Phoenix, AZ Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing office
- Planning and Development Director
- Flood hazard areas
- Also need Street Transportation Director approval
- Small excavation exemption
- Under 2 ft deep, no permit
- Disturbance cap on exemptions
- Over 1 acre, no exemptions apply
Summary
Phoenix requires a grading permit before any building permit for work in a watercourse, drainageway or flood hazard area, or before filling/excavating over set thresholds.
No person shall obtain a building permit, required by the Phoenix Building Construction Code, for work in or over any natural watercourse, drainageway, canyon, ravine, arroyo or other potential flood hazard area without first having obtained a grading permit from the Planning and Development Director. All such work and activities authorized by the grading permit shall comply with this chapter and the City of Phoenix Stormwater Policies and Standards Manual.
B. Flood hazard area. No person shall obtain a building permit, required by the Phoenix Building Construction Code, in an area of special flood hazard without first obtaining a grading permit from the Planning and Development Director and its approval of by the Street Transportation Director. All such work and activities authorized by the grading permit shall comply with this chapter and the City of Phoenix Stormwater Policies and Standards Manual.
C. Filling and excavating. No person shall do any grading, filling or excavating without first having obtained a grading permit from the Planning and Development Director except for the following, only to the extent such grading, filling or excavating does not result in land disturbance over one acre:
1. An excavation which (a) is less than two feet in depth, or (b) which does not create a cut slope greater than five feet in height and steeper than one vertical to one and one-half horizontal.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance G-7524, passed June 17, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Under City Code Ch. 32A, no one may get a building permit for work in or over a natural watercourse, drainageway, canyon, ravine, arroyo, or other potential flood hazard area without first obtaining a grading permit from the Planning and Development Director. Work in a special flood hazard area additionally needs sign-off from the Street Transportation Director. Separately, any grading, filling or excavating needs its own grading permit unless it falls under narrow exemptions, e.g., excavations under 2 feet deep, fills under 1 foot placed on gentle slopes, or basement/footing excavations under 10,000 cubic yards tied to a valid building permit, and none of those exemptions apply once disturbance exceeds one acre.
Violations & Fines
Working without the required grading permit is unlawful; unpermitted work under Section 32A-2 triggers the investigation and remediation fee in Appendix A.2, and a permit is voided if completed work deviates from what was approved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to grade or fill my Phoenix lot?
What if my lot touches a wash or drainageway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Phoenix
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Erosion Control in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle erosion control.