So you're coming to Tucson! Welcome aboard. Here are some phone numbers and helpful hints for those just moving here.

If you're renting a house or an apartment, check with your landlord about which utilities you will need to hook up. Here, most hot-water heaters, furnaces, and some stoves run on gas. Air conditioning and evaporative (swamp) coolers, lighting, and outlets use electricity. Your water is usually running already, but almost every newcomer needs to hook up his or her own phone line.

* Electricity
* Gas
* Water
* Telephone
* Mail
* Emergency Services
* Driver's Licences
* Car Registration/Insurance
* Garbage and Recycling
* Bus System
* Newspapers
* Cable
* Banks
* Pets

* Electricity
Call Tucson Electric Power Co. at (520)623-7711 at least two working days in advance to start electric service. Office hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Phone lines are open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. M-F and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Tucson Electric does not charge a deposit unless you have an outstanding bill. The service fee is around $11 for start-up, which will be included in your first bill.

* Gas
Call Southwest Gas Corp. at (520)889-1888 at least three days in advance to get your gas hooked up. Business hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The service fee is $20 plus tax and will appear on your first bill. A $50 deposit is required as well, unless you have a letter from your former utility company specifying good credit (prompt payments).

* Water
Call Tucson water at (520)791-3242 Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to turn water services on or off. Their 24-hour emergency Service number is 791-4133.

* Telephone
Call U.S. West Communications at least two working days in advance at (800)244-1111 for residential hookup. Business hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The service charge depends on your needs, but the standard one line runs about $18 per month. Once you're hooked up locally, call your long-distance carrier (Sprint, AT&T, MCI, etc.) and have them either transfer your old account or open a new one.

* Mail
The first letter addressed to you at your new residence starts your mail service. Call 620-5157 to find out your new ZIP code and the name and phone number of your mail station. You need to fill out the "Change of Address" form at any post office so that your mail will be forwarded to your new address. Also, send out 'Change of Address' postcards (available at post offices) to magazines, catalogs, and other mail sources.

The postal service listings are in the blue-bordered pages under "United States Government" in your phone directory. It's also a good idea to make contact with your letter carrier to let them know your name and/or mark your mailbox with your name. For unwanted mail not addressed to you, draw a diagonal line through the address and put it in the outgoing mail.

The closest full-service post office to LPL is Sun Station, located about half a block east of Campbell on Speedway Blvd. They have mailboxes (P.O. boxes) if you need to rent one, sell stamps and mailing containers, and offer passport services. Hours are Monday-Friday, 8-5.

* Emergency services
Arizona supports the 911 telephone service; for fire, police, or medical emergencies, dial 911 to be connected with an operator. The Police Department information number is (520)791-4452 and the Fire Department information number is (520)791-4512. Call the Fire Prevention Division of the Tucson Fire Department at (520)791-4502 for the Home Inspection Program to check your house for hazards and smoke detectors.

* Driver's license
There is no grace period for new residents to obtain an Arizona driver's license or re-register their vehicles. New residents must surrender their out-of-state licenses (even if current), and show another form of identification (such as passport or birth certificate) when applying for an Arizona license. Arizona uses an extended license, which is good until your 60th birthday. The Office of the Department of Motor Vehicles can be reached at (520)629-9808.

* Car registration/insurance
Before applying for title and registration, you must obtain and present proof of liability insurance. Arizona law requires a minimum of $15,000 bodily injury insurance per person, $30,000 per accident, and $10,000 property damage. Additionally, your car must have passed emissions inspection. Emissions Testing Stations are located west of the city (take Prince all the way west past the freeway), east (take 22nd east to Sarnoff Rd.) and south (take Palo Verde south past the freeway). Testing costs about $10. The DMV will also visually inspect your car for working lights, etc. before you register it. Note that the Arizona DMV requires that you turn in your out-of-state license plates to them. This in is conflict with some other states which require that the plates be returned to them. If you need to send your plates back to another state, remove them in the DMV parking lot BEFORE inspection.

* Bus system
SunTran is the citywide public transit system, which has fairly extensive lines. Individual fares are $1.10, and semester- or year-long discount passes are available. Call (520)792-9222 for a map and information.

* Garbage and Recycling
Trash is picked up either on Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday free of charge. The city provides trash containers ("automated service containers"); call (520)791-3171 a week before your first pickup to find out when pickups are and to receive a container. Tucson also runs a curbside recycling program for class, aluminum, newspaper, corrugated cardboard, and certain plastic containers. Again, the city provides green recycling bins and a complete guide to what's recyclable.

* Newspapers
For subscriptions to either the Arizona Daily Star (morning paper) or the Tucson Citizen (afternoon paper), call (520)573-4511 for delivery. Weekly subscriptions run around $4 each.

* Cable television
Tucson Cablevision can be reached at (520)884-0133. Jones Intercable is at (520)744-1900.

* Banks
Banking institutions here are really much the same as anywhere else-- shop around to get the services you need. Three banks have ATM's on campus outside the admin building: Bank One, Bank of America, and Saguaro Credit Union. First Interstate has a branch across Speedway from LPL, and the Arizona State Credit Union has a branch on University and Tyndall. The only peculiar thing about banking in Arizona is the Check Guarantee Card. Most merchants will not take a check from you unless you have one, because having one means that your bank endorses your account as good. Sometimes, your guarantee card will also cover you if you write a bad check (up to a certain amount). Guarantee cards can be a bank Visa card, ATM card, or something completely separate. You will need to apply for one at the bank you choose if you plan on writing checks in Arizona.

* Pets
The Pima County Animal Control Center is at 4000 N. Silverbell, (520)743-7666. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, until 5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and until 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Humane Society shelter is at 3450 N. Kelvin Blvd., (520)327-6088. Both these and other agencies offer spaying, neutering, and injection clinics. Unless you are planning to breed your pet, do get it spayed or neutered. Tucson has a fairly large population of unwanted domestic animals in its shelters and on its streets. Rabies and parvovirus are common canine diseases here, so get your dog inoculated! Dog license fees are $18 if pet is not neutered or spayed and $6 for a neutered or spayed pet. The local leash law requires that, anywhere in Pima county, a dog must be on a leash not more than 6 feet long, unless contained behind a secure wall or fence, or on a 10-foot line secured on the owner's property.

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Last Updated: January 9, 1999
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Created by Barbara A. Cohen