Navajo County, AZ Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Section 1917 sets the performance standards for Guest Houses, the county's term for what is commonly called an accessory dwelling unit. A lot under one acre may have a maximum of one attached and one detached guest house; a lot of one acre or more may have one attached and two detached guest houses. Guest Houses are permitted in every zoning district where single-family dwellings are an allowed use, which covers the RU rural districts and the R1-43 and R1-10 single-family districts common across Heber-Overgaard, Linden, Clay Springs and the other unincorporated Rim communities.

A Guest House must sit no fewer than five feet from any rear or side property line, while front setbacks match whatever applies to the primary dwelling in that district. Conventional site-built homes, Manufactured Homes (including rehabilitated Mobile Homes), and Factory Built Buildings may all serve as a Guest House where those structure types are allowed as a primary dwelling, but Travel Trailers and Recreational Vehicles are expressly prohibited as Guest Houses; park models can qualify only if set on a permanent or semi-permanent foundation.

Utilities on a Guest House may run on a separate meter from the primary home unless the utility company forbids it, and where possible the Guest House should not sit in front of the primary dwelling. An attached guest house needs no separate guest-house permit, but a detached one requires an application to the Department with a site plan and preliminary floor plans and elevations, plus whatever Building, Environmental Quality, and Engineering permits normally apply.