Pinal County, AZ Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Code § 12.10.030 lists 15 conditions that make a structure a "dilapidated building" or public nuisance once they endanger life, health, safety, or property, among them exterior walls damaged by fire, earthquake, wind, or flood to the point their strength is materially less than it was before the event, walls that lean far enough that a plumb line no longer falls within the middle third of the base, faulty wiring, gas, heating, or cooling that creates a fire hazard, and any building that is unsanitary or unfit for human habitation due to disrepair. An authorized agent of Pinal County Development Services makes the determination.

The abatement steps in § 12.10.040 apply to buildings the same way they apply to rubbish and weeds: a written notice to abate, served personally, by certified mail, or posted at two locations if mail fails, gives the owner, lessee, or occupant 30 calendar days to repair or remove the structure, and states the county's estimated cost if it must act instead. Recipients have 15 calendar days to appeal to the Pinal County Civil Hearing Office, and a losing appellant gets a further 30 days to comply. Before Pinal County demolishes a dilapidated building itself, a designated county official must first consult the state historic preservation officer to check for historic value, and after removal the County Assessor adjusts the property's tax valuation from the removal date. Unpaid county cleanup costs record as an assessment lien against the parcel, repayable on a schedule from one year (under $500) to ten years ($10,000 or more), accruing interest at the statutory judgment rate.