Phoenix Zoning Intelligence
Zoning, permitted uses, and development potential for Phoenix, Arizona. 74 districts with their permitted uses and building controls.
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How is Phoenix zoned?
Phoenix regulates land through the Phoenix Zoning Ordinance, and the district roster runs to 74 entries. That single number hides three different regulatory worlds: the conventional use-based districts, a downtown code that replaced them across the centre, and a transect code written for the light-rail corridors.
The conventional ladder is legible from the symbol itself. In the R1 and RE residential districts the numeral is the minimum lot size in thousands of square feet: R1-6 states 6,000 square feet, R1-10 states 10,000, RE-24 states 24,000, and RE-43 states 43,560 - one acre. Above them sit the multifamily districts R-2 through R-5, the office and commercial series C-O, C-1, C-2 and C-3, and A-1 and A-2 for industry.
Two chapters break that pattern on purpose. The Downtown Code, Chapter 12 of the ordinance, governs central Phoenix through 17 DTC districts named for the places they cover rather than for a use category. The Walkable Urban Code, Chapter 13, does something similar around transit, regulating building form and frontage instead of listing permitted uses. A further 14 numbered Planned Area Developments carry standards written for one site and adopted with it.
For anyone testing a Phoenix parcel, the practical consequence is that the district symbol decides which rulebook applies before any question about setbacks or height can be answered. Across the 74 districts, 53 permit single-family housing, 50 permit multifamily, 39 permit an accessory dwelling unit, and 67 permit commercial use - so the same city supports both large-lot desert subdivisions and downtown mixed-use blocks, under separate chapters of the same ordinance.
What can you build in Phoenix?
- Single-family permitted
- 53of 74 districts
- Multifamily permitted
- 50of 74 districts
- Commercial use permitted
- 67of 74 districts
Phoenix, 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 |
|---|---|---|
A-1 Light Industrial | Industrial |
|
A-2 Industrial | Industrial |
|
C-1 Neighborhood Retail Commercial | Commercial |
|
C-2 Intermediate Commercial | Commercial |
|
What are the building controls in Phoenix?
Setback, height, FAR, lot area, and density controls enforced across Phoenix zoning districts.
- Accessory dwelling units regulations
- Common areas open space (%)
- Max building height (ft)
- Max coverage
- Max density du (per acre)
- Maximum accessory building height (feet)
- Maximum accessory yard coverage (%)
- Maximum density units (per acre)
- Maximum height (ft)
- Maximum lot coverage (%)
- Maximum principal building height (feet)
- Min front yard (ft)
- 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 building seperation (ft)
- Minimum lot area square (feet)
- Minimum lot depth (ft)
- Minimum lot width (feet)
- Minimum principal front yard (feet)
- Minimum principal rear yard (feet)
- Minimum principal side yard (feet)
- Open space (%)
- Setbacks (ft)
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Phoenix zoning: frequently asked questions
- How many zoning districts does Phoenix have?
- 74 in the roster behind this page. They span the conventional residential, commercial and industrial districts, 17 Downtown Code (DTC) districts covering central Phoenix, the Walkable Urban (WU) transect code used near light rail, and 14 numbered Planned Area Developments whose standards were adopted for a single site.
- What do the numbers in Phoenix zoning codes mean?
- In the R1 and RE residential districts the numeral is the minimum lot size in thousands of square feet. R1-6 states a 6,000 square foot minimum, R1-10 states 10,000, R1-18 states 18,000 for a subdivision, and RE-43 states 43,560 square feet, which is one acre. The convention does not carry over to the commercial or downtown districts, where the numeral is just a district number.
- What is the Phoenix Downtown Code?
- It is Chapter 12 of the Zoning Ordinance, and it replaces conventional zoning across central Phoenix. Its 17 districts carry DTC prefixes and are named for the areas they cover rather than for a land use, so a downtown parcel is governed by the character of its block rather than by a citywide use table. Projects in it follow a different review path from the rest of the city.
- What is a PAD in Phoenix?
- A Planned Area Development. Phoenix has 14 numbered PAD districts, each attached to a specific development and adopted alongside it. Because the standards live in the adopting ordinance rather than in the general district rules, two PAD parcels can differ completely, and the only reliable source for a given site is the ordinance that created its PAD.
- Can you build multifamily or an ADU in Phoenix?
- In much of the city, yes. Of the 74 districts, 50 permit multifamily housing and 39 permit an accessory dwelling unit, alongside the 53 that permit single-family. Which one applies depends on the parcel's district, and a downtown or Walkable Urban parcel is governed by its own chapter rather than by these citywide district rules. Check the specific district before assuming.
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