You have made the decision to move to Fountain Hills. It’s a brand new experience, and you’re not sure where to begin.

This guide will help you through the basics of your new community, as well as go into detail about the Town of Fountain Hills and all it has to offer.

Fountain Hills is in Maricopa County. ZIP Codes are 85268 for houses and businesses and 85269 for post office boxes. The telephone area code, which is shared with most of the east Valley, is (480). There are two other area codes in the Valley: (602) generally belongs to central Phoenix telephone customers, while (623) is the prefix for Westside communities. The area code for northern, northeastern and western Arizona communities outside the Valley is (928). If you make a call to Tucson and southeastern Arizona, you should dial (520).

The Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce is one of the best sources of community information available

The Chamber, located at 16837 E. Palisades Blvd., has staff members who can answer questions about businesses, shopping, special events, clubs and services. The Chamber is open Monday through Friday. Call (480) 837-1654.

Other sources for local information include Town Hall, (480) 816-5100; Fountain Hills Library, (602) 652-3000+3+3; Fountain Hills Times, (480) 837-1925; Fountain Hills Unified School District administration, (480) 664-5000; community master developer MCO Properties, (480) 837-9660; and the Fountain Hills Community Center, (480) 816-5200.

Community Information & Referral Services is a primary source of integrated information for those interested in services for Central and Northern Arizona. CIRS makes referrals in health care, emergency food, housing and clothing needs; drug and alcohol treatment; adult/child protective services; counseling; employment; training; senior services; pet services; utility assistance; and legal assistance.

The Valley-wide service provided by Community Information & Referral Services is free of charge and is available 24 hours a day by calling (602) 263-8856. The website is www.cir.org.

Additional information about relocating to Fountain Hills and related services follow. Many of these categories are included elsewhere in this Community Guide with additional details.

• Animals — Fountain Hills dog licenses, 816-5100; barking dogs, 816-5143; Maricopa County Animal Care and Control: rabies, animal control, loose dogs, lost animals with or without identification, animal control officers, (602) 506-7387.
  
  
• Architectural Control — Neighborhood Property Owners Association, operated by residents and property owners in certain neighborhoods, (480) 837-5317; or check with your individual homeowners association, if applicable.
  
  
• Auto License Plates, Driver’s License, Titles and Registration — All County Motor Vehicle Department offices are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Phone number for all offices is (602) 255-0072. Locations: East Mesa, 7631 E. Main St.; Mesa, 1840 S. Mesa Drive. (Mesa Drive and the Superstition Freeway); north Scottsdale office, 7339 E. Paradise Lane (south of Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd.). Services include transfers for those buying vehicles, registrations for new residents, permits, replacement of plates, registrations and titles and other auto, truck and trailer licensing functions. Visit www.dot.state.az.us and www.servicearizona.com.
  
  
• Community Center — Located at 13001 N. La Montana Drive. See separate story on this versatile facility; owned and operated by the Town of Fountain Hills, (480) 816-5200.
  
  
• Fire Department — Emergency, 911; Palisades fire station and administration, 16246 E. Palisades Blvd., (480) 837-9820; Saguaro fire station, (480) 837-0804.
  
  
• Food Bank — Extended Hands Food Bank, 16524 E. Laser Drive, Suite 9. Call (480) 837-0303 for hours and services. Food boxes, clothing, household items, etc.
  
  
• Goodwill — Non-profit thrift store has a Fountain Hills location at 16716 E. Palisades Blvd.; (480) 816-9493.
  
  
• Library — The local facility is a branch of the Maricopa County Library District. Located at 12901 N. LaMontana Drive. (602) 652-3000+3+3.
  
  
• Code Enforcement Concerns — Town Hall, 16705 E. Avenue of the Fountains; (480) 816-5193.
  
  
• Post Office — Fountain Hills U.S. Post Office, 16605 E. Avenue of the Fountains. Fountain Hills has post office boxes available for rent, as well as residential and business delivery service. Mail delivered to post office boxes goes to the 85269 ZIP Code; mail delivered to street addresses goes to 85268. The post office provides counter service Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Regular postal services, as well as passports by appointment. The lobby is open 24 hours daily for mailbox pickup. An Automated Postal Center (APC) machine also is located in the lobby for 24-hour service. Call (480) 837-4812 for local services, or (800) 275-8777, for general postal information.
  
  
• Public Schools — Fountain Hills Unified School District: Administrative Office, 664-5000; High School (9-12), (480) 664-5500; Middle School (6-8), (480) 664-5400; Four Peaks Elementary School (3-5), (480) 664-5100; McDowell Mountain Elementary School (K-2), (480) 664-5200; Maintenance and Transportation building, (480) 664-5300; Fountain Hills Charter School (Public Montessori Schools, K-8), (480) 837-0046; East Valley Institute of Technology, (480) 461-4000.
  
  
• Senior Center —The Fountain Hills Senior Activity Center, located in the Community Center, offers daily programs, trips and theater outings, and many other activities for the active adults in Fountain Hills. Programs vary from cultural and social activities to fitness and social services. (480) 816-5888.
  
  
• Sheriff's Office — Provides police protection for the community. Emergency, 911; Fountain Hills station, 837-2047; non-emergency dispatch, (602) 252-7840; Crime Stop, to report a crime (602) 876-1011; and Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office downtown switchboard, (602) 876-1000.
  
  
• Time & Weather — Call (602) 265-5550.
  
  
• Vehicle Inspection & Emissions — Mesa locations, 1851 W. First Ave. (near Main Street & Dobson Road) and 4442 E. Ivy St. (near Greenfield and McKellips roads); Scottsdale, 8448 E. Evans (off Northsight Drive between Hayden & Pima roads in Scottsdale Airpark); Phoenix locations, 15439 N. 40th St. (40th Street and Greenway Road) and 4949 E. Madison (48th Street and Washington, off the Hohokam Expressway); hours for all locations, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays; Car Care Hotline, (877) 692-9227. www.azdeq.gov.
  
  
• Voter Registration — Fountain Hills Town Hall, 816-5100; Democratic Maricopa County Headquarters, (602) 298-4200; Republican Party of Maricopa County, (602) 957-3999; Maricopa County Recorder's and Elections Office, (602) 506-3535. www.servicearizona.com.

Utilities

Infrastructure is something we take for granted. Cables, pipes and transmitters are in place, affording Fountain Hills residents the expected comforts of everyday life.

Various utility companies provide and maintain that infrastructure locally.

Electricity

The Salt River Project, a quasi-governmental entity that was formed more than 100 years ago, provides electricity in Fountain Hills.

Prospective and current SRP customers may call (602) 236-8888 for information about electricity turn on, rates, deposits, etc. There are different classifications of service and related charges that can be explained in full by a SRP customer service representative. Complete information, including activation and bill paying is available online at www.srpnet.com.

SRP's customer information center, (602) 236-8888, is open from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. The main business office is located at 1521 N. Project Drive in Tempe. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. An SRP Pay Center in Fountain Hills is located inside the Bashas’ supermarket at Palisades Boulevard and La Montana Drive. The center is available during store hours.

SRP has a number of programs that give customers options to save with energy conservation. The company also has a consumer "ombudsman" who represents customers in unresolved, service-related disputes. Customers can call (602) 236-2196, or get additional details online.

Natural gas

Fountain Hills receives natural gas services from Southwest Gas Corporation based in Phoenix. Only a portion of Fountain Hills has natural gas available.

Customer service information concerning connections and billing can be obtained by calling (602) 861-1999. The customer service line operates 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Citizens can report gas odor or damage to natural gas facilities by calling (800) 528-4277.

Blue Stake information to locate gas lines before digging is available by calling (800) 782-5348 at least two working days prior to excavation. Additional information is available at www.swgas.com.

Water

Chaparral City Water Company provides water service to Fountain Hills. CCWC is a subsidiary of American States Water Company, an investor-owned utility based in California that is regulated by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

The Arizona Corporation Commission governs all water rates for the company while the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality regulates water quality.

CCWC is a member of the Central Arizona Groundwater Recharge District, which helps assure long-term water supplies will be available to customers.

CCWC recently spent $4.5 million to upgrade its water treatment facility. The utility obtains its water from two sources: Central Arizona Project (CAP) and underground wells. CAP is a federal reclamation project that brings Colorado River water into the Arizona metro areas through a canal system.

The local management team for CCWC includes District Manager Robert Hanford, Customer Service/Field Operations Superintendent Don Long and District Engineer Michael Thompson.

The administrative offices and maintenance warehouse for the water utility are located at 12021 N. Panorama Drive in Fountain Hills. Office hours are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. excluding major holidays. The company offers a 24-hour customer service center for all billing and emergency situations that may arise. The center may be reached at (480) 837-9522, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Customers wishing to establish or disconnect water service for their home should call the customer service center at (480) 837-9522. For more information, visit www.aswater.com.

Communications

The means of communicating are ever-changing and ever-expanding.

“Land lines” now are accompanied by wireless telephones. Voice communication is supplemented with text messaging.

In any case, Fountain Hills has the full array of options.

Fountain Hills has three land line telephone prefixes. They are "836," "837" and "816" exchanges. The area code for the town is "480."

Fountain Hills homes and businesses telephone services are through Qwest or Cox Communications. 

Qwest
Qwest, the Colorado-based utility offers a variety of services that can be individualized for home, business and home office needs.

New residential service, long distance service, Internet, changes, disconnection, billing questions, call (800) 244-1111, weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Residential repair, (800) 573-1311
Services for customers with disabilities, (800) 223-3131, weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. (CST).
Business service, (800) 603-6000.
Business repair, (800) 954-1211.
Home office consulting, (800) 898-9675.
Directory assistance, 411.
Qwest accounts can be managed online at www.qwest.com.

For those who need copies of the metropolitan Qwest Direct White and Yellow Pages, call (800) 422-8793; for copies of the "Fountain Hills/Verde Communities Telephone Directory," stop by The Times' office at 16508 E. Laser Drive, Suite 101, or call (480) 837-1925.

To pay your phone bill by mail, send it to Qwest Communications, P.O. Box 29060, Phoenix, AZ 85038-9060; customers also may choose an automatic payment plan, where your bank will automatically pay the bill and deduct the amount from your checking or savings account.

Cox Communications
Cox Communications offers digital telephone service in Fountain Hills. In addition to telephone service, Cox also provides digital video (cable) and high speed internet.

To order Cox Communications services, call (623) 594-1000, or visit www.cox.com/arizona.

Payment center, 13239 N. La Montana, 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday.

A Cox Digital Store for equipment pick up, new service ordering and billing inquiries is located at 7241 E. Williams Drive in Scottsdale. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Wireless Services
There are numerous wireless service providers that offer service in Fountain Hills. Some of those have developed transmission facilities in the community to enhance service. Fountain Hills Wireless and Satellite, authorized agent for Verizon Wireless has a store in Fountain Hills at 16858 E. Avenue of the Fountains, Suite 105. Call (480) 837-9400.

Cable Television
Cox Communications is Fountain Hills’ cable provider. The company offers a variety of cable television and high-speed Internet packages for residents.

Some Cox services require digital converters with advanced features which are necessary to receive some programming.

Cox Digital Cable delivers access to more than 300 television and music channels, interactive programming guide, multiple premium channels and the capability to upgrade at any time. Cox also offers 14 High Definition channels, as well as exclusive local channels that air local sports, the Arizona News Channel and Maricopa Colleges TV.

Cox offers a number of cable programming packages and special programming tiers customized to fit customers’ needs.

There are three levels of High Speed Internet (HSI) service through Cox. No additional phone line is required for the service.

Fountain Hills customers can call the company at (623) 594‑1000 for information on cable installation, scheduling and pricing. Additional information on all Cox services is available on the Web site.

Sanitary District

The Fountain Hills Sanitary District, a separate government entity from the Town of Fountain Hills, is responsible for the collection, treatment and disposal of sewage wastewater in the community.

The special district is governed by an elected five-man board, is funded through various hook-up, connection and user fees as well as property taxes and is operated on a day-to-day basis by a manager and other qualified employees.

An underground system of piping and pump stations carry sewage to the wastewater treatment plant near Saguaro and Grande boulevards where it is treated.

The district has a recharge and recovery effluent disposal program that includes a series of underground wells in and around Fountain Park and an advanced water treatment facility along Kiwanis Drive, just south of Fountain Park.

The recharge and recovery system further treats and filters effluent and then injects the water, through the wells, into the underground aquifer, where the excess water is stored. During the hot summer months, when there is a demand for effluent for irrigation purposes, the excess water is pumped out of the aquifer and used on area parks and golf courses.

The district finances its operations through a combination of fees and taxes.

Owners of vacant land with sewer facilities available to it are subject to availability fees, while new homes under construction are charged various hookup and connection fees. The district also levies a property tax on vacant and improved parcels. Residences are subject to user fees as well.

The district's office and treatment plant are located at 16941 E. Pepperwood Circle; office is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., treatment plant is manned seven days a week. The telephone number during the week, as well as after hours and emergency, is (480) 837-9444.

Garbage removal and hauling

Fountain Hills residents have several choices of garbage collection companies. While there is no municipal garbage pickup, residents can choose services from private refuse companies.

Garbage and Recycling

Hauling Services

Telephone Directories

Looking for a telephone number, but you can’t find it in the large metro area phone books?

The community has two telephone directories that include local listings.

The Fountain Hills & Verde Communities Telephone Directory is published by Western States Publishers Inc. which also publishes this guide, Let’s Go! and The Fountain Hills Times. It has been distributed free to every home in Fountain Hills since 1977. It has a separate color-coded section for residents of The Verde Communities north of here.

The Fountain Hills & Verde Communities Telephone Directory has a comprehensive yellow page categorized listing of local businesses and those listings and accompanying ads are also accessible through The Times On-line website (www.fhtimes.com).

The directory also features emergency and information numbers, Website addresses, contacts for clubs and organizations, move-in services, government services and a map with street index of the Town of Fountain Hills.

A form can be found in this Community Guide that homeowners who recently moved here can fill out and send in to be included in the 2008 edition of the Fountain Hills & Verde Communities Telephone Directory. For information, call (480) 837-1925.

The Fountain Hills Phone Directory has been distributed in the community for four years and is published by Phone Directories Co. of Orem, Utah.

The book features a Community Information section, a government section, White Page listings, a numerical cross reference guide, a map section, Yellow Page listings with advertising and a coupon section. For information, call (800) 443-0801.