Arizona Ordinances (2026)

Arizona SB-1161 (2024) preempts municipalities with populations over 75,000, requiring them to permit accessory dwelling units on single-family lots and limiting restrictive zoning, owner-occupancy, and parking mandates.

Arizona criminalizes animal cruelty statewide under A.R.S. Section 13-2910, which covers neglect and inadequate care typical in hoarding cases, and applies uniformly in every jurisdiction.

Arizona requires every beekeeper to register apiaries with the State Department of Agriculture, regardless of city rules, and follows uniform statewide pest and disease management standards.

Arizona generally leaves chicken and livestock keeping to municipal zoning, but state law protects agricultural operations on land zoned or used for farming under the Right to Farm Act.

Arizona requires all dogs to be on a leash no longer than six feet whenever off the owner's property, and enforces statewide rabies licensing for dogs over three months old.

Arizona Game and Fish Commission rules apply uniformly statewide and prohibit private possession of restricted live wildlife including big cats, primates, alligators, and venomous reptiles without a special license.

Arizona prohibits intentionally feeding wildlife in Maricopa and Pima counties under state law, with exceptions for birds and tree squirrels, and Game and Fish rules apply statewide for predators.

Arizona caps statewide marijuana establishment licenses and limits the local zoning conditions cities may impose under ARS Title 36 Chapter 28.2.

Proposition 207 and ARS Title 36 Chapter 28.2 set uniform statewide limits on adult-use cannabis home cultivation that municipalities cannot prohibit or expand.

Arizona commercial drone pilots operate under FAA Part 107 and ARS 13-3729 state rules, with cities barred from imposing separate licensing or operational regulations.

ARS 13-3729 expressly preempts Arizona cities and counties from regulating recreational drone operations, reserving authority to the state and FAA.

Arizona's ARS 23-204 preempts cities and counties from adopting employer wage rules beyond the state minimum wage and benefits framework.

Arizona preempts most local paid leave mandates, while requiring statewide earned paid sick time under Proposition 206 and ARS 23-371.

Arizona's ARS 23-204 prevents cities from enacting predictive scheduling, fair workweek, or shift change pay ordinances on private employers.

Arizona statutorily delegates floodplain regulation to counties and flood control districts, setting uniform minimum standards for development in mapped floodplains statewide.

Arizona regulates stormwater discharges through the AZPDES program under ARS Title 49, requiring permits for construction, industrial, and municipal stormwater statewide.

Arizona enforces a uniform statewide swimming pool enclosure law requiring barriers around residential pools, with cities and counties bound to minimum standards but allowed to adopt stricter local rules.

A.R.S. 36-1606 limits Arizona municipalities to regulating only the use, not sale, of permissible consumer fireworks and prohibits aerial fireworks statewide.

Arizona regulates open burning through ADEQ air quality rules and DFFM forestry statutes, requiring permits for most outdoor burns and prohibiting burns during no-burn declarations.

Arizona adopts NFPA 58 through the State Fire Marshal, regulating LP-gas container size, placement setbacks, and installation statewide for residential and commercial propane storage.

Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management designates wildland-urban interface areas under A.R.S. 37-1301 and issues statewide fire restrictions during high-risk conditions.

Arizona allows permitless concealed carry for adults 21 and older, while still issuing optional CCW permits that enable reciprocity with other states.

Arizona broadly preempts cities, towns, and counties from regulating firearms, ammunition, components, and related accessories beyond state law.

Arizona permits open carry of firearms by adults 18 and older without a license in most public spaces, subject to limited location restrictions.

Arizona allows adults 21 and older to carry loaded firearms openly or concealed in private vehicles without a permit, subject to limited restrictions.

Arizona Department of Health Services regulates mobile food units statewide under A.R.S. Title 36, Chapter 8 and uniform food code rules in A.A.C. Title 9, applied through county health permits.

Under A.R.S. § 33-1807, unpaid assessments in an Arizona planned community become an automatic lien on the lot, and the association may charge late fees and interest if the declaration allows. The lien may be foreclosed like a mortgage, but only once the owner is delinquent 18 months or owes $10,000 or more.

Arizona heavily regulates HOA governance: A.R.S. § 33-1804 requires open board and member meetings (with limited executive sessions) and lets members record them, A.R.S. § 33-1812 mandates absentee ballots and permits secret ballots for board elections, and A.R.S. § 33-1805 makes association financial and other records open to members for inspection.

Arizona HOAs enforce CC&Rs, design rules, and bylaws, but A.R.S. § 33-1803 channels enforcement through a detailed violation-notice process. A member who gets a violation notice may demand, within 21 days, the specific provision violated, the date, who observed it, and how to contest — and the HOA cannot collect attorney fees until it provides this.

A.R.S. § 33-1803 lets an Arizona HOA board impose 'reasonable monetary penalties' for violations of the declaration, bylaws, and rules — but only 'after notice and an opportunity to be heard.' The statute also caps any late charge on an unpaid penalty at the greater of $15 or 10% of the penalty.

Arizona overrides HOA bans on several protected uses: A.R.S. § 33-1816 bars prohibiting solar energy devices, and A.R.S. § 33-1808 bars prohibiting the U.S. and Arizona flags, political signs (71 days before a primary to 15 days after the general election), and real-estate 'for sale' / open-house signs. HOAs may set only reasonable, non-defeating restrictions.

Arizona's cottage food law allows registered home producers to sell non-potentially hazardous foods directly to consumers statewide, preempting most local food permit requirements.

Arizona requires state-level certification or licensing for in-home child care above defined child counts, preempting local approval of caregiver qualifications and ratios.

Arizona requires every employer in the state to use the federal E-Verify program to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired workers.

Arizona law prohibits any city, county, or agency from limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities, effectively banning sanctuary policies statewide.

The Arizona Native Plant Law protects designated cacti, trees, and other species from destruction or removal without state permits, applying universally on private and public land regardless of municipal rules.

Arizona explicitly authorizes rainwater harvesting under state policy and provides income tax credits for systems, preventing municipalities from banning residential collection of rooftop or runoff rainwater.

Arizona protects native trees such as ironwood, mesquite, and palo verde under the Native Plant Law, requiring state permits and notice before removal even on private residential property.

Arizona regulates groundwater use through Active Management Areas (AMAs) under the 1980 Groundwater Management Act, applying mandatory conservation requirements to municipal water providers in five designated regions, including Phoenix and Tucson.

Arizona regulates outdoor lighting statewide through the Outdoor Light Control statutes, requiring shielded fixtures and limits on certain lamp types, particularly in counties hosting major astronomical observatories.

Arizona Revised Statutes Title 28 establishes uniform statewide procedures for abandoned vehicle reporting, towing, notice to owners, and disposal through licensed agents.

Arizona law restricts homeowners associations from prohibiting electric vehicle charging stations, while leaving station siting and codes largely to local jurisdictions.

Under A.R.S. § 33-1368, Arizona landlords must give a 5-day written notice for nonpayment of rent and a 10-day notice to cure for other material lease violations before filing. Material and irreparable breaches allow immediate termination. Evictions proceed as special detainer actions under A.R.S. § 33-1377, with trial set 3–6 days out.

A.R.S. § 33-1324 requires Arizona landlords to keep rentals fit and habitable — meeting building codes, maintaining electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling systems, and supplying running water and heat. If a landlord fails to act, A.R.S. § 33-1361 lets tenants terminate after a 5-day or 10-day notice, and § 33-1363 allows repair-and-deduct.

The Arizona Residential Landlord-Tenant Act preempts the field of residential eviction grounds and procedures, preventing cities from imposing just-cause eviction requirements beyond the state-defined notice and breach standards.

Under A.R.S. § 33-1343, an Arizona landlord must give at least two days' notice of intent to enter and may enter only at reasonable times for legitimate purposes such as inspections, repairs, or showings. No notice is required in a genuine emergency, and access may not be abused to harass the tenant.

Arizona caps late fees only by a reasonableness standard. A.R.S. § 33-1368 lets a landlord charge a 'reasonable late fee set forth in a written rental agreement.' There is no fixed dollar limit, no percentage cap, and no statutory grace period — rent is late the day after it is due.

A.R.S. § 33-1375 requires 30 days' written notice to end a month-to-month tenancy (10 days week-to-week). Breaking a fixed-term lease early can incur damages, though landlords must mitigate. A.R.S. § 33-1318 lets domestic-violence and sexual-assault victims terminate early; military servicemembers terminate under the federal SCRA.

Arizona prohibits local rent control. State law makes rent regulation on private residential property a matter of statewide concern and preempts the field, so cities, charter cities, towns, and counties cannot cap or freeze rents on private housing. There is no statewide rent cap, leaving private rents to the market.

Arizona has no statutory cap on how much a landlord may raise rent and no dedicated rent-increase notice statute. For a month-to-month tenancy, a rent change is implemented by serving the 30-day termination/change notice tied to the periodic rental date under A.R.S. § 33-1375. Fixed-term leases cannot be raised mid-term.

Arizona caps security deposits at one and one-half month's rent. After the tenancy ends and the tenant requests it, a landlord has 14 days (excluding weekends and legal holidays) to return the deposit with an itemized list of deductions. Wrongful retention exposes the landlord to damages of twice the amount withheld.

Arizona's adverse possession periods are tiered: 2 years by right of possession alone (A.R.S. § 12-522), 3 years under color of title (§ 12-523), 5 years under a recorded deed with taxes paid (§§ 12-524, 12-525), and a 10-year catch-all (§ 12-526). Possession must be open, hostile, and continuous; removal is by court action.

Arizona limits local zoning power over agricultural land, protecting commercial farming activities from overly restrictive land-use regulation.

Arizona's Right to Farm Act in ARS 3-112 protects established agricultural operations from nuisance suits when surrounding land use changes.

A.R.S. 9-500.39 requires Arizona short-term rental operators to maintain at least $500,000 in liability insurance or rent through a marketplace providing equivalent coverage.

A.R.S. 9-500.39 lets Arizona cities apply local noise ordinances to short-term rentals and impose escalating penalties for verified noise violations occurring on the premises.

A.R.S. 9-500.39 lets Arizona cities cap nightly occupancy at two adults per bedroom plus additional persons, applying uniformly to short-term rentals statewide.

Arizona law limits how cities regulate short-term rentals but allows local licensing, emergency contact registration, and basic operational standards under A.R.S. 9-500.39.

Arizona requires short-term rental operators to license with the Department of Revenue and remit transaction privilege tax plus any applicable county and city transient lodging taxes statewide.

Arizona state law preempts municipal restrictions on temporary political signs in public rights-of-way during election periods, limiting what cities and counties can prohibit or remove.

Arizona prohibits cities, towns, and counties from regulating or banning auxiliary containers like plastic bags, cups, and bottles under ARS 9-500.38.

Arizona preempts local bans and fees on polystyrene foam food containers as auxiliary containers under ARS 9-500.38 and ARS 11-269.16.

Arizona's auxiliary container preemption blocks cities and counties from banning, taxing, or regulating plastic straws and stirrers.

Arizona law voids HOA covenants that effectively prohibit solar energy devices, preempting community restrictions and requiring associations to allow reasonable installations under A.R.S. Section 33-1816.

Arizona requires expedited residential solar permitting under SolarAPP+ adoption laws and provides statewide property tax exemptions for residential solar energy devices under A.R.S. Section 42-11054.

Arizona sets uniform minimum pool barrier requirements under A.R.S. Section 36-1681 for any new residential pool deeper than 18 inches, applicable in counties with populations over 250,000.

Arizona's pool barrier statute treats spas and hot tubs differently, allowing a locking safety cover meeting ASTM standards in lieu of a perimeter fence under A.R.S. Section 36-1681.

Arizona aligns with the federal Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act and enforces state barrier laws, applying uniformly to public and certain private pools throughout the state.

Arizona prohibits the sale or furnishing of tobacco, vapor products, and alternative nicotine products to anyone under age 21 under ARS 36-798.

Arizona has no statewide flavor ban and preempts most local tobacco product sales restrictions, leaving flavored sales generally lawful.

Arizona requires retailers to verify ID and bars sales of vapor products and e-cigarettes to anyone under 21 under ARS 36-798.03.