Sedona, AZ Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Section 2.24.E sets Sedona's building height limits using two separate measurement methods that both must be satisfied. The horizontal plane method starts at the highest point of natural grade within the building's footprint: no part of a single-family building may rise more than 22 feet above that plane, and multifamily buildings in the RM-1 and RM-2 districts get 25 feet; the plane does not apply to multifamily projects in RM-3 or commercial districts, or to other nonresidential buildings. The parallel plane method measures vertically from any point on the building down to the natural grade directly below it, and caps that distance at 22 feet everywhere, subject to the same exceptions.

Layered on top of both plane tests, Section 2.24.E(2) sets a hard overall ceiling: no building or structure in any district may exceed 40 feet measured vertically from the highest parapet or roof ridge down to the natural or finished grade at the lowest adjacent point, excluding posts and masonry piers under decks or patios. Section 2.24.E(3) allows narrow add-ons above these limits: chimneys and similar ornamental features may extend up to 10 feet higher, rooftop mechanical equipment and elevators up to 8 feet if they cover no more than 5 percent of the roof, and a pitched roof measured under the parallel-plane method may add 5 feet if its pitch is at least 3.5:12. Section 2.24.E(4) lets projects with three or more buildings, and projects that reduce unrelieved wall plane or light reflectance values under Table 2.9, earn up to 5 additional feet of height on the parallel-plane measurement only.