Plumbers in Scottsdale, AZ

East of Phoenix, stretching north into the desert

Scottsdale is a Maricopa County city on Phoenix's eastern edge, about 14 miles in a straight line from downtown Phoenix to the center of town. The 2020 Census put the population at 241,361. The city is long and narrow, running from the older blocks around Indian School Road in the south, past Chaparral Road and McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, up into the far north. That north-south spread matters for plumbing, because water hardness and sewer access both change as you move through the city.

Scottsdale Water: supply, hardness and sewer

Scottsdale Water draws on Colorado River water through the Central Arizona Project canal, Salt and Verde river water through Salt River Project, groundwater from city wells and recycled water. Treatment happens at plants including the CAP plant at the Scottsdale Water Campus and the Chaparral plant, and the water is disinfected with chlorine rather than chloramine. The city's general and 24-hour emergency line is 480-312-5650.

According to the city's own hardness figures, the water is softest north of Chaparral Road and hardest south of Indian School Road. Homes in the southern part of town tend to see more scale on water heaters, faucets and shower valves, which is why softener plumbing comes up often there.

The city runs the sewer system across most of its boundary, but some areas are unsewered. Homes there are not on municipal sewer and drain to a private onsite wastewater system, so a backup at one of those houses is a different job from a clogged city sewer lateral. A small east-side area near Cactus Road sends wastewater to Fountain Hills Sanitary District facilities.

Permits, backflow and gas

Scottsdale Planning and Development Services handles permits through its One Stop Shop at 7447 E. Indian School Road (480-312-2500). Replacing a gas or electric water heater takes a Minimum Plumbing Permit with no plan review, and any work that installs, alters or repairs a plumbing system, gas piping or a lawn sprinkler supply needs a plumbing permit. Scottsdale Water's cross-connection program requires approved backflow assemblies, and only city-recognized certified testers may test, install or replace them.

We could not confirm the gas utility for every Scottsdale address, and some homes are all-electric. If you ever smell gas, get out of the house first, then call 911 and your gas utility from outside.

Housing age and how Scottsdale differs from Phoenix

The median Scottsdale home was built around 1990, older than in the fast-growing outer suburbs but newer than central Phoenix. The city surveys service lines installed before 1989 and says it does not expect to find lead service lines. When you call, describe the problem, whether the house is on city sewer or a private system, and whether the water is shut off, and you will be connected with an independent plumber serving Scottsdale who quotes the work directly.