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Arizona · A.R.S. §45-593Arizona wells at closing: the change of well ownership and the 30-day open-well report

Arizona's Department of Water Resources assigns a registration number to each registered well and keeps a permanent record of wells (A.R.S. §45-593(B)). When a registered well changes hands, the person to whom the well is registered must notify the director of the change in ownership, and the new owner must furnish the information the director requires to keep the well registration records current and accurate (§45-593(C)). Within 30 days after a change of ownership of real property, the new owner must notify the director in writing of any open well on the property that the new owner has discovered, and after that must report any open well within ten days after discovering it (§45-593(D)). The registration rules don't legalize a well that existed on June 12, 1980 in violation of prior law (§45-593(E)).

The rules

  1. 1. Registration (§45-593(B))

    Each well has a registration number in the department's permanent record.

  2. 2. Change of ownership (§45-593(C))

    The registered owner notifies the director; the new owner supplies the required information.

  3. 3. Open wells (§45-593(D))

    New owner reports discovered open wells within 30 days of the change, later ones within 10 days.

What the TC can do

  • When the property has a well, ask the seller for the well registration number.
  • Add the change of well ownership filing to the seller's and buyer's tasks around closing.
  • Remind the buyer of the 30-day report for any open well found on the property.

Questions about Arizona wells

Do you have to transfer a well when buying a house in Arizona?

The person the well is registered to must notify the Department of Water Resources of the change in ownership, and the new owner must provide the information it requires to keep the records current (A.R.S. §45-593(C)).

What is the Arizona open well report?

Within 30 days after a change of ownership of real property, the new owner must tell the director in writing about any open well discovered on the property (A.R.S. §45-593(D)).

Related guides

Put the well registration number and the change of ownership filing on the deal as tasks in ClosingCode.

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Source: A.R.S. §45-593 (azleg.gov, read October 29, 2026).

General information, not legal advice. ClosingCode is software; it is not a law firm or brokerage. This guide is not a substitute for the advice or services of an attorney.