Building Setbacks & Zoning in Tucson, AZ (2026)
3 verified building setbacks & zoning rules for Tucson, Arizona, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
In Tucson's core residential zones, R-1, R-2, R-3, MH-1, and MH-2, every dwelling must keep at least a 5-foot side and rear perimeter yard under UDC Table 6.3-2.A. Street-facing setbacks run steeper: 20 feet for a single-family, duplex, or middle-housing front yard under Sec. 6.4.5.C.1.a, with only 10 feet required on a corner lot's non-front street line.
Tucson Yard Setback Minimums By Zone
Some RestrictionsTucson UDC Sec. 6.4.5.C.1.a–b
For single-family, duplex, and middle housing development, the minimum required front street perimeter yard is 20 feet measured from the street property line. Where a lot abuts more than one street, the owner chooses which street lot line is the front lot line. From other than the front lot line, the street perimeter yard is ten feet, as measured from the street property line.
Structure Height Limits
Inside Tucson's Hillside Development Zone, UDC § 5.2.7.A caps new construction at 24 feet for residential buildings and 30 feet for nonresidential buildings, or the underlying zone's limit, whichever is stricter. The rule targets the city's steep-slope terrain; it doesn't apply to ordinary flat-lot residential zoning, which follows its own base-zone height table.
Tucson Hillside Zone Caps Height at 24 Ft
Some RestrictionsTucson Unified Development Code § 5.2.7.A
5.2.7. HILLSIDE SITE IMPROVEMENT STANDARD A. Building Height Buildings are limited to a building height of 24 feet for residential development and 30 feet for nonresidential development or the maximum height permitted by the underlying zone, whichever is more restrictive. If the building is also located within the boundaries of other overlay zones, the most restrictive of the standards shall ap...
Lot Coverage Limits
Tucson's Unified Development Code caps lot coverage at 70% of the lot for single-family development in the R-1, R-2, R-3, MH-1 and MH-2 zones, rising to 75% for multi-family and mobile home park uses under Table 6.3-2.A. UDC § 6.4.3 sets the calculation method and the exceptions that keep certain features off the ledger.
Tucson Lot Coverage Caps: 70% to 75% by Zone
Some RestrictionsTucson UDC § 6.4.3 (Lot Coverage and Site Coverage) and Table 6.3-2.A
6.4.3. LOT COVERAGE AND SITE COVERAGE ... D. Lot Coverage and Site Coverage Calculation 1. The amount of lot coverage per site is not to exceed the maximum lot coverage percentage permitted by the project's underlying zone. 2. The lot coverage percentage is determined by dividing the total area of improvements in accordance with Section 6.4.3.B, Application, and 6.4.3.C, Exceptions, by the tot...
Looking for Pima County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Tucson city rules.
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