Maricopa County, AZ Ordinances (2026)

In unincorporated Maricopa County, it's illegal to run a bar or nightclub's radio, loudspeaker, or sound amplification equipment so loudly it can be heard inside a closed home within…

Maricopa County's noise ordinance bans generator noise reaching neighboring homes: if generator sound is audible from inside a closed residential structure within 500 feet of your…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, noise from heating and cooling equipment and pool pumps is exempt from the county noise ordinance if it operates per manufacturer specs and can't be…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, amplified music and bass-heavy stereo or speaker noise is illegal once it can be heard inside a closed residential structure within 500 feet of the…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, a car alarm or other warning device is exempt from Ordinance P-23's noise ban only if it doesn't sound continuously for more than thirty minutes per…

Grading and drainage plans need Drainage Administrator clearance before development in unincorporated Maricopa County; buildings 200 square feet or smaller and non-fixed pipe-rail…

Unincorporated Maricopa County requires livable buildings to elevate finished floors at least one foot above the highest grade within ten feet of the foundation, with higher elevations…

Unincorporated Maricopa County requires a drainage clearance from the county Drainage Administrator before grading, building, or development work begins, enforced under MCZO Section…

Diesel trucks over 14,000 pounds are barred from idling more than five consecutive minutes anywhere in Maricopa County, with $100 first-offense and $300 repeat civil penalties under…

The Flood Control District of Maricopa County (FCDMC) manages floodplain regulations for unincorporated areas and 14 municipalities. Development in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard…

Occupying, using, or performing work in unincorporated Maricopa County's road right-of-way, driveways, utility lines, landscaping, or structures, requires a Right-of-Way Permit from…

Occupying, blocking, or working in a Maricopa County right-of-way, including the sidewalk area, without a Right-of-Way Permit is unlawful under Ordinance P-36; the MCDOT Director can…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, a home occupation's sign is capped at four square feet and must otherwise meet the county's general sign standards under MCZO Article 1102.1.

Unincorporated Maricopa County allows home occupations by right under 16 zoning conditions: owner-occupied, fully enclosed, up to three non-resident employees, but a Special Use Permit…

Home-based businesses in unincorporated Maricopa County are capped at five customers, clients, or students on-site at any time, with none allowed between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

In unincorporated Maricopa County, a home daycare for up to four children is a by-right use in every residential zoning district, but only if it meets seven operating conditions in the…

Unincorporated Maricopa County lets food establishments serve or sell food made in a private home under Arizona's cottage food law, but only if the customer gets a copy of the required…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, residential zoning districts set minimum yard setbacks that scale with lot size: from 60 feet front and rear in RU-190 rural zones down to 10 feet…

Unincorporated Maricopa County caps residential building height at 35 feet across every rural and single-family district (RU-190 through R-2), rising to 40 feet in the R-3, R-4 and R-5…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, Zoning Ordinance Section 504 caps how much of a commercial lot a building can cover: 35% in C-O (Office), 25% in C-S (shopping centers on 5+ acre…

Block parties, parades, fairs and other special events that use unincorporated Maricopa County road right-of-way need a Right-of-Way Permit from MCDOT before the event, with a…

Fairs, festivals, and block parties held in county right-of-way need an MCDOT Right-of-Way Permit before setup, with a $100-per-sheet special event plan review fee and no work allowed…

A neighborhood block party in unincorporated Maricopa County counts as a "Special Event" occupying county right-of-way, and Ordinance P-36 requires a Right-of-Way Permit from the MCDOT…

Land near Luke Air Force Base with the highest aircraft noise exposure is zoned Airport District One, where the county bans human occupancy and requires a Special Use Permit for any…

Unincorporated Maricopa County restricts construction noise, concrete pouring, pile drivers, power hammers, idling equipment, to set daily hours near homes, tighter on weekends, under…

Maricopa County bans motor vehicles without a working muffler and prohibits cut-out, bypass, or muffler-elimination devices that amplify engine or exhaust noise, enforced in…

Unincorporated Maricopa County's IND-2 general industrial zoning district only permits manufacturing and processing uses that don't produce objectionable noise, vibration, smoke, or…

Maricopa County Ordinance P-23 bans noise that disturbs a neighborhood's peace and quiet if it's audible inside closed homes within 500 feet of the source, day or night, and confines…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, County Ordinance P-6 makes it unlawful for a dog owner to let their dog bark, yowl, or yip excessively, with the county's enforcement agent…

Maricopa County's Ordinance P-25 bans blowing landscape debris into public roadways and requires leaf blowers to run only on stabilized surfaces within the Area A dust-control zone.

In unincorporated Maricopa County, radios, loudspeakers, and other amplified sound equipment can't be heard from inside a closed home within 500 feet of your property line, day or…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, veterinary hospitals and clinics are classified as a Commercial-Medical use requiring Plan of Development (POD) approval before the county issues a…

Maricopa County's animal control ordinance requires dog licenses and bans dogs from running at large, but sets no license, leash, or at-large rule for cats in the unincorporated county.

In unincorporated Maricopa County, keeping five or more dogs on one property makes it a 'kennel' under Ordinance P-13, triggering a mandatory $75 annual permit from the Board of…

Maricopa County does not require pet owners in unincorporated areas to spay or neuter their dogs. Instead, the county's Rabies/Animal Control Ordinance lets the Board of Supervisors…

Pet groomers and pet shops in unincorporated Maricopa County are Non-Food Environmental Health Operating Permit holders under Chapter I of the county's Environmental Health Code. A…

Unincorporated Maricopa County ordinance P-13 prohibits dogs at large: every dog must stay confined to the owner's property or be leashed to six feet and kept under direct control…

Unincorporated Maricopa County lets R1-35 lots keep up to six chicken hens under MCZO § 603.1, with no cap at all in Rural-zoned districts, though enclosures on sub-acre subdivision…

Keeping wild or exotic animals privately in unincorporated Maricopa County is zoned as commercial "Outdoor Entertainment," a use the county's zoning table permits only in commercial…

Maricopa County does not require an owner to live on the property when adding an accessory dwelling unit. ADUs may be rented long-term independently, with no familial or employment tie…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, a detached carport must sit at least three feet from any side or rear lot line and can cover no more than 30% of the required yard.

Unincorporated Maricopa County allows one attached and one detached accessory dwelling unit by right on any single-family lot: no public hearing, variance, or special permit required…

An accessory dwelling unit in unincorporated Maricopa County can be rented long-term with no family or employment tie to the main house, but only one ADU per lot may ever be used as a…

Maricopa County bans parking trucks, trailers, buses, and RVs over 10,000 pounds on posted residential streets in unincorporated areas, with fines starting at $50 and rising to $250…

Unincorporated Maricopa County requires one loading and unloading space, at least 10 by 20 feet, for every 25,000 square feet of commercial floor area under the county zoning ordinance.

Maricopa County doesn't require EV charging spaces in parking lots. Instead, the Travel Reduction Program lets major employers earn plan credit for installing on-site charging stations…

Unincorporated Maricopa County has minimal street parking regulation on county-maintained roads. No timed parking zones or permit parking programs exist at the county level. ARS…

Unincorporated Maricopa County caps unregistered or inoperable vehicle storage at three per lot in rural and residential zones, and requires screening from the street unless parked in…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, RVs, boats, travel trailers, and motor homes stored outside a garage or carport must be parked in the side or rear yard: never the front yard, except…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, home driveways and parking areas must be paved, decomposed granite, or ABC material to control dust: bare dirt parking doesn't meet the zoning…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, restaurants, cafeterias and lunchrooms must keep at least 40% of both indoor and outdoor seating smoke-free under the county's Smoking Pollution…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, Ordinance P-37 makes it unlawful to defecate or urinate anywhere in public that isn't specifically marked for that purpose, naming sidewalks, parks…

Mobile food vendors in Maricopa County need an Environmental Health Department permit, must operate from an approved commissary, and cannot set up within 100 feet of any area used for…

Maricopa County requires a Mobile Food Type I permit for pushcart and stand vendors selling packaged food or drinks, with signage, permit-display, and handwashing rules when operating…

Maricopa County requires a valid Environmental Health Department permit before operating any mobile food establishment, including food trucks, carts, and trailers, with separate…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, an accessory dwelling unit used with a short-term rental means the property owner must live on-site, unless the ADU's certificate of occupancy…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, an owner renting out a short-term rental with an accessory dwelling unit must live on the property, unless the ADU's certificate of occupancy…

Unincorporated Maricopa County caps short-term rental occupancy by party, not headcount: the whole dwelling must go to one renting party at a time, room-by-room rentals are banned, and…

Arizona's ARS §9-500.39 preempts local governments from banning short-term rentals, extending to counties. Maricopa County has no STR permit or registration system for unincorporated…

Maricopa County does not impose specific insurance requirements on STR operators in unincorporated areas. Arizona state law does not mandate STR-specific insurance either. Operators…

Maricopa County requires every food establishment's Person in Charge to train Food Employees on foodborne disease prevention within 30 days of starting food-handling work, and to keep…

Maricopa County's Environmental Health Code bans harboring bed bugs on any premises and requires owners to eliminate an infestation once Environmental Services orders it, with permit…

Maricopa County bans rodent, roach, bedbug, and flea infestations on any property, and the Environmental Services Department can order the owner or occupant to abate an infestation…

Unincorporated Maricopa County has no separate curbside rule for used needles or sharps. Instead it regulates them as biohazardous medical waste under Chapter II, Section 10 of the…

Unincorporated Maricopa County allows digital billboards only in C-2/C-3 zoning under MCZO Article 1103.3.1, with a mandatory 11 p.m.-to-sunrise lights-out curfew, 300-nit evening…

Political signs in unincorporated Maricopa County are regulated by the MCZO and Arizona state law (ARS 16-1019). Signs may be displayed 60 days before an election and must be removed…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, freeway-facing pylon signs are limited to C-S and C-2 zoning districts, capped at 65 feet (80 feet with cellular antennas), and must sit back at…

Small interior window signs are exempt from Maricopa County's sign rules in unincorporated areas, but the exemption is narrow: Section 1101 caps exempt "public service" window signs at…

Medical marijuana dispensaries and marijuana establishments in unincorporated Maricopa County must sit at least 1,500 feet from any church, school, day care, park, playground, or…

Unincorporated Maricopa County requires medical marijuana dispensaries and marijuana establishments to sit at least 1,500 feet from each other, churches, schools, day cares, parks and…

Under Proposition 207, adults 21+ in Arizona may grow cannabis at home for personal use. Individual limit is 6 plants; households with 2+ adults may grow up to 12 plants. Plants must…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, dumping rubbish, trash, filth or debris on property you don't own or control is a Class 1 Misdemeanor under County Ordinance P-11, enforced the same…

Commercial developments in unincorporated Maricopa County must screen dumpster and refuse collection areas from public streets, with a three-foot wall, berm, or hedge required along…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, garbage, refuse, rubbish and ashes must be picked up at least once a week. The Environmental Health Code lets the Department grant a hauler a…

Maricopa County bars minors under 16 from unincorporated public areas between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., and 16- and 17-year-olds between midnight and 5 a.m., under Ordinance P-12.

In unincorporated Maricopa County, garage and yard sales at a dwelling are capped at six individual days per year under the county zoning code's definition of garage/yard sales.

Cryptocurrency mining rigs and server farms fall under Maricopa County's 'Data Center' zoning definition, restricting them to industrial-zoned parcels in unincorporated county land…

Maricopa County has no decibel limit; Noise Ordinance P-23 uses an audibility standard. Data center cooling and generators must not be heard inside closed homes within 500 feet of the…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, adult oriented facilities must locate at least 1,500 feet from any other adult oriented facility and from churches, schools, day cares, parks, and…

Maricopa County does not license ordinary massage businesses; only massage establishments offering "adult service" under Ordinance P-10 must obtain an Adult Oriented Business License…

No one may run a pawnshop in Maricopa County without a license issued by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. State law sets the licensing process, background checks, and fees the…

Running an auto repair business from a home in unincorporated Maricopa County is boxed in tight: no power tools or mechanical work outdoors, no toxic or flammable fluids stored on…

Unincorporated Maricopa County's Rural zoning districts exist specifically to conserve farmland and prevent conflicts between agricultural and urban uses, with farms permitted by right.

Maricopa County requires reclaimed wastewater lines to be built and separated from drinking water and sewer lines to strict engineering standards before Environmental Services will…

Unincorporated Maricopa County bans concertina wire, razor wire, and electrified fencing below eight feet, and requires front-yard fences taller than 3.5 feet to be at least 80%…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, a building permit is required for fences or walls over six feet tall, retaining walls over 18 inches, pool barriers, hillside-lot fences, corrals in…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, front-yard fences cap at 8 feet with 80% see-through required above 3 feet 6 inches, side and rear fences also max out at 8 feet, and corner sight…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, retaining walls outside the main building envelope can't exceed 8 feet, and any retaining wall over 18 inches requires a county building permit…

Unincorporated Maricopa County requires outdoor light fixtures to be shielded, bans mercury vapor luminaires and unshielded building illumination, and prohibits advertising…

Unincorporated Maricopa County limits offsite sign (billboard) lighting to four fully shielded luminaires per sign face at no more than 40,000 lumens each, lit top-down to stop glare…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, most exterior lighting must be fully or partially shielded to control glare and light trespass, and unshielded building, landscape, or sign lighting…

Before final sign-off, Maricopa County requires a floor/stemwall/foundation inspection ahead of the final building inspection, plus a separate final drainage clearance inspection…

Unincorporated Maricopa County's own building code sets no fire-sprinkler mandate for homes: the Local Additions and Addenda delete IRC §R313.2 and IPC §P2904 outright and defer the…

Unincorporated Maricopa County wires new construction to the National Electrical Code as locally amended by the Local Additions and Addenda. Virtually all electrical work needs a…

Unincorporated Maricopa County regulates plumbing under the locally titled "Plumbing Code of Maricopa County," its amended version of the International Plumbing Code. Almost all…

Unincorporated Maricopa County has adopted the International Green Construction Code, but only as a voluntary standard: the Local Additions and Addenda make clear no builder has to…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, low patios and terraces can extend into required yards without a Zoning Clearance, but larger or covered structures need a permit under the County…

A density bonus exists only in the Highway 74 Scenic Corridor overlay, letting developers double base density if they leave part of a parcel undeveloped.

In unincorporated Maricopa County, no parcel inside a Planned Area Development (PAD) overlay can be built on until the county approves a Specific Development Plan for it. The plan must…

Grills, ovens and smokers used exclusively for cooking are exempt from Maricopa County's residential burning ban, but any solid-fuel cooking fire must still follow Air Quality Rule…

Unincorporated Maricopa County treats a commercial drone or autonomous-vehicle fleet operation as an industrial land use, not a home or retail one. The Zoning Ordinance's use table…

Unincorporated Maricopa County doesn't require a permit for a backyard compost bin, but the Environmental Health Code does require one the moment composting rises to an 'establishment'…

Maricopa County encourages use of native and desert-adapted plants in unincorporated areas. Arizona law (ARS 3-901+) protects certain native plants including saguaro, barrel cactus…

Maricopa County requires protection of state-listed native plants under Arizona's Native Plant Law (ARS 3-901+). Protected species including saguaro, ironwood, palo verde, and mesquite…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, uncultivated vegetation over six inches deep, dried grass, weeds, tumbleweeds, dead brush, is a code violation under the Abatement Ordinance…

Maricopa County's Abatement Ordinance P-11 requires owners to clear rubbish, weeds, debris, and dilapidated buildings from unincorporated property, with the county removing violations…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, letting weeds, rubbish, trash, or debris pile up on a vacant lot triggers a written abatement notice, and the county can remove it and lien the…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, solar panels are allowed as a by-right accessory use in every zoning district, no special use permit required, subject to development standards on…

Arizona's ARS §36-1681 mandates a minimum 5-foot pool barrier: one of the strictest pool barrier laws in the United States. Self-closing, self-latching gates with latch at least 54…

Above-ground pools in unincorporated Maricopa County must comply with Arizona's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (ARS 36-1681). Pools with non-climbable sides at least 48 inches…

Maricopa County bans igniting any open outdoor fire countywide unless it falls under one of Rule 314's permitted categories, agricultural burning, firefighter training, disease…

In unincorporated Maricopa County fireworks are prohibited outright except for permissible consumer fireworks, which may only be sold or used on the days Arizona law allows, with a…

Recreational fires for cooking, warmth, or enjoyment using clean dry wood or charcoal do not require a permit in Maricopa County. Propane and natural gas fire pits are allowed without…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, anyone can report rubbish, weeds, filth, debris, or a dilapidated building on a property to the Planning and Development abatement officer, who must…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, building or using land without a permit or against zoning rules is a class 2 misdemeanor and a declared public nuisance, with each day of continued…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, the Abatement Officer must inspect a property after any weeds, rubbish, or dilapidated-building complaint, then give the owner at least 30 days to…