Scottsdale, AZ Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Sec. 2, adopted in 2008 under Ordinance No. 3775, addresses vacant land that has already attracted unauthorized vehicle traffic. Once a vacant lot has been subject to use, operating and/or parking, by any motor vehicle, motorcycle, mini-bike, trailbike, dune buggy, motor scooter, jeep or other form of transportation or recreational vehicle propelled by an internal combustion engine, the owner must take measures to prevent that use from happening again. The section lists examples rather than a single mandatory fix: erecting a fence, constructing a ditch and berm, or placing four-foot-high posts at four-foot intervals, but any barrier the owner installs must comply with the city's normal permit requirements, so a fence built to block dirt bikes still needs a fence permit under the zoning and building codes.

The code defines vacant lot at Sec. 18-2(40) as land that has been or has not been disturbed and may have been previously developed, and that may contain structures but not buildings, distinguishing it from developed parcels. Vacant lots remain subject to the general land-maintenance duties in Sec. 18-9(a) as well, including keeping the lot free of blight, litter, debris and grass or weeds over six inches, so an owner dealing with off-road traffic damage often faces both the vehicle-use duty and the general upkeep standard at the same time. Enforcement runs through the same citywide notice-to-abate and civil-penalty structure that applies to the rest of Chapter 18.