Every Maricopa County property tax statement has a section labeled "Special District," and in north Peoria that is where the community facilities district charge appears. On 2026 tax year parcels inside the original Vistancia Community Facilities District, that line now carries a rate of $0.0000. On parcels a short drive north, inside Vistancia North, the rate is $2.65 per $100 of assessed value.
So the Vistancia name tells a buyer about the master plan and nothing about the tax bill. Two homes listed at the same price under the same banner can carry very different annual costs, and the gap grew this year. One district reached the year its debt was scheduled to mature and set a zero levy, while the districts next to it are early in their bond schedules.
Same Name, Separate Tax Districts
Peoria runs five CFD programs in its northern area: Vistancia, Vistancia West, Vistancia North, Mystic at Lake Pleasant Heights, and Saddleback. A CFD is its own taxing district and a separate political subdivision. It issues bonds for public infrastructure, mainly water and wastewater systems, and property owners inside its boundaries repay them through secondary property taxes.
Here is how the rates moved between the 2025 and 2026 tax levies, according to Maricopa County's adopted property tax levies and rates.
| District | Formed | FY2026 rate per $100 | FY2027 rate per $100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vistancia CFD | October 2002 | $1.62 | $0.0000 |
| Vistancia West CFD | August 2014 | $1.64 | $1.53 |
| Vistancia North CFD | 2020 | $1.03 | $2.65 |
| Mystic at Lake Pleasant Heights CFD | June 2020 | $2.65 | $2.65 |
| Saddleback CFD #1 | Not listed | No levy | $2.65 |
Compare those with the city's own rate. For fiscal year 2027, the City of Peoria levies $0.29 primary and $1.15 secondary, a combined $1.44 per $100 of assessed value. In Vistancia North, Mystic and Saddleback #1, the CFD line alone is $1.21 higher than the city's entire rate.
Why the Original District Went to Zero
The zero rate was scheduled years ago. Peoria formed the Vistancia CFD in 2002, and voters authorized up to $100 million in bonds for water and wastewater infrastructure. Three bond series totaling $67.6 million were issued, and they were refinanced in 2015. A 2021 City of Peoria staff report said, "Existing debt is scheduled to mature in 2026 and the tax rate of $2.10 is expected to expire when all debt is paid off."
In the 2025 tax year, the last full year before maturity, the district levied $4,403,859 at $1.62. Then, at a May 19, 2026 meeting, the district board approved Vistancia's fiscal 2027 budget "with a zero tax levy" on a 7-0 vote, according to an Arizona Record meeting summary.
The adopted action covers fiscal 2027. It is not a declaration that the district has been dissolved. The most recent annual report linked on the city's district page covers the year ended June 30, 2025, when $4,120,000 in bonds was still outstanding. The 2021 staff report also said the district could levy an operations and maintenance tax of up to $0.30 per $100. It added that the district had never assessed that tax and did not plan to.
The $2.65 Districts Are Early in Their Bond Lives
The newer districts are where the Vistancia CFD was two decades ago. Their levies grow as homes are finished and added to the tax roll, even when the rate holds steady. Mystic at Lake Pleasant Heights has held $2.65 every year since fiscal 2022, and its levy grew year after year:
- Fiscal 2022: $60,435
- Fiscal 2023: $123,795
- Fiscal 2024: $259,655
- Fiscal 2025: $357,088
- Fiscal 2027: $544,310, per the county's adopted table
Vistancia North's rate did not hold steady. Its levy rose from $211,599 to $721,339 in one year as its rate went from $1.03 to $2.65. At June 30, 2025, Mystic reported $5,190,000 in general obligation bonds outstanding and Vistancia West reported $2,895,000. Vistancia West's debt service schedule runs through 2030.
The same 2021 staff report explains why a buyer should treat a CFD rate as a floor that can move. For the Vistancia CFD, it said the target rate "is not a maximum rate." The district is "legally obligated to establish the property tax rate at whatever tax rate is necessary" to meet that year's debt service, and the developer had to cover shortfalls under a standby contribution agreement. Each district has its own agreements, so a buyer would need to confirm the terms that apply to a specific district.
What the Rate Looks Like on One Hypothetical Home
For tax year 2026, the Arizona Department of Revenue sets the assessment ratio at 10% for both primary residential and rented residential property. Assessed value is the limited property value multiplied by that 10%, and secondary taxes for special districts are levied on it.
Take a hypothetical home with a limited property value of $350,000. Its assessed value is $35,000. Each $1.00 of rate costs $350 a year:
- In the Vistancia CFD at $0.0000, the CFD line is $0.
- In Vistancia West at $1.53, it is $535.50.
- In Vistancia North, Mystic or Saddleback #1 at $2.65, it is $927.50.
- The City of Peoria's own $1.44 on the same home comes to $504.
On that home, the difference between the original district and the $2.65 districts is $927.50 a year, about $77 a month. A buyer comparing a resale in the original district with a newer home a few miles north would have to cover that difference out of the payment, or out of a price gap, before the two homes cost the same to own.
More Lots Are Coming to This Part of the Map
The area around these districts is filling in. Taylor Morrison paid $6.34 million for 406 lots on 190.82 acres north of Vistancia, KTAR reported on October 4, 2026. The Phoenix Business Journal said community sales there are expected to open in 2028.
South of Vistancia, Lennar's land banker, AGWIP Asset Management, paid $60.14 million in cash for 444 lots in Harish Estates, a subdivision approved for 606 lots near 117th Avenue and the Deer Valley Road alignment, ABC15 reported. The seller plans to bring about 2,000 more lots in the area to market within three years. That site is in unincorporated Maricopa County, not the City of Peoria, which matters because Peoria's CFDs are city districts.
None of these future homes has a published CFD rate yet. For districts approved after August 9, 2017, A.R.S. § 48-708(D) requires a seller who must obtain a subdivision public report to disclose the district, its purpose, its estimated tax rate and an estimated annual tax on a hypothetical home. For buyers of new homes in north Peoria, that public report is the first place a CFD figure appears.
Where a Buyer Finds the District Before Closing
On a resale, the district is attached to the parcel, so the question is which records show it.
- The seller's disclosure. The Arizona REALTORS® Residential SPDS asks whether the property is in a CFD, the district's name, its fees and whether they are billed with property taxes.
- The district boundary. Peoria's CFD map service draws the Vistancia and Vistancia West boundaries from their formation resolutions. Village names inside Vistancia are not a reliable guide to which district a home is in.
- The parcel's tax area code. In the Maricopa County Assessor's records, the last two digits of a parcel's tax area code identify its special districts, according to the Assessor's glossary.
- The actual bill. The Maricopa County Treasurer offers parcel tax history and bills. The ADRE Buyer Advisory tells buyers to check the detailed tax statement and to ask the district how much is still owed and how many payments remain.
This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm how a district affects your purchase with your title officer, tax professional or attorney.
Questions Buyers Ask About Peoria CFDs
Is the original Vistancia CFD finished for good?
For fiscal 2027, its levy is zero and its budget was adopted that way. The 2021 staff report tied the end of the tax to full repayment of the debt scheduled to mature in 2026. Each year's rate is set by a new board action, so check the levy every year.
Is the City of Peoria responsible for CFD bonds?
No. The 2021 staff report states that a CFD's debt obligations "are not obligations of the City of Peoria" and that debt service is ultimately the responsibility of property owners within the district.
When is the next 2026 property tax payment due?
The first half became delinquent after 5 p.m. on November 2, 2026, according to the Treasurer's calendar. Under the Arizona Department of Revenue's general schedule, the second half is due March 1, 2027 and becomes delinquent after May 1, 2027. CFD taxes are paid as part of that bill.
If you are comparing homes across Vistancia's districts, or settling an estate that includes a north Peoria property with a CFD line on the bill, Russell Harris can pull the parcel's district, levy history and current rate before you set a price or make an offer. Let's connect.
