Starting Oct. 1, a citation for breaking a Town of San Tan Valley rule, such as the town's noise limits, fireworks windows, yard sale limits or business license requirement, is set to go before the Florence Municipal Court.

The Town Council approved the agreement with the Town of Florence on Sept. 16 as part of its consent agenda, the group of routine items passed in a single vote. Arizona law gives a town two choices for its court cases: run its own municipal court, or contract with another town's court in the same county. The Town of San Tan Valley does not have a court of its own, so Florence's judge and court staff will hear its cases.

The agreement covers town code cases only. Town Manager Brent Billingsley told the council that means building codes, zoning rules and other parts of the Town Code, and not traffic stops, traffic tickets, misdemeanors or felonies under state law. Small claims, evictions and protective orders are also outside the agreement, so the way those cases are handled today does not change.

What Counts as a Town Code Case

The agreement lists each section of the Town Code that Florence has agreed to hear. The ones residents are most likely to run into include:

• Noise, fireworks and the curfew for minors
• Parking, and abandoned or broken-down vehicles left on town streets
• Yard sales, door-to-door soliciting and the town business license
• Property upkeep, junk and debris, and other nuisances
• Building code, zoning, signs and outdoor lighting
• Animal rules, graffiti, camping on public property, and bicycles, e-bikes and similar devices

Depending on the rule, a violation can be a civil offense, which carries a fine, or a misdemeanor, which is a minor criminal charge. Town rules apply only inside town limits. The SanTanValley.com interactive map shows which side of the town line an address falls on, and Town of San Tan Valley 101 explains the town rules in plain language.

How a Case Would Work

The town still enforces its own code and prosecutes its own cases. Florence supplies the judge, the clerks and the courtroom. Complaints about code violations inside town limits are currently handled by Pinal County Development Services under an agreement with the town, and Who Handles What explains how to report one.

Hearings will take place at the Florence Municipal Court or be held remotely or in another format the court allows. Florence sets the court dates. Fines collected in town cases stay with Florence to help cover its costs.

The town pays Florence $500 a month, or $4,500 for the rest of this budget year, plus $114 for each case the court accepts: $49 to process the filing and $65 for the judge's time. The fee schedule is built around no more than three new town cases a month.

The agreement runs through June 30, 2031, and either town can end it with 120 days' notice. It describes the arrangement as interim, and it includes an option for Florence to train town staff if the Town of San Tan Valley later sets up its own court.

Before it takes effect, the agreement still needs the remaining sign-offs state law requires, including approval from the presiding judge of Pinal County Superior Court.

Florence Municipal Court

775 N. Main St.

Florence, AZ 85132

520-868-7514

Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.