How to comment on the APS rate case
A procedural guide to Arizona's public comment process: the four submission channels, what a comment must contain to be docketed, how to look up Docket E-01345A-25-0105, and when the next comment window opens.
In this article
- Can the public still comment on the APS rate case?
- Where the case stands
- How do I submit a comment on the APS rate case?
- What does a public comment have to include?
- Does public comment actually carry weight?
- How to look up and follow the docket
- The stages of an Arizona rate case
- Who decides the APS rate case?
- RUCO, the other channel
- If you plan to comment before the vote
- Related reading
Can the public still comment on the APS rate case?
Yes. The scheduled oral comment sessions have all passed, but the written channels are not documented as closed, and a distinct comment window opens again when the administrative law judge files the Recommended Opinion and Order, expected in late November 2026.
The Corporation Commission’s own rule is explicit: only a party to a case may file exceptions to a Recommended Opinion and Order, but a non-party may file public comments in response to one. Members of the public may also speak at the open meeting where the Commission votes.
Where the case stands
APS filed the case on June 13, 2025. It is Docket No. E-01345A-25-0105.
31
Hearing days in the APS rate case, May 18 to July 7, 2026
Nearly 40 intervenors, 50+ witnesses, 300+ exhibits, roughly 3,400 data requests
Per the Commission’s July 10, 2026 case update (opens in a new tab), the judge is now drafting the Recommended Opinion and Order, expected late November 2026, with a Commission vote due by December 31, 2026 and any new rates taking effect in early 2027.
For what APS asked for and what the request would do to bills, see the APS rate increase page. This guide covers the process, not the merits.
How do I submit a comment on the APS rate case?
Four channels, all of them equivalent in the record: the Commission’s online form, written comment by mail, a phone call to Consumer Services, or email to a commissioner. A phoned comment is transcribed and docketed like any other. Whichever you use, the docket number has to be on it.
Online
The Commission’s public comment form is at efiling.azcc.gov/online-services/utilities-public-comment-external (opens in a new tab), labeled “Make a Public Comment in a Docket.” It is reachable from azcc.gov under Meetings and Cases.
By mail
For written comment in this specific docket, the address published in the APS rate case notice is:
Arizona Corporation Commission
Consumer Services Section
1200 West Washington
Phoenix, AZ 85007To file a hard copy directly into the record, send it to Docket Control at 1200 West Washington Street, Room 108, Phoenix, AZ 85007, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except state holidays. Filings are also accepted at the Tucson office, 400 West Congress Street, Suite 218, but are not officially filed until Docket Control in Phoenix receives them.
By phone
Consumer Services takes comments at 602-542-4251 in Phoenix, 520-628-6550 in Tucson, or toll-free at 1-800-222-7000. A phoned comment does not vanish into a call log: the Commission states that “Consumer Services will convert the comments into writing and file them in the appropriate docket.”
By email
Two channels exist and they are not equivalent. Emailing an individual commissioner is a Commission-listed method of submitting written public comment. The Utilities Division general mailbox is UtilitiesDiv@azcc.gov. Commissioner addresses are published at azcc.gov/contact (opens in a new tab).
What does a public comment have to include?
Four things: the utility’s name, the docket number, why you are interested, and what you want to say. The docket number is the one that is not really optional. Without E-01345A-25-0105 on the first page, staff may not be able to route your comment to the right case at all.
From the Commission’s hearing FAQ (opens in a new tab), a comment should include at least:
- The name of the regulated company involved, in this case APS.
- The docket number, E-01345A-25-0105, on the first page of any written comment.
- Why you are interested in the case.
- What you want to say, including how the outcome affects you.
The docket number is the one item that is not optional in practice. Without it, Commission staff may not be able to identify which case a comment belongs to, and it may not be filed in the right docket.
Two further constraints apply. Inappropriate or threatening language may result in a comment not being docketed. And anything longer than a two-page letter must comply with the Commission’s filing requirements (opens in a new tab) rather than being submitted as ordinary comment.
Notably, the Commission’s stated minimum does not include a mailing address. A physical address is required for a motion to intervene, which is a different and much heavier instrument.
Does public comment actually carry weight?
It enters the official record and it is not evidence. Commenters are not under oath and not subject to cross-examination, so a comment is never weighed like sworn testimony. The Commission’s own language says it “can and may be considered” by the judge and the commissioners, which is a real but limited thing.
The Commission’s own language:
“Public comment, whether made in person or in writing, becomes part of the official docketed record of the case. Public comment is not admitted as evidence, however, and is not afforded the weight of sworn testimony because public commenters are not under oath and are not subject to cross-examination. Nonetheless, all public comment received can and may be considered by the ALJ and the Commission when considering a case.”
Two things follow. A comment describing a specific, documented effect on a specific household is more useful than a general objection, because it gives the judge and the commissioners something concrete to cite. And a comment is not a substitute for the evidentiary record, which is built by parties.
How to look up and follow the docket
The docket system is edocket.azcc.gov (opens in a new tab). The fastest lookup is to enter only the year and matter numbers, 25-0105, in the search box rather than the full docket string.
What the Docket Details page shows
The result is a Docket Details page with seven tabs: Docket, Documents, Decisions and Votes, Case Schedule, Staff Assigned, Service List and Linked Dockets. The Case Schedule tab carries hearing dates and any published call-in numbers.
Getting an alert when something is filed
To get an email whenever anything is filed, create an account at efiling.azcc.gov/sign-in (opens in a new tab), then choose My Dockets, Add Followed Docket, search, and Follow. Instructions are at azcc.gov/hearing/following-a-docket (opens in a new tab).
Two limitations worth knowing: eDocket has no full-text keyword search, and filings normally appear within about 24 hours of being docketed rather than immediately.
The stages of an Arizona rate case
Knowing where a case sits tells you which kind of participation is still available.
| Stage | What happens | Public role |
|---|---|---|
| Application filed | Utility files, with direct testimony | None yet |
| Sufficiency review | Staff has 30 days to deem the application sufficient or issue a Letter of Deficiency | None |
| Procedural Order | The judge sets the schedule, notice requirements, intervention deadline and hearing dates | Read it; it contains the deadlines |
| Intervention | Parties apply under A.A.C. R14-3-105; granted if timely, directly and substantially affected, and not unduly broadening the issues | Apply, if you want party status |
| Discovery and testimony | Data requests; direct, rebuttal, surrebuttal and rejoinder testimony | Watch the docket |
| Evidentiary hearing | Sworn witnesses, cross-examination, exhibits | Comment is taken on the first day, before evidence begins |
| Recommended Opinion and Order | The judge drafts and files a recommendation | Non-parties may file public comments in response |
| Exceptions | Parties file disagreements with the recommendation | Parties only |
| Open meeting vote | Commissioners adopt, amend, reject or hold the recommendation | Comment at the meeting, with sign-up |
The Commission is not bound by the judge. Its published notice for this case puts it in capitals: the final rates approved may be higher, lower or different than the rates proposed by APS or by any other party.
Speaking at the open meeting
Open meeting comment runs three minutes per speaker. Sign-up closes at 10 a.m. on the day of the meeting through the Commission portal, a kiosk or a speaker slip; those who did not sign up get one minute. Time cannot be ceded to another speaker.
Who decides the APS rate case?
Five elected commissioners, by majority vote at a public open meeting. They are not bound by the administrative law judge who hears the case and drafts the recommendation. They can adopt it, amend it, reject it or hold it, and the rates they approve may be higher, lower or different from anything any party proposed.
They serve four-year terms, a maximum of two consecutive. As of 2026 they are Chair Nick Myers, Vice Chair Rachel Walden, Lea Márquez Peterson, Kevin Thompson and René Lopez. Myers was selected as chairman on January 14, 2026.
This is unusual. The Commission was created by the Arizona Constitution in 1912 as an independent body, and only a handful of states have constitutionally formed commissions. In most states the utility regulators are appointed by the governor. In Arizona they appear on the ballot, and they function as both policymakers and administrative judges.
RUCO, the other channel
The Residential Utility Consumer Office was established by the Legislature in 1983 to represent residential ratepayers in rate proceedings before the Commission. Its statutory authority sits at A.R.S. §§ 40-461 and following.
RUCO reviews every rate increase application filed with the Commission, and as a matter of policy it always intervenes in cases involving Arizona’s largest utilities. That includes this one.
How RUCO differs from public comment
The difference from public comment is structural:
| Public comment | RUCO | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Not a party | Party in interest, by statute |
| Output | A letter, call or form entry in the docket | Briefs, proposed orders, expert testimony |
| Evidentiary weight | Considered, but not evidence | Sworn testimony, subject to cross-examination |
| Who does it | Anyone | A state agency with staff attorneys |
They are complements. A comment is how an individual is heard. RUCO is how residential ratepayer interests get into the evidentiary record the recommendation must rest on. Its filings are public at ruco.az.gov (opens in a new tab).
If you plan to comment before the vote
- Follow the docket now so the Recommended Opinion and Order lands in your inbox rather than in a news cycle you miss.
- Put E-01345A-25-0105 on the first page. Everything else is recoverable; this is not.
- Write about a documented effect, not a sentiment. Your own bill, your own usage, your own numbers.
- Watch the open meeting agenda in December 2026 if you want to speak rather than write.
Procedures, addresses, phone numbers and dates in this article were read from Commission and RUCO sources on August 9, 2026. Deadlines and schedules in an active docket change; confirm against the docket before relying on any date here.
Related reading
- The APS rate increase covers what APS requested and what it would mean for bills.
- APS rate increase history, 2017 to 2026 shows what the Commission has done with previous cases.
- APS rate plans explained covers the rate structures currently in force.
- Is solar worth it in Arizona? puts rate changes into a longer decision.
- APS
- Rate Cases
- Arizona
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