Maricopa County, Arizona Genealogy Records

Selected record inventories for Maricopa County, their listed years, and where to ask for access.

Selected inventory review: 2026-11-02. Selected newspaper catalog metadata checked for state and county attribution. Publication dates do not establish complete issue holdings or online access. Library of Congress newspaper directory

Formed
1871
County seat
Phoenix
Apache CountyCochise CountyCoconino CountyGila CountyGraham CountyGreenlee CountyLa Paz CountyMohave CountyNavajo CountyPima CountyPinal CountyYuma CountyYavapai CountyMaricopa CountyCoconinoGilaGrahamLa PazMohaveYumaYavapaiMaricopa
Maricopa CountyParent county (search here for earlier records)Today's boundaries · U.S. Census Bureau

Listed record inventories

Selected holdings and indexes for Maricopa County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.

Newspapers

See the repository's descriptions and search options

Repository access note: Selected newspaper titles cataloged by the Library of Congress with explicit county geography. Priority is given to titles beginning by 1950; up to five later titles are included where no earlier dated title is listed for that county. Dates describe publication history, not the issues available at a library. Multiple format records with the same title, place and dates are grouped. The catalog may describe paper, microfilm or online resources. Open ends and the word Current reflect the catalog description; confirm present availability and exact holdings with the libraries listed on the linked record.

Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.

Where to find the records

  • Find Maricopa County's official website

    We haven't checked this county's website yet, so this opens a web search. Look for an address ending in .gov, then find the county recorder and the clerk of the superior court.

  • The county recorder

    Deeds, mortgages and other land records.

  • The clerk of the superior court

    Marriage licenses, divorces, probate (wills and estates) and civil and criminal cases.

  • The Arizona State Archives

    In Phoenix: territorial and county records, including some older court and probate files.

  • Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Recordsfree

    The state archives in Phoenix, with territorial and county records and the Arizona Memory Project's digitized collections.

  • FamilySearch Catalogfree

    Search by place for "Arizona, Maricopa" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.

Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.

Boundaries and parent counties

Formed from: Yavapai County

Check the parent county for earlier records: Yavapai County

Later formed partly from Maricopa County: Gila County, Pinal County

YumaPimaPah-Ute (extinct)MohaveYavapaiMaricopaMaricopaYavapaiYumaMohave
Maricopa as created in 1871Where its land was the day beforeToday's boundaryBoundaries: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1871, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.

Research tip

Arizona began statewide registration of births and deaths in 1909. For earlier events, look in county records, church records and newspapers, and remember that the area's records before 1863 may be with New Mexico Territory.