Under A.R.S. §36-2232, the State of Arizona regulates operating and response times of ambulances to ensure service meets public needs. Ground ambulance companies are required to obtain a Certificate of Necessity (CON) from the Arizona Dept. of Health Services (ADHS) before transporting patients in Arizona. Scene localities are used to help establish ground ambulance response times, and to ensure CON compliance by analyzing actual response times.

By definition, a 'scene' is the location of the patient to be transported or the closest point to the patient at which an ambulance can arrive. The current scene locality geographic representation was derived from the Census 2010 urbanized areas and block groups, defined as the following:

1. Urban: region delineated as an urbanized area by the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

2. Suburban: region within a 10-mile radius of an urban area that has a population density equal to or greater than 1,000 residents per square mile.

3. Rural: region with population of less than 40,000 residents that is not a suburban area

4. Wilderness: region that has a population density of less than one resident per square mile

For more information about CON regulatory process, go to the ADHS Ground Ambulance Program website, or call (602) 364-3150.

Update frequency: As needed. Scene localities are defined by state rule and do not change often.