Property Taxes in Phoenix
Property taxes in Phoenix carry the same unresolved effective-rate uncertainty the base Phoenix record already discloses -- sources this session again put Maricopa County's effective rate anywhere from about 0.44% to 1.3% depending on methodology and specific taxing jurisdiction -- but a real, structural, and genuinely favorable feature stands out clearly across every source: Arizona's Proposition 117 caps annual taxable-value growth at just 5%.
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Learn moreA Real, Disclosed Range, Consistent With the Base Record
As the base Phoenix record already discloses, Maricopa County's effective property tax rate could not be resolved to one authoritative figure this session -- sources ranged roughly 0.44%-0.47% (uspropertytax.org, taxbycounty.com) to about 0.59% (a tax-rates.org-style average-of-assessed-value framing). A fresh pass surfaced a wider outer range from a different 2026 source: 0.6% to 1.3% of market value depending on the specific property location and overlapping taxing jurisdictions (city, county, school district, special districts). All of these are disclosed rather than collapsed into one number; taxbycounty.com's cited 0.47% rate corresponds to a $1,965/year bill on a $414,700 home, useful as one illustrative data point rather than a universal figure.
Proposition 117: A Real, Structural Cap on Annual Taxable-Value Growth
Arizona voters approved Proposition 117 in 2012, amending the state constitution to cap the annual growth of a property's taxable Limited Property Value (LPV) at 5% per year starting in 2015, regardless of how much faster the property's actual market value rises. The cap does not reset when a home sells -- the capped LPV simply passes to the new buyer -- and only resets if the owner significantly alters the parcel or changes its use. This is a real, structural protection against the kind of sudden post-purchase tax-bill spike that can occur in states without a comparable cap, and it helps explain why Arizona's effective rates run on the low side nationally even amid rapid home-price appreciation.
Maricopa County Ranks Well Below the National Median
One 2026 source described Maricopa County's effective tax rate as placing it in the bottom 20% nationally, well below the 0.73% U.S. median. This directional finding is broadly consistent across the sources reviewed this session, even though the specific effective-rate figure itself remains genuinely disputed -- see the range disclosed above.
Senior Property Valuation Protection: A Real, Income-Limited Freeze
Arizona offers a Senior Property Valuation Protection Option that freezes the limited property value of a qualifying primary residence for eligible homeowners age 65 or older who have lived in the property at least two years and meet income limits adjusted annually. For 2026, total household income (taxable and non-taxable combined) must not exceed $47,712 for a single owner or $59,640 for two or more owners, per 2026 senior-tax-guide sourcing. The application deadline is typically the first Monday in March, filed with the relevant county assessor. See the retiring topic page in the companion file for the fuller retiree tax picture.
Key takeaways
- Maricopa County's effective property tax rate remains genuinely unresolved to one figure across sources -- ranging roughly 0.44%-0.47% per some aggregators to a wider 0.6%-1.3% per another, consistent with the base record's own disclosed uncertainty.
- Arizona's Proposition 117 (2012) caps annual growth in a property's taxable Limited Property Value at 5%, and the cap doesn't reset on sale -- a real, structural protection against sudden post-purchase tax-bill spikes.
- Maricopa County's effective rate reportedly sits in the bottom 20% nationally, well below the 0.73% U.S. median -- a directional finding consistent across sources even amid the specific-rate disagreement.
- A Senior Property Valuation Protection Option freezes assessed value for qualifying homeowners 65+ who meet 2026 income limits ($47,712 single / $59,640 for two-or-more owners) -- apply by the first Monday in March with the county assessor.
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