Hi Aj,
I don't know what other input you will get from others, and I am not completely up to date on which permits are required for different areas. However, in response to your last question, I found last weekend that you can not rely on the geocache information to inform you on which permit you would need. A large group I picked up in Scottsdale last week were on State Trust Land, and it was not until I went online and checked out the maps that I found out that the land was actually State Trust Land, which I had assumed it was not since the descriptions did not say anything about it. If you are caching in the area around North Phoenix/Scottsdale/Surprise, it might be a safe bet to get the AZ Land Trust Permit.
Sean (slyniti)