Where is Mesa's zoning ordinance?

Title 11 of the Mesa Code of Ordinances. It contains both the conventional base zones - residential, commercial, employment, industrial and public - and a separate form-based code covering the transect zones used in and around the older core.

What do RS and RSL mean in Mesa zoning?

RS is a single-residence district where the numeral is the minimum lot size in thousands of square feet: RS-6 states 6,000 square feet, RS-15 states 15,000, and RS-43 states 43,560, which is one acre. RSL is the small-lot equivalent, and its numeral is an average rather than a minimum - RSL-4.0 sets a 4,000 square foot average across the subdivision while permitting individual lots of 3,500.

What are Mesa's T3N, T4 and T5 zones?

They are transect zones under Mesa's form-based code, which regulates the shape of buildings rather than listing permitted uses. There are eight: T3N, T4N, T4NF, T4MS, T5N, T5MS, T5MSF and T6MS, running from the least intense neighbourhood setting up to the most urban. "N" denotes a neighbourhood context and "MS" a main street one, so T4MS and T4N share an intensity but expect very different buildings.

How many zoning districts does Mesa have?

49. They break down into the residential RS and RSL families, multifamily RM districts, commercial and employment zones, three industrial categories, a downtown group, the eight form-based transect zones, and public, institutional and agricultural districts.

Can you build multifamily in Mesa?

In many districts, yes. Of the 49 districts, 24 permit multifamily housing and 18 permit an accessory dwelling unit, against 28 that permit single-family. The transect zones are the exception to reading these counts literally: they set what a building must look like and how it meets the street, so the form standards can constrain a project as much as the use permission does.

Mesa Zoning Intelligence

Zoning, permitted uses, and development potential for Mesa, Arizona. 49 districts with their permitted uses and building controls.

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City Context

How is Mesa zoned?

Mesa's zoning sits in Title 11 of the city's Code of Ordinances, and the district roster runs to 49 entries. The structure is unusually clean for a city of Mesa's size: a set of conventional base zones, and a separate form-based code that governs the older core on entirely different terms.

The residential base zones read directly from their symbols. In the RS districts the numeral is the minimum lot size in thousands of square feet - RS-6 states 6,000, RS-9 states 9,000, RS-15 states 15,000, RS-43 states 43,560, one acre, and RS-90 states 90,000. The RSL districts, for small-lot subdivisions, work differently and are easy to misread: RSL-4.0 sets an average lot area of 4,000 square feet across the subdivision but allows an individual lot of 3,500. The number is a subdivision average, not a floor for every lot.

Mesa's second system is the Form-Based Code, which regulates by transect rather than by use. Eight transect zones run from T3N, the least intense neighbourhood setting, through T4N, T4NF and T4MS, to T5N, T5MS and T5MSF, and finally T6MS at the centre. "MS" marks a main street setting and "N" a neighbourhood one. In these zones the controlling questions are building form, height and how the frontage meets the street, rather than a list of permitted uses.

The rest of the roster covers commercial, employment and industrial zones, a downtown group, and public and institutional categories. Across the 49 districts, 28 permit single-family housing, 24 permit multifamily, 18 permit an accessory dwelling and 42 permit commercial use.

Property Prospects

What can you build in Mesa?

Single-family permitted: 28of 49 districts
Multifamily permitted: 24of 49 districts
Commercial use permitted: 42of 49 districts

Zoning Districts

Mesa, Arizona Zoning Districts: What Do They Mean?

Zoning districts are areas regulated by specific laws that determine land use, building types, and development rules. Each district below shows its zone type and which uses it permits.

Zone Code	Zone Type	Permitted Uses
AD-2 Airport District	Special	-
AG Agricultural	Agriculture	SFR ADU Commercial
DB-1 Downtown Business District 1	Mixed	SFR MF Commercial
DB-2 Downtown Business District 2	Mixed	SFR MF Commercial
DC Downtown Core	Mixed	MF Commercial
DR-1 Downtown Residential 1	Residential	SFR ADU Commercial
DR-2 Downtown Residential 2	Residential	SFR MF ADU Commercial
DR-3 Downtown Residential 3	Residential	SFR MF ADU Commercial
EO Employment Opportunity	Special	-
GC General Commercial	Commercial	SFR MF Commercial
GI General Industrial	Industrial	MF Commercial
HI Heavy Industrial	Industrial	Commercial
ID-1 Infill Development 1	Special	-
ID-2 Infill Development 2	Special	-
LC Limited Commercial	Commercial	SFR MF Commercial
LI Light Industrial	Industrial	MF Commercial
LR Leisure And Recreation	Special	-
MX Mixed Use	Mixed	SFR MF Commercial
NC Neighborhood Commercial	Commercial	SFR MF Commercial
OC Office Commercial	Commercial	Commercial

Building Controls

What are the building controls in Mesa?

Setback, height, FAR, lot area, and density controls enforced across Mesa zoning districts.

Depth to height ratio
Landscaping percentage of net area
Max building height (ft)
Max coverage
Max density du (per acre)
Maximum accessory building height (feet)
Maximum accessory structure height (feet)
Maximum accessory yard coverage (%)
Maximum building coverage (%)
Maximum density du per ac
Maximum height (feet)
Maximum lot coverage (%)
Maximum principal building height (feet)
Min front yard (ft)
Min landscaped space (%)
Min lot area (sq ft)
Min lot width (ft)
Min rear yard (ft)
Min side yard (ft)
Min side yard both (ft)
Minimum accessory front yard (feet)
Minimum accessory rear yard (feet)
Minimum accessory side yard (feet)
Minimum build to line setback (feet)
Minimum front setback (feet)
Minimum landscape area depth (feet)
Minimum lot area per dwelling unit (sq ft)
Minimum lot area square (feet)
Minimum lot depth (ft)
Minimum lot width (feet)
Minimum outdoor living area (sq ft)
Minimum principal front yard (feet)
Minimum principal rear yard (feet)
Minimum principal side yard (feet)
Minimum rear setback (feet)
Minimum seperation between building on same lot (ft)
Minimum seperation between buildings (ft)
Minimum setback (ft)
Minimum side setback (feet)
Minimum usable open space per unit (sq ft)
Number of units
Private open space (%)
Private open space (sq ft)
Separation between buildings (feet)

Other Arizona cities

Mesa zoning: frequently asked questions

Where is Mesa's zoning ordinance?: Title 11 of the Mesa Code of Ordinances. It contains both the conventional base zones - residential, commercial, employment, industrial and public - and a separate form-based code covering the transect zones used in and around the older core.
What do RS and RSL mean in Mesa zoning?: RS is a single-residence district where the numeral is the minimum lot size in thousands of square feet: RS-6 states 6,000 square feet, RS-15 states 15,000, and RS-43 states 43,560, which is one acre. RSL is the small-lot equivalent, and its numeral is an average rather than a minimum - RSL-4.0 sets a 4,000 square foot average across the subdivision while permitting individual lots of 3,500.
What are Mesa's T3N, T4 and T5 zones?: They are transect zones under Mesa's form-based code, which regulates the shape of buildings rather than listing permitted uses. There are eight: T3N, T4N, T4NF, T4MS, T5N, T5MS, T5MSF and T6MS, running from the least intense neighbourhood setting up to the most urban. "N" denotes a neighbourhood context and "MS" a main street one, so T4MS and T4N share an intensity but expect very different buildings.
How many zoning districts does Mesa have?: 49. They break down into the residential RS and RSL families, multifamily RM districts, commercial and employment zones, three industrial categories, a downtown group, the eight form-based transect zones, and public, institutional and agricultural districts.
Can you build multifamily in Mesa?: In many districts, yes. Of the 49 districts, 24 permit multifamily housing and 18 permit an accessory dwelling unit, against 28 that permit single-family. The transect zones are the exception to reading these counts literally: they set what a building must look like and how it meets the street, so the form standards can constrain a project as much as the use permission does.

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Zoning data is pre-development intelligence, not legal advice. Verify with the Mesa planning department before acquisition or design.