Cochise County, AZ Property Records: Search Deeds, Owners, Tax Records, and Maps

Cochise County has over 122,000 parcels. To research properties in Cochise County, you will need to visit three offices, either online or in person. The first office is that of the County Recorder. This office records and maintains deeds, deeds of trust, and plats. The second office is that of the County Assessor, who is responsible for valuation of every parcel within the county. The last office is the County Treasurer, who bills and collects taxes.

The economy in Cochise is driven by government and military operations, healthcare, agriculture, and tourism. Housing within the county sells between 68 to 75 days, slightly slower than the statewide average. The housing style in the county is largely single-family ranch-style homes across suburban or urban areas like Sierra Vista, Douglas, and Benson.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $151,000 and median rent of $761.5, alongside a median household income of $52,244 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.79 as a percentage of the property's assessed value.

How to Look Up Cochise County Property Records

Three free county resources cover most property questions. The Cochise County Assessor‘s Property Records Search shows ownership, assessed value, and parcel detail. The Cochise County Recorder’s Document Search maintains recorded deeds, deeds of trust, and plats. The Treasurer’s Parcel Inquiry portal handles the tax bill. The Parcel Number, or APN, ties the systems together.

Who Keeps Cochise County Property Records?

Arizona property records are managed at the county level, and are accessible to the public during regular business hours in accordance with the Arizona Public Records Law. The Cochise County government has divided responsibility for maintaining property records among its three elected officials:

• The Cochise County Recorder keeps deeds, trusts, plats, liens, and easements by state law, and ensures the chain of title. It is important to note that the recorder’s office does not provide appraisal, taxation, or legal services.

• The Cochise County Assessor is responsible for identifying, appraising, classifying, and exempting all parcels in the county. The assessor’s office also handles applications for correction of value and exemptions.

• The Cochise County Treasurer mails tax bills, collects, and handles delinquencies, and facilitates the tax lien sale. Questions about tax payments should be directed to the treasurer’s office.

The county maintains records of cities and towns in Cochise County, and this information is not available from municipal governments.

How to Search Cochise County Property Records Online

A complete record search usually means checking two or three county sites in order.

1. First, conduct a search on the Assessor’s Property Records Search portal. Specify the address or owner name to find the parcel and copy its APN (Assessed Parcel Number). Here, you will also find the Full Cash Value, Limited Property Value, and general description of the property.
2. Next, go to the Property Records Search portal on the County Recorder’s website to verify the chain of title. Arizona counties are organized by grantor and grantee, so you will need to search both ways to follow the complete chain of title from purchase to sale.
3. Make sure the owner named on the most recent deed is consistent with the previous deed for that property. Follow the same owner on the grantee side, and so on for every prior deed to ensure there are no gaps in the chain of title.
4. Similarly, search for deeds of trust, liens, and easements. An Affidavit of Property Value that goes on file with the deed can tell you the sale price of the property.
5. Finally, contact the Treasurer to find out if there are any delinquent taxes. Delinquent taxes may be sold at the county’s annual tax lien auction in February.

County Recorder: Deeds, Deeds of Trust, and Plats

The Cochise County Recorder, who is an elected officer, serves as the recording officer for the county. Arizona law requires that trust deeds, rather than mortgages, be given for any financed purchase. As such, deeds of trust are the security instruments most commonly recorded. The Cochise County recorder is obligated to record any document that is properly executed in accordance with Arizona law and is presented for recording.

The following are among the classes of documents that may be recorded:

• Deeds, including warranty deeds and quitclaim deeds

• Deeds of trust, releases, assignments, and reconveyances

• Judgment liens, mechanic's liens, and state and federal tax liens

• Easements, restrictive covenants, and powers of attorney

• Subdivision plats, surveys, and maps

The Recorder indexes documents by grantor and grantee name, document type, and recording date. The county provides a free internet index to documents recorded, and copies of the complete image of the recorded document may be available for a fee.

County Assessor: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

The Assessor establishes and sets the value for every parcel in the county. For each parcel in Arizona, the county assessor establishes two values. These are the Full Cash Value, which is an approximate value of the market value, and the Limited Property Value, which is a value used in the assessment of taxes. The Limited Property Value cannot increase by more than 5 percent and also cannot exceed the Full Cash Value.

You can use the Property Records Search to get the following information:

• Current owner of record for any parcel

• APN (Assessor Parcel Number) and legal description

• Full Cash Value and Limited Property Value

• The property class and assessment ratio

• Property characteristics such as square footage, year built, and acreage

The Assessor mails the Notice of Value to the parcel owner annually. It is important that you review the Notice of Value because a notice of appeal to the assessed value of your parcel is due based upon the Notice of Value, not the subsequent tax bill.

County Treasurer: Tax Bills and Payments

The Treasurer is responsible for collecting and billing taxes. In Arizona, taxes are due October 1 and March 1 of each year. They can be paid in full by December 31. Delinquent taxes are subject to interest and can be sold at the county's tax lien sale in February. School, county, and special district assessments are paid from the taxes.

Property Tax in Cochise County: Values, Exemptions, and Appeals

A county tax bill in Cochise can start with the Limited Property Value and work upward. This means that you would take the Limited Property Value and multiply it by an assessment ratio for the class of your property, and then again by the county, schools and special districts tax rate. It is a slower growing number because it is limited to the growth of the 5 percent per year figure.

Full Cash Value and Limited Property Value

The two values are different in that the Full Cash Value is the amount that the Assessor has valued the property to be on the open market. This is the value that you can take to the county to appeal if you do not feel it is an accurate value for your property. The Limited Property Value is what is taxed based off of, this value is the Full Cash Value minus an annually applied 5 percent limit. The home you are living in as your primary residence is assessed at 10 percent of the Limited Property Value, so only this amount is used to calculate your tax amount.

Exemptions and relief

Appealing your value

Start with the Assessor. File a petition with the Cochise County Assessor’s Office within 60 days of the date on your Notice of Value. If the Assessor denies the petition, you may appeal to the County Board of Equalization or the state Board of Equalization, and then to the Arizona Tax Court. You will need to present comparable sales as your evidence.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The Cochise County GIS Maps ensures that all parcels are linked to the right owner and assessed value. Moreover, for parcels that are located outside the county, the Arizona State Land Department provides GIS mapping.

Available layers include:

• Parcel boundaries with APN and acreage

• Subdivision, lot, and zoning information

• Aerial imagery on a regular update cycle

• Tax district and school-district boundaries

• Floodplain, forest, and environmental layers

Tax Lien Sales and Foreclosure

Arizona handles delinquent taxes differently from many states, and two paths matter for property research.

Tax-lien sales

Arizona is a tax lien certificate state. In the state, a tax lien sale is held in February in the Cochise County Treasurer’s office. In this case, the bids on tax lien certificates are cut at the highest allowable rate, which is 16 percent. In exchange, the winning bidders are given a Certificate of Purchase, which does not entitle them to immediate possession of the delinquent taxpayer’s property. Instead, they may approach the county treasurer and ask him to require the delinquent owner to pay the amount owed or pay the interest on the Certificate of Purchase. Furthermore, the Certificate of Purchase may be surrendered to the county treasurer at any time while the tax lien is outstanding against the property. Moreover, if the tax lien certificate has been outstanding for three years, the holder of the certificate may seek redemption by going to court and asking the court to decree that the rights of redemption are foreclosed, as per ARS 42-18201.

Deed-of-trust foreclosure

The majority of home mortgage foreclosures taking place in Arizona are nonjudicial. This happens because there is a deed of trust, upon which the trustee may proceed to sell the property at a trustee’s sale without judicial intervention under Arizona revised statutes 33-807 in the case of default. Moreover, there is also no redemption available after the trustee’s sale, which further makes a trustee’s sale more efficient than a judicial one.

Costs to Access Property Records

Searching the online index is free. Fees only apply when you need a copy or are recording a new document.

Recording fees are set statewide by ARS 11-475. Confirm the current schedule with the Recorder before filing, since the flat fee is updated from time to time.

How to Record a Document

Arizona law governs the form of any instrument that conveys an interest in real property. The four-step process goes as follows:

1. Confirm that the document complies with Arizona’s requirements, including original signatures, a notary acknowledgment, a complete legal description of the parcel, and margins and size appropriate for recording.
2. If applicable, complete an Affidavit of Property Value, indicating either the sale price or the basis for an exemption. This form is attached to the deed when it is presented for recording.
3. Mail, or deliver in person, the original document to the Recorder at 1415 Melody Lane, Building B, Bisbee, or through an approved e-recording vendor. The document will be recorded upon receipt, and a recording fee is required.
4. The original document is returned to the filer after recording, and the electronic image is available on the online index within a short time.

FAQs

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