Before You Build in Scottsdale, AZ: Permit & Rule Checklist (2026)

Scottsdale only exempts fences from a building permit if they stand 3 feet or less. Under City Code § 31-5, amending IBC Section 105.2, any fence taller than 3 feet (0.9144m) falls outside the exemption list and needs a building permit before construction.

Scottsdale exempts retaining walls from a building permit only if they are 3 feet or less and do not redirect stormwater, support a surcharge, or hold Class I, II or IIIA liquids. City Code § 31-5 spells out those three conditions that strip the exemption regardless of height.

In Scottsdale's R1-190 single-family district, walls, fences and hedges can rise 8 feet by right along the property line or in the side and rear yards, up to 12 feet if set back 60 feet from the side or rear line, but only 3 feet in the front yard or required front setback. Corner lots carry an added sight-distance rule.

Above-ground pools in Scottsdale that can hold water over 18 inches deep are subject to Arizona's pool safety requirements (ARS §36-1681). A 5-foot barrier is required, and access ladders must be removable or lockable when the pool is not in use. Building permits may be required depending on the pool's size and installation.

Pool barriers in Scottsdale must comply with Arizona's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (ARS §36-1681), which requires a minimum 5-foot barrier around all residential pools. Gates must be self-closing and self-latching from the pool side. Scottsdale enforces these requirements through the building permit process and code enforcement.

Scottsdale allows up to two Accessory Dwelling Units on lots under an acre and three, including one Restricted-Affordable unit, on acre-plus lots. Sizes top out at 1,000 square feet or 75 percent of the main home, and the Zoning Administrator's approval decision on the required development application cannot be appealed.

Converting an existing garage or other building into a Scottsdale Accessory Dwelling Unit requires meeting the full ADU chapter, including sleeping, kitchen, and sanitary facilities plus building and fire code compliance, under Sec. 7.903. The converted unit still counts against the lot's ADU density and size caps.

Scottsdale limits backyard sheds and other accessory buildings to residential lots where the main house is already under construction, capping their footprint at 30 percent of the rear yard (75 percent in the R-5 district) under Zoning Ordinance Sec. 7.200.A. Placement rules bar sheds from front and side yards and set specific setbacks from property lines and alleys.

Scottsdale bans burning refuse anywhere in the city except in incinerators permitted by the county and the city, and any such burning must still comply with Arizona Department of Health Services and EPA rules. It's the one solid-waste offense the code escalates straight to a class one misdemeanor rather than a civil fine.

Scottsdale's amended Residential Code sets hard setbacks for backyard fire pits: outdoor fireplaces, woodstoves, and wood-burning fire pits must sit at least 8 feet from a shared side property line, or 10 feet in a zero-lot-line subdivision. A building permit and site plan are required for the installation unless the structure is only a masonry surround.

Scottsdale makes the owner of property next to a street responsible for mowing and trimming the plants and trees on the adjacent right-of-way, and separately bars any tree, hedge or shrub from interfering with public use of that right-of-way at all.

Scottsdale caps how much of a lot can be planted in water-intensive landscape or turf. For a new single-family home permitted on or after August 15, 2023, Sec. 49-248 confines that turf to a fenced or walled rear or side yard, while separate percentage caps in Secs. 49-245 through 49-247 apply to schools, resorts, commercial lots and model homes.

Scottsdale's Native Plant Ordinance (Chapter 46, Article V) protects indigenous desert plants citywide. Removal or relocation of protected native plants requires a Native Plant program submission. Violations carry fines up to $10,000. The ordinance covers saguaro cacti, palo verde trees, mesquite, ironwood, and dozens of other protected species.