rules, then the 11 counties where a specific groundwater basin adds a catch — each cited to the state water agency.

Arizona water rules

Household well
Exempt — no permit or water right
Small non-irrigation 'exempt' wells (pump capacity 35 gpm or less) are allowed statewide, including inside Active Management Areas and INAs, but must be registered with ADWR; outside any AMA/INA groundwater is essentially rule of capture. Inside an AMA a new subdivision or large use must show an Assured Water Supply.
Limit: exempt well = pump capacity 35 gpm or less (A.R.S. §45-454)
Arizona Dept of Water Resources — Exempt Well ↗
Greywater reuse
by right
Type 1 residential <400 gpd permit-exempt (ARS 49-204).
Greywater Action / EPA REUSExplorer ↗
Rainwater harvesting
encouraged
City rebates (Tucson ~$2,000); historic state tax credit.
NCSL ↗
Water rights
prior appropriation
Prior appropriation; exempt wells (<35 gpm) outside active mgmt areas.
National Agricultural Law Center ↗

11 constrained counties in Arizona

Actively managedCochise CountyDouglas Active Management Area46
Actively managedGraham CountyWillcox Active Management Area48
Actively managedLa Paz CountyRanegras Plain Active Management Area36
Actively managedPinal CountyPinal Active Management Area35
Actively managedYavapai CountyPrescott Active Management Area47
Actively managedYuma CountyRanegras Plain Active Management Area33
ManagedMaricopa CountyPhoenix Active Management Area15
ManagedMohave CountyHualapai Valley Irrigation Non-Expansion Area46
ManagedNavajo CountyJoseph City Irrigation Non-Expansion Area56
ManagedPima CountyTucson Active Management Area33
ManagedSanta Cruz CountySanta Cruz Active Management Area37

The Bolthole Index Letter

One email a week: the best counties to live off-grid, rule changes that matter, and Arizona water-rule changes as basins close. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Keep exploring Arizona

See the full Arizona county ranking, compare states on the water-rights hub, or read how water access is scored. Physical water is dimmed — never erased — where a county sits in one of these basins, household-first.

General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.