Tempe, AZ Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- AG district maximum
- 25% of net site area (Table 4-202A)
- R1-15 through R1-6 maximum
- 45% of net site area in each district
- R1-5, R1-4, R1-PAD
- NS (No Standard) for lot coverage
- Use Permit Standard
- 10% change, through Section 6-308 use permit
- Multi-family maximums
- 45% R-2 and R-3R, 50% R-3, 60% R-4, 70% R-5
- Mobile home districts
- 60% RMH, 50% MHS, 60% TP; carports and accessory buildings count
- Last amended
- Ord. No. O2026.23, 6-4-2026
Summary
Tempe caps lot coverage at 25% of net site area in the AG district and 45% in R1-15, R1-10, R1-8, R1-7 and R1-6, under Table 4-202A of the Zoning and Development Code. R1-5, R1-4 and R1-PAD carry no standard (NS), so lot area and setbacks do the shaping there. A 10% Use Permit Standard column offers limited relief.
Tables 4-202A, 4-202B, and 4-202C, respectively, provide the development standards for Tempe's single-family residential and agricultural districts, multi-family residential districts, and mobile home districts. Table 4-202A - Development Standards in Agricultural and Single-Family Districts(1) Standard AG R1-15 R1-10 R1-8 R1-7 R1-6 R1-5 R1-4 R1-PAD Use Permit Standard [...] Maximum Lot Coverage (% of net site area) 25% 45% 45% 45% 45% 45% NS NS NS 10% [...] NS = No Standard. NA = Not Applicable. (1) An overlay district may modify the above standards. See Part 5. [...] (f) The 10% Use Permit Standard provides an additional percentage maximum lot coverage or 10% reduction in the minimum landscape area (e.g. 45% x 10% = 4.5% change).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 33 Update 4 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 11 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 4-202 of Tempe's Zoning and Development Code (Part 4, Chapter 2, General Development Standards) sets residential development standards in three tables: Table 4-202A for agricultural and single-family districts, Table 4-202B for multi-family districts and Table 4-202C for mobile home districts. Each table has a Maximum Lot Coverage row, measured as a percentage of net site area, and each ends with a Use Permit Standard column. Section 4-201 explains that the chapter governs density, building height, lot coverage, setbacks and clear vision areas for all base zoning districts, and footnote (1) warns that an overlay district in Part 5 can modify the table figures.\n\nIn Table 4-202A the AG district is capped at 25%, paired with a 43,560 sf minimum net site area per dwelling and a density of 1 dwelling unit per acre.
R1-15, R1-10, R1-8, R1-7 and R1-6 share a 45% cap, with minimum net site areas of 15,000, 10,000, 8,000, 7,000 and 6,000 sf per dwelling. The three densest columns, R1-5 (5,000 sf, 6 DU/acre), R1-4 (4,000 sf, or 3,000 sf for common wall, 8 DU/acre) and R1-PAD, read NS, which the table's note defines as No Standard. Those lots are governed by other rows instead: R1-5 requires a 20 ft front, 5 ft side and 15 ft rear setback, and R1-4 requires 15 ft in front (20 ft for a garage), 5 ft on the side (0 ft for common wall) and 15 ft in the rear.\n\nThe Use Permit Standard column lists 10% for lot coverage.
Section 4-201(A) says this standard allows a change in the general development standards by a specified percentage, subject to a use permit under Section 6-308, with fractional percentages determined under Section 1-209. Footnote (f) of the multi-family table works the arithmetic: 45% x 10% = 4.5% change.\n\nThe other residential tables use the same row. Table 4-202B caps R-2 and R-3R at 45%, R-3 at 50%, R-4 at 60% and R-5 at 70%. Table 4-202C allows 60% for RMH, 50% for MHS and 60% for TP, and its footnote (b) counts carports, patio covers, accessory buildings and similar structures toward that maximum. Section 4-202 was last amended by Ord. No. O2026.23 on 6-4-2026.
Violations & Fines
A project that covers more of its net site area than the Maximum Lot Coverage row allows does not conform to Table 4-202A, so the building and site plan cannot be approved as drawn. The only relief written into these tables is the 10% Use Permit Standard under Section 6-308, and districts marked (d) or (c) in setback rows exclude it. The text read for this page prints no fine schedule for exceeding the percentage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum lot coverage for a single-family lot in Tempe?
Can Tempe allow more coverage than the table says?
Why does my R1-5 or R1-4 lot show no lot coverage limit?
Do carports and sheds count toward lot coverage in Tempe?
Does an overlay district change these percentages?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tempe
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