Scottsdale, AZ Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Front yard (R1-190)
- 60 ft minimum, both frontages on corner lots
- Side yard (R1-190)
- 30 ft minimum, each side
- Rear yard (R1-190)
- 60 ft minimum
- Main building separation
- 60 ft between adjacent-lot buildings
- Building height cap
- 30 ft, R1-190
- Governing section
- Zoning Ordinance § 5.014
Summary
In Scottsdale's largest-lot single-family district, R1-190, the Zoning Ordinance sets a 60-foot front yard, a 30-foot side yard on each side, and a 60-foot rear yard, with corner lots required to hold the 60-foot front setback on both street frontages. Main buildings on adjacent lots must also sit at least 60 feet apart.
D.Building height. No building shall exceed thirty (30) feet in height, except as otherwise provided in article VII.E.Yards.1.Front Yard.a.There shall be a front yard having a depth of not less than sixty (60) feet.b.Where lots have a double frontage on two (2) streets, the required front yard of sixty (60) feet shall be provided on both streets.c.On a corner lot, the required front yard of sixty (60) feet shall be provided on each street. No accessory building or structure shall be constructed in the front yard of a corner lot's shortest street frontage. An accessory building or structure may be constructed in the front yard of a corner lot's longer street frontage subject to the requirements of Sec. 7.200.A.2.Side Yard. There shall be a side yard of not less than thirty (30) feet on each side of a building.3.Rear Yard. There shall be a rear yard having a depth of not less than sixty (60) feet.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
014 of the Zoning Ordinance, the property development standards for the R1-190 Single-family Residential district, requires a front yard depth of not less than 60 feet, including on both frontages of a double-frontage lot and on each street of a corner lot. A. Side yards must run at least 30 feet on each side of a building, and the rear yard must be at least 60 feet deep. The same section also requires at least 10 feet of separation between an accessory building and the main building, and at least 60 feet between main buildings on adjacent lots.
Building height in R1-190 is capped at 30 feet except as modified under Article VII. These figures apply specifically to R1-190; Scottsdale's other single-family districts (such as R1-130, R1-70, R1-43 and smaller lot-size zones) carry their own parallel property development standards sections tied to each district's minimum lot size, so the exact setback in a given neighborhood depends on its zoning designation. 014 itself.
Violations & Fines
A setback encroachment is enforced as a Zoning Ordinance violation under §§ 1.1401-1.1402: a civil sanction of up to $2,500 applies generally, with a mandatory minimum $500 sanction where the violation involves a non-permitted use or a conditional use permit stipulation. The Zoning Administrator, a Scottsdale police officer, the City Attorney or the City Manager's designee may issue the civil citation under § 1.1404, and each day the encroachment continues counts as a separate violation under § 1.1409.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the front yard setback in Scottsdale's R1-190 zoning district?
How far apart do side yards need to be in R1-190?
Are setbacks the same across all of Scottsdale's single-family zones?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Scottsdale
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