Photo: Elnogalense · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Rio Rico, AZ: what to set up and who to call
Rio Rico has no town government of its own, so Santa Cruz County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Patagonia Union High School District. Rio Rico Library, at 275 Rio Rico Dr, is the library in town.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Rio Rico, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Rio Rico.
Water comes from Liberty Water Rio Rico
Liberty Water Rio Rico supplies almost all of Rio Rico. It draws ground water and serves 17,960 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 0.8 ppb. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. AZ0412011.
8 home internet providers serve Rio Rico
70% of 7,155 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 3% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable, Fiber | 52% | 1,000/50 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 40% | 40/3 |
| Simply Bits | Fixed wireless | 61% | 100/30 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 52% | 300/20 |
| Bluespan Wireless | Fixed wireless | 24% | 350/35 |
| Tristate Wi-Fi by Wi-Fiber | Fixed wireless | 13% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Rio Rico’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Rio Rico.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Rio Rico is in two districts that split the grades: Patagonia Union High School District and Santa Cruz Valley Unified District.
B−School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Rio Rico is unincorporated, so Santa Cruz County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Rio Rico is in ZIP code 85648
ZIP codes where Rio Rico residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Rio Rico | ZIP’s residents in Rio Rico |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85648 | Rio Rico, AZ | 100% | 99% |
A few homes fall in 85640.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Rio Rico
Who supplies Rio Rico’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Liberty Water Rio Rico (EPA ID AZ0412011). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
What internet providers serve Rio Rico?
Mediacom Xtream, CenturyLink, Simply Bits, Verizon, Bluespan Wireless, Tristate Wi-Fi by Wi-Fiber (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Rio Rico?
85648. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Rio Rico in?
Patagonia Union High School District and Santa Cruz Valley Unified District. Parts of the city are in Patagonia Elementary District and Santa Cruz Elementary District.
How do I register to vote in Rio Rico?
In Arizona you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before). Elections here are run by the Santa Cruz County Recorder. Check your registration at my.arizona.vote.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.