In Rancho del Oro, every parcel tells a story. The 2.5-acre lots we live on today were not handed down as “public streets” or shared commons—they were lottery-allotted in the 1950s, each a private holding, border to border. For my husband, Corey J. Niner, our land is his sole and separate property, not community property, and it stands as the inheritance of our children.

For many years now, confusion has lingered. Some neighbors act as if private easements are public rights-of-way. Contractors build new houses and toss their trash across borders as if our yards are dumping grounds. Visitors treat the drive lanes between us as if they were county-maintained roads. But they are not. Maricopa County once held a highway easement here—an easement dissolved long ago. No public right exists. What we have are private grounds, created by neighbors to respect access while preserving the natural land.

Hypothetical Realities: Why This Matters

  • A Child at Play: Imagine a child in their yard, struck by a driver treating a private lane like a public road, beer can in hand. Beyond the tragedy itself, the driver would face not only DUI charges but also trespass, because no public right exists here.
  • A Cat Attacked: Picture an unleashed dog crossing into a neighbor’s yard and attacking a family cat—as happened with my own Snow last April. Arizona’s strict liability laws make the dog’s owner fully responsible, even if they “didn’t mean” for it to happen.
  • Two Small Dogs and Fear: Or think of two little dogs being carried past a leashed larger dog. If one were left on the ground, fear might provoke instinct, and the bigger dog could lunge. Even with a leash, the law places liability on the owner of the attacking animal.

Each of these examples shows the same truth: private parcels demand private respect. There is no “public” excuse here.

Law and Order in the Islands

Living in an unincorporated county island brings blessings and burdens. There is no city police presence. We rely on the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) for enforcement, or we hire private patrols. When trespass, dumping, and animal attacks happen, the law is on our side—but the system moves slowly.

Neighbors must understand: their traffic, their water, their utilities are their own responsibility. Our only duty is to grant the right of pass to the property immediately south, as the original allotment provided. Everything else—roads, driveways, fences, utilities—belongs to the property owners themselves.

Leashes, Laws, and God’s Ground

When you walk your dog off-leash on another person’s private ground, you’re not only violating Maricopa County ordinances, you’re breaking the rules of God on my grounds. This land is sacred. God sees everything that happens here—why these grounds are so protected. Watch your step, Creeker. God sees, hears, and knows everything: you, me, and even the saguaros. This is His ground. He walks beside us here, always.

Faster Than the System

The unlawful things around us often happen faster than the system can respond. And yet, I have begun to see something greater: God moving faster than people. His Law does not wait for paperwork. His justice is not delayed by procedure. Where men trespass, He sees. Where animals harm, He knows. Where systems stall, He acts.

For this, I am grateful. I continue to document, to stand firm, to remind my neighbors: Rancho del Oro is not public ground. It is private land, inheritance land, sacred land. But above even the law of man, it is God’s Law that governs here—and His timing is always right.

✍️ By K. Kirton Niner
Community Coordinator, Does This Help® Creeker.site/#16232822506 OFFICE OF CK KIRTON-NINER@ K9RRacing.com/#DEVELOPING CREEKER #85331RANCHODELORO