Pinal County, AZ Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Pinal County Code Chapter II of Title 18 governs all private use of public road, street and alley rights-of-way outside city and town limits. Section 18-21 requires a permit from the office of the county engineer before anyone enters the right-of-way to construct, install, reconstruct or remove pavement, driveway, sidewalk, curb or gutter; to install or remove water, gas, sewer or irrigation lines; to install or remove power or communications systems; or to erect a structure or sign on or overhanging the right-of-way. Section 18-22 requires a written application on the county's form, accompanied by two sets of drawings or blueprints showing the proposed work and specifications, plus a subgrade soil laboratory report if the county engineer requires one.

Section 18-23 sets minimum construction standards: pavement cuts must receive at least six inches of approved aggregate base, with two inches of asphaltic pavement added over cuts in bituminous pavement; underground power and communication cables must sit at least 20 feet from the section line; power and communication poles may not sit more than five feet from the edge of the right-of-way; and backfilling must be mechanically tamped and completed within three days of pipe or cable installation at any point crossing a county road.

The permittee must notify the county engineer 48 hours before work begins and assumes full liability for injury or damage arising from the permitted work. Section 18-24 adds pavement-restoration requirements: no street cut is allowed within one year of new construction or reconstruction of a street except case-by-case emergency cuts, and cuts made in year one to two require either a fee under the county fee schedule or, at the applicant's election, a two-inch asphalt mill-and-overlay treatment extending at least 18 feet in both directions from the cut.

Cuts under two square feet are fee-exempt (capped at three per project) but still require a slurry seal treatment extending at least 25 feet in both directions. All work is guaranteed against defective workmanship for one year from acceptance.