Title 9, Cities and Towns

A. In this article, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Board of adjustment" means the official body designated by local ordinance to hear and decide applications for variances from the terms of the zoning ordinance and appeals from the decision of the zoning administrator…

A. Pursuant to this article, the legislative body of any municipality by ordinance, in order to conserve and promote the public health, safety and general welfare, may: 1. Regulate the use of buildings, structures and land as between agriculture, residence, industry, business and…

A. The municipality may acquire by purchase or condemnation private property for the removal of nonconforming uses and structures. The elimination of such nonconforming uses and structures in a zoned district is for a public purpose. Nothing in an ordinance or regulation authoriz…

A. The governing body of the municipality shall adopt by ordinance a citizen review process that applies to all rezoning and specific plan applications that require a public hearing. The citizen review process shall include at least the following requirements: 1. Adjacent landown…

A. If the municipality has a planning commission or a hearing officer, the planning commission or hearing officer shall hold a public hearing on any zoning ordinance. Notice of the time and place of the hearing, including a general explanation of the matter to be considered and a…

A. The legislative body of a municipality has authority to enforce any zoning ordinance enacted pursuant to this article in the same manner as other municipal ordinances are enforced. B. If any building structure is erected, constructed, reconstructed, altered, repaired, converte…

A. The legislative body, by ordinance, shall establish a board of adjustment, which shall consist of at least five but no more than seven members appointed by the legislative body in accordance with provisions of the ordinance, except that the ordinance may establish the legislat…

A. In any county not having a county zoning ordinance applicable to the unincorporated territory, the legislative body of a municipality may exercise the zoning powers granted in this article both to territory within its corporate limits and to that which extends a distance of th…

A. The legislative body of any municipality may establish the position of hearing officer and delegate to a hearing officer the authority to conduct hearings required by section 9-462.04 and on other matters as the legislative body may provide by ordinance. B. Hearing officers sh…

A. If a municipality has a zoning ordinance that restricts the distance between assisted living homes, the municipality shall establish an administrative procedure in which a deviation from the separation requirement may be granted as a reasonable accommodation under the fair hou…

A. Within ninety days after the effective date of this amendment to this section, the governing body of a municipality with a population of one hundred fifty thousand or more persons shall establish objective standards to allow multifamily residential development or adaptive reus…

A. On or before January 1, 2025, a municipality shall adopt an amendment to the municipality's zoning ordinance that requires the municipality to determine whether a zoning application is administratively complete within thirty days after receiving the application. If the municip…

A. A municipality may not adopt any law, ordinance or other regulation that prohibits a resident of a single-family detached residence on a lot that is one-half acre or less in size from keeping up to six fowl in the backyard of the property. A municipality may: 1. Prohibit a res…

A. On or before January 1, 2026, a municipality with a population of seventy-five thousand persons or more must authorize by ordinance and incorporate into its development regulations, zoning regulations and other official controls the development of duplexes, triplexes, fourplex…

A. If a municipality has a zoning ordinance that restricts the distance between sober living homes or that enacts building or fire code requirements for the operation of sober living homes, the municipality shall establish a procedure by which a deviation from the requirement may…

In this article, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Design" means street alignment, grades and widths, alignment and widths of easements and rights-of-way for drainage and sanitary sewers and the arrangement and orientation of lots. 2. "Improvement" means required install…

A. Pursuant to this article, the legislative body of every municipality shall regulate the subdivision of all lands within its corporate limits. B. The legislative body of a municipality shall exercise the authority granted in subsection A of this section by ordinance prescribing…

A. "Subdivision" means improved or unimproved land or lands divided for the purpose of financing, sale or lease, whether immediate or future, into four or more lots, tracts or parcels of land, or, if a new street is involved, any such property which is divided into two or more lo…

It is unlawful for any person to offer to sell or lease, to contract to sell or lease or to sell or lease any subdivision or part thereof until a final plat thereof, in full compliance with provisions of this article and of any subdivision regulations which have been duly recorde…

A. In any county not having county subdivision regulations applicable to the unincorporated territory, the legislative body of any municipality may exercise the subdivision regulation powers granted in this article both to territory within its corporate limits and to that which e…

A. A municipality may assess development fees to offset costs to the municipality associated with providing necessary public services to a development, including the costs of infrastructure, improvements, real property, engineering and architectural services, financing and profes…

A. A city or town shall not adopt a moratorium on construction or land development unless it first: 1. Provides notice to the public published once in a newspaper of general circulation in the community at least thirty days before a final public hearing to be held to consider the…

In this article, unless the context otherwise requires, "open space lands or open area" means any space or area characterized by great natural scenic beauty or whose existing openness, natural condition or present state of use, if retained, would maintain or enhance the conservat…

The acquisition of interests or rights in real property for the preservation of open spaces or areas constitutes a public purpose for which public funds may be expended or advanced.

A. Any municipality requiring the issuance of a building permit shall transmit one copy of the permit to the county assessor and one copy to the director of the department of revenue. Permit copies shall provide the permit number, issue date and parcel number. On the issuance of …

A. Municipalities shall adopt the following standards for issuing permits for the use of certain solar energy devices: 1. For construction with solar photovoltaic systems that are intended to connect to a utility system, the following apply: (a) The location of the photovoltaic s…

A. Beginning January 1, 2025 and every five years thereafter, a municipality shall publish a housing needs assessment that includes the following: 1. The total population growth projected for the subsequent five-year period. 2. The total job growth projected for the subsequent fi…

A. Notwithstanding any other law, construction of a hoophouse or polyhouse is exempt from municipal building permit requirements if the hoophouse or polyhouse meets all of the following requirements: 1. The structure does not have a permanent anchoring system. The structure shall…

A. If a municipality with a population of thirty thousand persons or more does not approve, conditionally approve or respond with required additions or revisions to an application for a single-family residential building permit within fifteen working days after the date the appli…

A. The following procedures are required to extend and increase the corporate limits of a city or town by annexation: 1. A city or town shall file in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the annexation is proposed a blank petition required by paragraph 4 of th…

A. Each person signing a petition for the annexation of territory to a city or town shall, at the time he signs, write upon the petition the date on which he signs the petition. B. A signature on a petition for annexation shall not be valid if the petition has not been filed or a…

A. Notwithstanding any other law, territory may be deannexed and severed from one city or town and annexed to another city or town under this section if the territory that is deannexed is contiguous to the city or town that annexes the territory. B. The governing body of a city o…

A. Notwithstanding any other law, territory may be deannexed, severed and returned to the county by a city or town if the territory is a county owned park, a park operated on public lands by a county as part of a management agreement or land owned by a flood control district. B. …

A. Notwithstanding any other provision of this article: 1. A city or town located in a county with a population of more than three hundred fifty thousand persons may annex any territory within an area that is surrounded by the city or town or that is bordered by the city or town …

All territory annexed to a city or town shall become a part of the district or districts of the city or town adjoining the territory so annexed.

A. The common councils of incorporated cities and towns may redistrict and subdivide their territory into districts. B. Each district shall contain a nearly equal number of inhabitants at the time of the redistricting and shall consist of contiguous territory in as compact form a…

A. When the owner of land, the whole or part of which is in an unincorporated area within three miles from the corporate limits of a city or town having an ordinance establishing minimum subdivision standards and controls, desires to subdivide the land into lots for the purpose o…

A. One copy of the plat or map shall be filed with the city or town and the other copy with the board of supervisors of the county in which the subdivision is situated, to which shall be attached the petition of the owner praying for the approval of the plat or map. B. The board …

If on the hearing it is determined by the board that corrections, additions or amendments in any respect shall be made to the plat or map then a plat or map shall be prepared by the owner in accordance with the amendments, corrections or additions, and the consent of the owner an…

A. Upon the plat or map shall be endorsed a name, title or designation of the subdivision and the acknowledgment by the owner or some person for him duly authorized thereunto by deed. B. No title, name or designation shall be given that is the same as that of a subdivision in a c…

No plat or map shall be accepted by the county recorder for filing unless it complies with the provisions of this article, but if an owner has given to a city or town written notice of intention to subdivide and the city or town has failed or refused within the time specified in …

A. No property shall be sold or described in a conveyance or other instrument by reference to any map or plat of a subdivision comprehended within the provisions of this article unless the map or plat has been prepared and filed under the provisions of this article. B. Every pers…

A. The governing body of each incorporated city or town shall cause an audit to be made by a certified public accountant who is currently certified by the Arizona state board of accountancy or who has a limited reciprocity privilege pursuant to section 32-725 and who is not an em…

The expense of the audit shall be paid by the city or town for which the audit is made. Contracts for the performance of such audits required by this article may be entered into without competitive bidding.

In this article, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Mobile food unit" means a food establishment that is licensed by this state, that is readily movable and that dispenses food or beverages for immediate service and consumption and other incidental retail items from any v…

A. In relation to a mobile food vendor or mobile food unit, a city or town by ordinance or resolution may: 1. Prohibit or restrict a mobile food vendor from operating at a public airport or public transit facility, in an area zoned for residential use or within two hundred fifty …