Reviewed and updated October 4, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The crime counts are the ones 17 agencies reported to the FBI for 2025. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data, latest year 2024. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 1, 2026.
Maricopa County, Arizona, has about 4.7 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are split between the county, the state, the Maricopa County Superior Court and the cities and towns, and the office that holds a record decides how you get it, what it costs and who may see it. This guide walks through each one, starting with the crime numbers its police agencies reported.
In this guide: Crime numbers, Jail and arrests, Warrants, Criminal records, County Attorney, Police reports, Sex offender registry, Court records, Traffic tickets, DUI, Divorce records, Deeds and property, Records requests, Which office covers your city, Other counties and Questions.
Arizona guides: Arrest Records · Inmate Search · Criminal Records · Background Checks · Wants and Warrants · Sex Offender Registry · Court Records · Property Records · Recorded Documents · Public Records Law · People Search
Crime Numbers in Maricopa County, 2025
Crime counts for Maricopa County reach the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, with a separate count for each of 18 of its cities. The totals below add up what was reported for 2025, the latest year with all twelve months in from the agencies counted.
For 2025 the 17 agencies with all twelve months reported 18,806 violent and 73,134 property crimes. Compared with 2024, violent crime fell from 20,918 in 2024 to 18,806 in 2025, down 10 percent, and property crime fell from 81,344 in 2024 to 73,134 in 2025, down 10 percent. That is 10,322 fewer crimes in all.
- Phoenix: 11,752 violent and 34,550 property crimes in 2025, down 11 percent from 52,188 in 2024.
- Mesa: 2,204 violent and 6,792 property crimes in 2025, down 11 percent from 10,141 in 2024.
- Glendale: 1,141 violent and 6,126 property crimes in 2025, down 11 percent from 8,166 in 2024.
- Tempe: 799 violent and 5,169 property crimes in 2025, down 7.9 percent from 6,482 in 2024.
- Scottsdale: 433 violent and 4,330 property crimes in 2025, down 4.5 percent from 4,985 in 2024.
- Chandler: 350 violent and 3,473 property crimes in 2025, down 18 percent from 4,669 in 2024.
Through July 2026, the 14 agencies with every month in so far counted 9,733 violent and 33,501 property crimes, against 10,022 and 37,855 in the same months of 2025.
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and Wickenburg reported only part of 2025 (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, 7 months and Wickenburg, 11 months), so they are left out of the totals. The counts for Queen Creek and Wickenburg include the parts of those cities that lie in neighboring counties. the Apache Junction Police Department works in more than one county, so its counts are not added here.
The monthly counts are published by the FBI at cde.ucr.cjis.gov.
Arrests, Jail and Inmate Search in Maricopa County
The county jail is where people arrested in Maricopa County are held until they post bond, are released or are sentenced. The jail roster lists each person held, the charges and the bond.
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 6,940 people, down from about 7,460 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 8,925 beds, and it ran at 76 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Who is in custody
The jail and inmate page SearchSystems verified for Maricopa County:
- Website: mcso.org/InmateInfo (page title: InmateInfo | Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)
- Checked: October 1, 2026, the page answered.
People sentenced to prison serve the sentence in a facility of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, whose inmate locator is at corrections.az.gov/inmate-data-search.
SearchSystems' Arizona inmate search guide and arrest records guide explain how arrest and custody records work across Arizona.
Warrants in Maricopa County
An arrest warrant in Maricopa County is signed by a judge, usually of the Maricopa County Superior Court or the Justice Courts, and is served by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office or the city police. A judge also issues a bench warrant when someone misses a court date, and a warrant issued in a case becomes part of that case's court file.
The Arizona wants and warrants guide covers the statewide picture.
Criminal Records and Background Checks in Maricopa County
In Arizona the statewide criminal history record is closed to the public. The Arizona Department of Public Safety releases it to its subject and to authorized employers and licensing agencies; a member of the public checks the court's own case index in Maricopa County instead, which is open.
Your own Arizona record
To see your own record, the route is a Record Review Packet, fingerprint-based, from the Department of Public Safety. The state page SearchSystems verified for it is at azdps.gov/services/public-services-portal/records-request.
Local records in Maricopa County
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office keeps its own arrest and booking files for Maricopa County, separate from the state repository, and some sheriffs issue a local clearance letter from them. The prosecutions themselves are in the files of the Maricopa County Superior Court.
The Arizona criminal records guide and background check guide explain who may legally check whom, and what each route costs.
County Attorney for Maricopa County
The County Attorney is the charging office for Maricopa County: it reviews arrests from every police agency in the county and files the cases in the Maricopa County Superior Court or the Justice Courts. Plea offers, restitution and victim notification go through it; copies of filings come from the court.
- Website: maricopa.gov/m/directory/department?did=389 (page title: Staff Directory, County Attorney)
- Phone: (602) 506-3411
- Address: 225 West Madison Street Phoenix, AZ 85003
- Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.
Sheriff and Police Reports in Maricopa County
A crime, incident or collision report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, and that agency releases it, not the court or the clerk. In Maricopa County that is the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county and for any city that contracts with it for police service, and a city's own police department where the city has one. Under the Arizona Public Records Law the agency must answer promptly, with no fixed number of days in the statute. It may charge copying charges; commercial requests pay more.
SearchSystems has a guide to the city offices of Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Glendale, Scottsdale, Tempe, Surprise, Goodyear and Buckeye and seven more cities, listed below.
Sex Offender Registry for Maricopa County
Registered sex offenders living in Maricopa County are listed on the Arizona Sex Offender Information Center, run by the Arizona Department of Public Safety at azdps.gov/content/basic-page/106. Level 2 and Level 3 offenders are listed; Level 1 offenders are not shown online.
Registration itself is done in person with the local agency where the registrant lives: the sheriff's office, or the city police in a city with its own department. A search of the state site that finds no one is not proof that a person is not registered, since the site does not show every registrant.
The Arizona sex offender registry guide explains the tiers and the notification rules.
Court Records and Case Search in Maricopa County
Court cases from Maricopa County are filed in the Maricopa County Superior Court, which hears felonies, civil cases over $10,000, divorces, probate and juvenile matters. Below it, the Justice Courts handle misdemeanors, traffic cases, civil cases up to $10,000 and evictions. The records belong to the Clerk of the Superior Court. Cities with municipal courts try their own ordinance and traffic tickets.
The court records page SearchSystems verified
- Website: justicecourts.maricopa.gov/app/courtrecords/casesearch (page title: Case Search)
- Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.
Public Access to Court Information is the Arizona Judicial Branch's free statewide case search; the Maricopa and Pima county courts run their own. The state court page SearchSystems verified is at azcourts.gov/clerkofcourt/CASEINFORMATION.aspx.
The Arizona court records guide covers copy fees, certified copies and sealed records statewide.
Traffic Tickets and Driving Records in Maricopa County
A ticket written by a deputy or a state trooper in Maricopa County goes to the Justice Courts; one written by city police goes to that city's municipal court where it has one. Either way the ticket is a court case, and the court's index is the record of it.
Convictions are reported by the court to the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division, which keeps the driving record and decides on points and suspensions. Order the driving record from that agency, not from the court.
DUI Arrests and Records in Maricopa County
In Arizona the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08. An arrest in Maricopa County follows the same path as any other: a person who is held is booked at the county jail, the County Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in a Justice or Municipal Court, or the Superior Court when it is a felony.
The court case is only half the record. The Motor Vehicle Division runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided. For sentencing, Arizona counts prior offenses within 7 years (84 months).
Divorce Records in Maricopa County
A divorce in Maricopa County is a court case, so the file and the final judgment stay with the Superior Court. The Clerk of the Superior Court keeps it, and the case index tells whether a divorce was filed and when.
Most of a divorce file is public once the case is closed; financial declarations, records about children and anything the court sealed are not.
Property Records, Deeds and Parcel Search in Maricopa County
Who owns a parcel in Maricopa County and what it sold for are in the deed records of the County Recorder, with every lien or mortgage against the land; what it is taxed on is the business of the County Assessor. Arizona taxes homes on their limited property value, which can rise no more than 5 percent a year, rather than on the full cash value the assessor also publishes.
Recorded documents
- Website: recorder.maricopa.gov
- Checked: October 1, 2026, the site blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), and the page was found in a live search index on October 2, 2026; open it directly in a browser.
Property values
- Website: mcassessor.maricopa.gov (page title: Maricopa County Assessor's Office)
- Phone: 602-506-3406
- Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.
The Arizona property records guide and recorded documents guide explain how to read a deed index and what a title search costs.
Public Records Requests in Maricopa County
The Arizona Public Records Law applies to every county office in Maricopa County, from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office to the County Recorder. A request is made in writing to the office that keeps the record; no reason is required. The answer is due promptly, with no fixed number of days in the statute. The office may charge copying charges; commercial requests pay more. The courts are not covered by the act.
The records request page SearchSystems verified for Maricopa County:
- Website: maricopa.gov/4214/Public-Records (page title: Maricopa County Public Records Request | Maricopa County, AZ)
- Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.
The Arizona public records law guide has the appeal route when a request is denied.
Which Office Covers Your City in Maricopa County
The jail, the court and the deed records are the same for every city in Maricopa County: the county jail, the Maricopa County Superior Court and the County Recorder. The police agency is what differs: the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county and for any city that contracts with it for police service, and a city's own police department where the city has one.
The FBI publishes separate crime counts for 18 of these cities; the crime section above has the numbers.
Cities in Maricopa County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; the linked names open SearchSystems' guide to that city's own offices:
- Phoenix (1,673,164)
- Mesa (517,151)
- Gilbert (288,790)
- Chandler (281,231)
- Glendale (258,143)
- Scottsdale (246,170)
- Tempe (190,114)
- Surprise (167,564)
- Goodyear (118,186)
- Buckeye (114,334)
- Queen Creek (83,781)
- El Mirage (36,468)
- Fountain Hills (23,696)
- Paradise Valley (12,523)
- Tolleson (9,353)
- Wickenburg (8,301)
- Litchfield Park (6,863)
- Peoria (199,924)
- Avondale (96,609)
- Youngtown (7,062)
- Guadalupe (5,197)
- Cave Creek (5,177)
- Carefree (3,657)
- Gila Bend (1,847)
Other Counties in Arizona
SearchSystems has a guide like this one for every county in Arizona.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did crime go up or down in Maricopa County in 2025?
Down 10 percent. The 17 agencies with all of 2024 and 2025 reported 91,940 crimes in 2025 against 102,262 in 2024: 18,806 violent against 20,918, and 73,134 property against 81,344. Two more agencies reported only part of one of the two years and are not in this comparison.
How many people are in the Maricopa County jail?
About 6,940 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 8,925 beds.
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Maricopa County?
Check the roster on the jail page SearchSystems verified at mcso.org/InmateInfo. It shows each person held, the charges and the bond.
Are criminal records public in Maricopa County?
Court files of criminal cases in the Maricopa County Superior Court are public and can be looked up through the court. The statewide criminal history kept by the Arizona Department of Public Safety is not public; you can get your own.
Can I search Maricopa County court cases online?
SearchSystems verified the court records page at justicecourts.maricopa.gov (page title: Case Search). Public Access to Court Information is the statewide search.
What is the DUI law in Maricopa County?
Arizona charges it as DUI at 0.08 or above. The criminal case is heard in a Justice or Municipal Court, or the Superior Court when it is a felony. The license case is handled separately by the Motor Vehicle Division.
How do I get a copy of a divorce decree in Maricopa County?
From the Superior Court, through the Clerk of the Superior Court. The County Recorder does not hold divorce records.
How long does Maricopa County have to answer a records request?
Under the Arizona Public Records Law, the answer is due promptly, with no fixed number of days in the statute. The records request page SearchSystems verified is at maricopa.gov/4214/Public-Records.
Is this the official Maricopa County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.