Plumbers in Sun City, AZ

The original Del Webb retirement community

Sun City is an unincorporated community in Maricopa County, about 18 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix in a straight line. Del E. Webb Development Co. opened it on January 1, 1960, and it remains a retirement community popular with snowbirds, known for its golf courses, recreation centers and the Sun Bowl Amphitheatre. It borders Peoria, Youngtown, El Mirage and Surprise, and the 2020 Census counted 39,931 residents.

EPCOR for water and wastewater

One EPCOR system serves nearly 24,000 connections in Sun City and the Town of Youngtown, pumping groundwater from the West Salt River Valley Sub-Basin and disinfecting it with chlorine. EPCOR runs a separate stand-alone system for Tierra Del Rio, north of Sun City. Hardness on the Sun City system ranges from 7 to 11 grains per gallon, enough to leave scale in tank water heaters and on aerators over time. EPCOR Customer Care is 1-800-383-0834.

EPCOR also provides wastewater service and runs an inspection program for the sewer mains and manholes in the Sun Cities. The pipe from your house to the main is a separate matter, and in a community this age, a camera look at that lateral is worthwhile if drains are slow or backing up.

Homes from the 1960s onward

The oldest houses here date to the community's 1960 opening, and original fixtures, shutoff valves and drain lines may still be in service. Older supply valves that no longer close fully, worn toilet parts and tired water heaters are common reasons to call. On lead, EPCOR says it is responsible for supplying drinking water and removing any identified lead pipes, while customers share responsibility for the plumbing inside their homes. Its service line inventory is posted at epcor.com/safety.

Backflow testing and county permits

EPCOR's Cross Connection Control Department puts backflow assemblies on the customer: you install, maintain and test them. Assemblies must be tested yearly and whenever they are installed, repaired or moved, by a certified tester, and reports are due within 30 days. EPCOR wants assemblies within 36 inches of the water meter unless it directs otherwise; reach the department at 480-450-2077.

Permits come from Maricopa County Planning and Development. Like-for-like plumbing repair permits are issued online, new gas line work for items like a grill or pool heater uses a non-technical permit, and the County no longer requires a permit to replace an existing water heater, though you can request one if you want an inspection.

Gas, and how Sun City differs from Phoenix

We did not find an official page naming Sun City's gas utility, so check your bill; many homes may be all-electric. If you ever smell gas, leave first and call 911 and your gas utility from outside. Unlike Phoenix, there is no city government, the water is all groundwater from a private utility, and permits are county permits. Call the number on this page to be connected with an independent plumber who works in Sun City.