Do I Live in San Tan Valley?

One of the most common questions we receive at SanTanValley.com is "Do I live in San Tan Valley?", so we thought we'd provide some basic information to help you discover where you live and which services you can access.

First, zip codes do not determine municipal or community boundaries.  So don't assume that you live in a town boundary because of your zip code.  For example, San Tan Valley and Queen Creek, both share the zip codes 85142 and 85140 (as a result of recent annexations), and Florence and San Tan Valley both share the zip code 85132.  As a result having a zip code of 85142, 85140, or 85132 does not determine which community/town you live in.

San Tan Valley currently includes zip codes 85140, 85142, 85143 and 85132.  The United States Post Office determines zip codes and they pay no attention to city or area boundaries. As of July 1, 2023, 85144 will be a new zip code used in San Tan Valley and 85142 will no longer be a zip code used in San Tan Valley or Pinal County.  (Read more here)

I used to live in Queen Creek, now I live in San Tan Valley.  Unless you actually moved out of the Town of Queen Creek and into San Tan Valley, that isn't a true statement.  Before June 23, 2009, the area now known as San Tan Valley, used the name, Queen Creek, not because it was part of the town, but because the Queen Creek post office delivered mail to this area and without a name, it had to be called something.  So for a time, it was called Queen Creek and your mailing address was Queen Creek.  On June 23, 2009, however, San Tan Valley became the name of this area, which as of this article, is a census-designated area made up of over 120,000 residents, in unincorporated northeastern Pinal County.  

How do I know if I live in Queen Creek?  Simply having a zip code of 85142 does not mean you live in Queen Creek.  Nor does having a Zip Code of 85140 mean you live in San Tan Valley. Beginning July 1, 2023, the USPS is allocating the 85142 zip code to only Maricopa County.  All Pinal County addresses with the 85142 zip code will be assigned the 85144 zip code.  (Read More here.) The easiest way to determine if you live in Queen Creek or San Tan Valley is to look at your trash can. 

• If your trash service is provided by the Town of Queen Creek, then your property is in Queen Creek.
• If you are able to vote for the Town of Queen Creek Town Council, you live in the Town of Queen Creek.

If not, you do not live in the Town of Queen Creek.

• You can also check your property tax bill to see if you pay the additional property taxes, assessments, and franchise fees that the Town of Queen Creek charges. 
• If you are renting, check to see if your rent includes a Queen Creek rental tax.  Over the years, many residents who did not live in Queen Creek or leased a place of business outside of Queen Creek were charged rental tax.  While Queen Creek has a rental tax, San Tan Valley does not.  If you are curious as to whether or not you should be paying Queen Creek rental tax, please either call the Town of Queen Creek at 480-358-3000 or call SanTanValley.com at 602-348-0238 to verify your address.

*Since this article was first published, the Town of Queen Creek has annexed some property located in the zip code 85140.  The areas affected are in the 85140 zip code and include Banner Ironwood, Encanterra, Ironwood Crossing, and the surrounding commercial and farmland located on the northwest corner of Ironwood & Ocotillo between Meridian - Ironwood and Ocotillo - Germann.  In addition, in September 2019, Queen Creek annexed state trust land north of Germann north to Williams Field Road and Ironwood east to the Central Arizona Project. Prior to 2017, the only properties in the 85140 zip code that sat within the town of Queen Creek boundary were the LDS ward and American Leadership Academy campuses located on the north side of Combs, west of Gantzel.  The annexed areas were once part of San Tan Valley but are now part of Queen Creek.  There is no land however that was once Queen Creek that is now San Tan Valley.

How do I know if I live in Florence?  Simply having a zip code of 85132 does not mean you live in Florence.  Again, check your property tax bill. 

• Is there an additional property tax for Florence on your bill?
• Do you pay the Town of Florence for your trash pickup?
• Do you pay franchise fees for your water, cable, or electric services? 
• Are you able to vote for the Town of Florence Town Council?

If not, you do not live in the Town of Florence.  The furthest north housing community in the Town of Florence is Anthem, even though the 85132 zip code runs north to Arizona Farms. So if you live in Crestfield Manor, Wildhorse Estates, Magic Ranch, Ironhorse, etc you live in San Tan Valley, not the Town of Florence.  (See the map below for boundaries.)

But my address isn't on the map that is on Google for San Tan Valley.  Google isn't always right when it comes to San Tan Valley.  Actually, it rarely is.  The map of San Tan Valley, that is currently on Google, does not include all of San Tan Valley.  That map is from a previous 2010 attempt to incorporate which would have defined new boundaries, however, the incorporation effort was blocked by the Town of Florence (and other communities) and the initiative never got to a ballot for a vote.  San Tan Valley however was "born" the year before on June 23, 2009, and simply included all unincorporated land in northeastern Pinal County that is not in another municipality or census-designated area boundary.

To see the current Town of Queen Creek boundaries (provided by the Town of Queen Creek) click here or call 480-358-3000.  The green area is of the incorporated Town of Queen Creek. If you live in the green area, you reside inside the Town of Queen Creek boundaries.  This map is the most current map provided by the Town of Queen Creek, however since the map was created in 2009, Queen Creek has annexed more property out of San Tan Valley and into its town boundary, including the area known as the j-curve (Empire & Ellsworth) where a car dealership and storage facility have been built, Banner Ironwood, and all property between Meridian and Ironwood and Ocotillo to Germann, which includes Ironwood Crossing, the new Safeway shopping center and the LDS church and farm that are being converted into more homes. The land north of Germann to Williamsfield Road and from Ironwood east to Schnepf Road is now also no longer a part of San Tan Valley but has been annexed into the Town of Queen Creek.

Note: The zip code listed on the Town of Queen Creek map reflects zip code 852XX which was changed to 851XX on July 1, 2009.

To see if you live within the current Town of Florence boundaries click here or call 520-868-7594 or see the map below.

Note:  All of the unincorporated land in Northeastern Pinal County that is not currently part of the City of Apache Junction, the unincorporated community of Gold Canyon, the Town of Queen Creek, or the Town of Florence, is considered San Tan Valley.  

Curious about which other unincorporated communities are in Arizona? Click here.

Does it really matter whether I say I live in Queen Creek or Florence instead of San Tan Valley? YES! It does. 

• Acknowledging that your business or home is located in San Tan Valley helps to unite and promote San Tan Valley as a community.  We are a unique area and being proud of where you live and work helps to build pride in our community. 
• Knowing that you live in San Tan Valley also helps you understand the services offered (or not offered) to you as residents and who provides them.  For example, as a San Tan Valley resident, you have the option to subscribe to Rural Metro fire services.  Whether or not you subscribe, services will still be provided, however, if you are not a subscriber, if services are rendered, you will receive a bill for service.  (Very similar to having medical insurance.  You aren't required to have it, but if you need services and don't have it, you'll get a bill.)
• Living in San Tan Valley is also LESS EXPENSIVE than living in either Queen Creek or Florence.  Both Queen Creek and Florence have:
  • additional property taxes that they charge their residents
  • rental taxes they charge residents and commercial tenants
  • franchise fees for water, cable, electric services
  • additional SALES TAXES which are then added to every product/service that you purchase including all products you order online, including Amazon, etc.  

San Tan Valley does not have an additional property tax, does not charge a rental tax for commercial or residential properties, has a sales tax of only 6.7%, and does not charge franchise fees.  

Unless you live within the boundaries of Queen Creek or Florence, we ask that you use San Tan Valley as your mailing and physical address for your home and business (if applicable).  Your zip code does not determine your community, it simply identifies the United States Postal Service mail route.

Current 2020 Map of San Tan Valley