Tempe, AZ

Tempe enforces AZ §13-2910 animal cruelty for hoarding. Tempe City Code Ch. 8 limits number of dogs/cats in residential zones; MCACC investigates complaints alongside Tempe PD.

Tempe City Code Sec. 6-30 bars dogs from running at large anywhere in the City, requiring a leash, chain, rope or cord no longer than six feet, with narrow exceptions for…

Tempe City Code Sec. 6-26 requires any cat that bites a person to be confined and quarantined for at least seven days in an authorized pound or, at the owner's expense, a veterinary…

Tempe cites keeping or feeding outdoor birds as a nuisance when frequent public defecation from the birds annoys or disturbs a neighborhood. City Code § 21-3(b)(21) requires a petition…

Tempe treats every animal grooming shop as a cross-connection hazard on the municipal water system. Under the city's 2024 International Plumbing Code amendments, a grooming shop's…

Tempe's Zoning and Development Code lets a medical, dental or small-animal veterinary clinic operate by right in every commercial, mixed-use and office/industrial district in the city…

Tempe City Code Sec. 6-54 bars pet shops and pet dealers from obtaining or selling a dog or cat from anyone unlicensed under the federal Animal Welfare Act or with recent violations…

Tempe's Zoning and Development Code Section 3-404(I) caps hens at six per single-family lot with roosters banned outside the AG district, and caps other small animals at five, while…

Maricopa County does not require pet owners in unincorporated areas to spay or neuter their dogs. Instead, the county's Rabies/Animal Control Ordinance lets the Board of Supervisors…

Keeping wild or exotic animals privately in unincorporated Maricopa County is zoned as commercial "Outdoor Entertainment," a use the county's zoning table permits only in commercial…

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…

Arizona makes it unlawful to intentionally feed or attract wildlife, except birds and tree squirrels, in Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties under A.R.S. 13-2927. The offense is a petty…

Tempe amended Section R310.6 of its adopted 2024 International Residential Code to require smoke alarms in dwellings to run on permanent building wiring with battery backup, not…

Tempe bans all outdoor fires, including fire pits and other open burning, from May 1 through September 30 each year under general code § 13A-27(a). Outside that window, no outdoor fire…

Tempe prohibits the use, sale, and possession of consumer fireworks within city limits except for limited permissible items around the Fourth of July and New Year's Eve. Only…

Recreational fires for cooking, warmth, or enjoyment using clean dry wood or charcoal do not require a permit in Maricopa County. Propane and natural gas fire pits are allowed without…

Tempe's Zoning and Development Code lets homeowners build a tiny home as an accessory dwelling unit under Section 3-402(F)(4), as long as it sits on a permanent foundation and meets…

Tempe allows one attached and one detached ADU on any residential lot under an acre, capped at 1,000 square feet of habitable area or 75 percent of the main house, whichever is…

A third ADU on a Tempe lot of an acre or more is allowed only if one of the three units is deed-restricted to renters earning up to 80 percent of area median income. The owner must…

Tempe draws the line between a permit-free accessory structure and a regulated accessory building at 200 square feet or 8 feet in height. Anything larger must sit at least 3 feet from…

Maricopa County does not require an owner to live on the property when adding an accessory dwelling unit. ADUs may be rented long-term independently, with no familial or employment tie…

Tempe's noise code exempts aircraft operated under federal law and FAA air traffic control instructions from every provision of Chapter 20. An aircraft in distress or under an…

Tempe requires a temporary permit from the Special Events Task Force before anyone runs a loudspeaker or sound-amplifying device in a residential zone on public property. Permits are…

Tempe restricts leaf blowers under general code § 13A-52 rather than banning them outright: you can't blow debris into a public roadway, can't run a blower on unstabilized dirt or…

Tempe bars any vehicle sound system, from car stereos to musical instruments, that can be heard 50 feet outside the vehicle or that disturbs anyone nearby. A separate rule blocks…

Tempe bars outside construction and repair work outside set daily windows that shift by season and by proximity to residential zones. Concrete pours get the widest window; work near…

Tempe treats a dog's frequent or habitual howling, yelping or barking as a nuisance violation, but City Code § 21-3(b)(19) requires a signed petition from at least two witnesses in…

Unincorporated Maricopa County's IND-2 general industrial zoning district only permits manufacturing and processing uses that don't produce objectionable noise, vibration, smoke, or…

Maricopa County Ordinance P-23 bans noise that disturbs a neighborhood's peace and quiet if it's audible inside closed homes within 500 feet of the source, day or night, and confines…

Tempe holds short-term rentals to the same traffic-control laws as any home, but a vehicle parking violation at a rental only counts toward the City's three-strikes license suspension…

Tempe's short-term rental ordinance makes it a civil offense for anyone, including a booking platform, to collect a fee for facilitating a rental that is operating illegally. Section…

Tempe can suspend a short-term rental license for up to twelve months once an owner racks up three verified violations in a year, or immediately after one serious incident like a…

Tempe imposes NO annual or per-stay night cap on short-term rentals. Arizona Revised Statutes § 9-500.39 (SB 1350, expanded by SB 1168) preempts cities from prohibiting STRs or capping…

Tempe charges $250 for every short-term rental license application or annual renewal, a fee cut 25% for licenses first issued after July 1 of a given year, and conditions the license…

Tempe requires the owner of a short-term rental to actually live on the property if it contains an accessory dwelling unit whose certificate of occupancy or completion was issued on or…

Tempe requires short-term rental operators to register with the city and hold an Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) license. Under Arizona state law, cities cannot ban STRs in…

Arizona law, not a Tempe-specific noise code, controls how far the City can go in regulating short-term rental noise. A.R.S. Section 9-500.39(B)(2) lets Tempe adopt and enforce noise…

Tempe's STR license ordinance (O2023.01) and Arizona law (ARS 9-500.39) establish the framework for STR insurance. Operators should carry liability insurance as standard homeowner's…

Tempe's STR licensing ordinance (O2023.01) requires compliance with residential use standards. Arizona preemption (ARS 9-500.39) limits city-specific occupancy caps. STR properties…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, an owner renting out a short-term rental with an accessory dwelling unit must live on the property, unless the ADU's certificate of occupancy…

Tempe curb loading zones exist only for the expeditious loading, unloading, pickup or delivery of goods or passengers, and Section 19-122 caps a stop there at 30 minutes, or 15 minutes…

Painting a curb, sidewalk or any street surface anywhere in Tempe is flatly illegal unless the City Council itself designated that specific painting purpose. Section 19-121(b) also…

Inoperable and abandoned vehicles are code enforcement violations in Tempe. ARS §28-871+ governs on public property.

Parking an RV over 21 feet, a boat, or a trailer on any Tempe street between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. is banned under Section 19-139, unless the owner holds a Police Chief-issued permit good…

Tempe bans parking a commercial vehicle or trailer over one ton capacity or longer than 21 feet in a residential district, and bans two or more commercial vehicles of any size at the…

Tempe regulates on-street parking through posted signs and citywide rules. Vehicles may not park on unpaved surfaces or landscaped areas. Most residential streets allow parking but may…

Tempe creates residential-only parking blocks under City Code Sections 19-111 and 19-112 when the Traffic Engineer finds a street is significantly impacted by nonresident vehicles…

Tempe City Code Section 19-101 bars parking in a marked electric vehicle charging space unless a vehicle is actually charging, and caps that use at six hours or any shorter posted…

Tempe has no blanket overnight parking curfew, but Section 19-137 bars leaving any vehicle, including a disabled one, on a public street or right-of-way for more than 120 consecutive…

Tempe bans parking a camper, vehicle or trailer in the front or side yard, visible from the street, unless it sits on an "improved area" tied to the driveway. City Code § 21-3(b)(4)…

Arizona sets no statewide cap on what a private towing company can charge to remove a vehicle from private property: A.R.S. § 9-499.05(A) only lets an incorporated city or town…

Tempe bans wasting water on landscaped property under General Code Section 33-121, and Section 33-122 spells out the irrigation failures that count as waste: broken spray or bubbler…

Tempe caps weeds, uncultivated growth and tall grass at 12 inches on any property where the landscaping is visible from public property. City Code § 21-3(b)(8) also targets…

Tempe requires property owners to trim trees that overhang public rights-of-way to maintain clearance for pedestrians and vehicles. Trees on private property must be maintained to…

Trees on private residential property in Tempe can generally be removed without a city permit unless they are protected native species under ARS 3-901. Protected species (saguaro, palo…

Tempe encourages native and desert-adapted landscaping. Arizona's Protected Native Plant Law (ARS 3-901) protects saguaro, palo verde, ironwood, and other native species from removal…

Unincorporated Maricopa County doesn't require a permit for a backyard compost bin, but the Environmental Health Code does require one the moment composting rises to an 'establishment'…

Home occupations in Tempe may host only one client or customer vehicle on the property at a time, and clients can visit only between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Zoning and Development Code…

Tempe allows a home occupation in any residential dwelling as an accessory use, but only by meeting a fixed list of protective standards rather than through a discretionary permit…

A Tempe home occupation can post only one sign type. Section 3-412(B)(4) of the Zoning and Development Code restricts home-business signage to 'Sign Type B' under the City's master…

Tempe allows in-home child care for up to six children with special-standard approval and a certificate of occupancy in most residential districts, but caring for seven to ten children…

Unincorporated Maricopa County lets food establishments serve or sell food made in a private home under Arizona's cottage food law, but only if the customer gets a copy of the required…

Arizona has no home restaurant permit. There is no microenterprise home kitchen operation licence, no meal count allowance, and nothing in A.R.S. § 36-136(I)(4) that exempts a home…

Tempe exempts a retaining wall from a building permit only if it is 4 feet or less, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, under City Code Sec. 8-105.2(g)…

Tempe limits a front-yard fence or wall to 4 feet, rear and side yard walls to 10 feet, 8 feet for single-family homes, and requires a building permit for any fence or wall taller than…

Tempe caps front-yard walls and fences at 4 feet (6 feet with a use permit) and rear/side yard walls at 10 feet, 8 feet for single-family lots. Any fence or wall over 7 feet triggers a…

Unincorporated Maricopa County bans concertina wire, razor wire, and electrified fencing below eight feet, and requires front-yard fences taller than 3.5 feet to be at least 80%…

Arizona is an open-range state. Under A.R.S. 3-1427, a landowner cannot recover for damage caused by a neighbor's trespassing livestock unless the property is enclosed within a 'lawful…

Above-ground pools in Tempe must meet the same barrier requirements as in-ground pools if they hold water deeper than 18 inches. The pool walls may serve as part of the barrier if they…

Tempe enforces strict pool barrier requirements aligned with Arizona state law (ARS 36-1681). All pools, hot tubs, and spas with water over 18 inches deep must be enclosed by a barrier…

Selling food from a cart, stand or vehicle on a Tempe sidewalk, right-of-way or city-owned property is unlawful unless the vendor holds a permit under City Code Chapter 24. Vending…

Tempe bans mobile food vending from vehicles on arterial streets and inside the downtown core bounded by Farmer, College, University and Tempe Town Lake, and bars sales in public parks…

Operating a food truck in Tempe requires a mobile merchant permit under Section 24-26, plus an identification card for each worker, $1 million in liability insurance, and Tempe Police…

Tempe bans discharging anything but storm water into the public storm drain system under Chapter 12, Article VI of the general code. Section 12-115 sets the purpose: cutting pollutants…

Any grading, construction, fill, or manufactured-home placement inside a Special Flood Hazard Area shown on Tempe's FEMA flood maps needs a floodplain permit from the City Engineer…

Tempe requires new construction in a Special Flood Hazard Area to sit at or above the Regulatory Flood Elevation (RFE), a City-only standard one foot higher than FEMA's base flood…

Anyone doing construction work in Tempe must use temporary and permanent best management practices to keep pollutants and sediment from leaving the site, under general code § 12-128…

Diesel trucks over 14,000 pounds are barred from idling more than five consecutive minutes anywhere in Maricopa County, with $100 first-offense and $300 repeat civil penalties under…

Tempe's Rental Housing Code (Secs. 21-31 to 21-38) sets minimum sanitary, electrical, heating/cooling, ventilation, safety and maintenance standards for every rental unit, including a…

Owners of residential rental property in Tempe must file contact and ownership information with the Maricopa County Assessor under City Code Sec. 21-25 and update it within ten days of…

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…

The Arizona Residential Landlord-Tenant Act preempts the field of residential eviction grounds and procedures, preventing cities from imposing just-cause eviction requirements beyond…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Tempe bans blocking streets, alleys, sidewalks or parks under City Code Sec. 22-4, making it a Class 1 misdemeanor to obstruct pedestrian or vehicular traffic or block access to a…

Tempe bans smoking outdoors in its desert preserves, like the Papago Park and South Mountain-area preserves, under City Code Sec. 23-111(a)(20): 'No smoking shall be permitted in the…

Tempe bans smoking or consuming marijuana anywhere on city-owned property, in any open space such as parks, sidewalks and rights-of-way, or in any public place under the Smoke Free…

Possessing or drinking spirituous liquor in any Tempe city park is prohibited outright under Section 23-45. Only malt beverages qualify for personal consumption, and only with a…

Tempe City Code Sec. 5-32 lets police cite any responsible person, including a host, tenant or landlord, at a nuisance party threatening public peace, health, safety or welfare, and…

Tempe bans soliciting money "in an aggressive manner" anywhere in public and sets 15-foot no-solicitation buffers around banks, ATMs, bus stops and transit stops under Section 24-116…

Tempe City Code Sec. 22-13 bans urinating or defecating on any public or private property outside a toilet facility, citywide. It is charged as a petty offense capped at a $300 fine…

Outside Tempe's central business district, pedestrians crossing mid-block must yield to all vehicles; inside it, Section 19-151 requires using a marked or unmarked crosswalk at all…

Tempe's amended 2024 Fire Code requires an automatic sprinkler system throughout every Group R residential fire area, covering apartments, condos and assisted-living buildings…

Tempe requires every permitted project to pass staged inspections by the Building Safety Division before work can continue or a building can be occupied. Permit holders must request…

Tempe adopted the 2024 International Plumbing Code by reference under general code § 8-600, and § 8-105.1 of the Tempe Administrative Code requires a permit before installing…

Tempe requires a discretionary Use Permit before any existing single-story, single-family home can add, expand or rebuild a second story. Zoning and Development Code Section 3-420 puts…

Tempe adopted the 2024 International Green Construction Code as Article XI of City Code Chapter 8, but Sec. 8-1100 makes its use optional unless a separate ordinance specifically…

Tempe's amendment to Section R311.6 of its adopted 2024 International Residential Code requires carbon monoxide alarms in dwellings to draw primary power from the building's wiring…

Tempe adopted the 2023 National Electrical Code by Tempe City Code § 8-800, and its Article 90 amendments make it unlawful to connect any electrical installation to a power supply…

Tempe requires a building official-issued permit under City Code Sec. 8-105 before constructing, altering, moving or demolishing a building, or before touching its electrical, gas…

Tempe hotels pay two stacked privilege taxes on room charges: the standard 1.8% business activity tax under Section 16-444, plus an additional 5% transient lodging tax under Section…

Camping on any public property in Tempe, including parks, sidewalks, rights-of-way and mountain preserves, is unlawful under Section 23-91 unless the area is specifically authorized…

Tempe bans sitting or lying on a public sidewalk or median in the downtown Central Commercial District between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. on weekdays, and 7 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. on weekends…

Tempe closes every city park, playground and golf course to the public between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. under Section 23-36 of the City Code, unless a park is posted otherwise. Parks…

Tempe City Code Sec. 22-8 bars minors under 16 from public places between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., and 16- to 17-year-olds between midnight and 5 a.m., unless a listed exception applies…

Going door-to-door in Tempe to sell goods or services requires a solicitor's or door-to-door seller's permit under Section 24-71, backed by a Tempe Police fingerprint check, and anyone…

Tempe's Fire Code bans charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices, including propane grills, on balconies or within 10 feet of any structure. The rule targets apartments and…

Tempe's Fire Code bans operating charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices on balconies or within 10 feet of any structure, under Fire Code Section 308.5 of City Code…

Tempe designates individually significant buildings, sites and entire neighborhoods as landmarks, historic properties or historic districts under Chapter 14A, using criteria tied to…

Tempe taxes local businesses under a privilege (sales) tax system in Chapter 16 that sorts gross income into specific classifications, from advertising and amusements to retail sales…

Anyone who wants to maintain a recycling container within Tempe, from bottle-and-can bins to donation-style drop points, must first get an annual permit from the Public Works…

Tempe requires trash, recycling and green-organics carts at the front curb, lids facing the street, no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before pickup and off the curb by 8 p.m. the day of…

Commercial dumpsters and roll-off boxes in Tempe must stay painted, clean and marked with the hauling contractor's name and phone number, and Public Works decides both how many…

Dumping garbage or solid waste on any Tempe street, alley, or private lot is a City Code violation, not just a mess. Section 28-57 bans depositing garbage or solid waste on streets…

Commercial haulers can't pull trash from a business or industrial property within 500 feet of a home between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Section 28-41 also gives a contractor just eight working…

Tempe runs a closed collection system: only the City or a contractor it has licensed may pick up solid waste anywhere in the city. Residential customers can't simply cancel service…

Tempe bans putting anything but recyclables into a recycling container and bans leaving material outside one. City Code Section 28-74 backs the City's definition of 'contamination,'…

Bulky items and brush that won't fit in a City cart go curbside as 'uncontained items,' capped at ten cubic yards and no earlier than ten days before the scheduled pickup week. Tree…

Tempe prohibits freestanding changeable-copy signs and flashing, animated, or intermittently illuminated signs citywide, except for the narrow list of permitted sign types spelled out…

Tempe only allows a freeway-facing freestanding sign, Sign Type E, on parcels within 300 feet of freeway right-of-way and at least 500 feet from any single-family use, and only under a…

Tempe caps window signs, Sign Type M, at 25% of a window's total area in commercial, industrial, and mixed-use districts, requires no permit, but bars placement above the ground floor…

Arizona law (ARS 16-1019) protects the right to display political signs on residential property. Tempe cannot prohibit political signs on private property within reasonable size…

Anyone planting or landscaping in a Tempe public right-of-way or park must follow the City's standard planting specifications adopted by Council resolution, and trees planted in the…

Tempe protects significant trees through its landscape standards in the Zoning and Development Code. Arizona's Protected Native Plant Law (ARS 3-901) protects native desert trees…

Private towing carriers who tow vehicles from Tempe private property without the owner's consent must have written permission from the property owner or a law enforcement request under…

Every store that sells cigarettes, vape products, or other tobacco items in Tempe needs an annual $300 tobacco sales license from the Tax and License Division before making a single…

Tempe's home occupation rule flatly excludes motor vehicle repair from the businesses a resident may run out of a house. Zoning and Development Code Section 3-412(B)(7) names 'motor…

Tempe requires a City license to operate a massage establishment, sets minimum facility standards for lighting, ventilation and separate dressing areas, bans services between midnight…

Tempe requires every adult-oriented business, from adult retail stores and cabarets to video arcades, motels, theaters and nude model studios, to hold a license from the City's…

Tempe requires anyone operating as a pawnbroker to hold an annual license from the Financial Services Director, backed by a Police Chief background check and fingerprinting. Pawned…

Tempe tattoo and body piercing shops need a Use Permit and must clear strict distance buffers: 1,320 feet from another tattoo or piercing shop, and 500 feet from any residential…

Tempe requires anyone buying, selling or trading secondhand goods, jewelry or precious metals to hold an annual license from the Financial Services Director. Automated buyback kiosks…

Tempe requires a Police Chief-issued permit before anyone can hold a parade or motorcade on a public street, sidewalk, or alley, and bars issuing one for a purely commercial…

Restaurants and bars in Tempe can't just set tables on the sidewalk: outdoor seating first needs a minor Development Plan Review, and any seating placed in the public right-of-way…

Any festival, carnival, parade or fair on City-owned property in Tempe needs a temporary special event permit under City Code Sec. 5-2 before it can operate, with the promoter applying…

Tempe waives its separate commercial film permit when a shoot's activity already requires a special events permit under City Code Section 5-2 or a facility reservation, so producers…

Reserving any part of a Tempe city park or bringing beer into one requires a Park and Building Use Permit from the Community Services Department under Section 23-56. Permits carry…

A Tempe block party, festival or other outdoor public gathering that uses City-owned streets or right-of-way needs a special event permit under City Code Section 5-2, filed at least 60…

Tempe classifies electric standup and miniature scooters as 'non-human powered vehicles,' a category barred outright from City parking structures, City parks except designated paths…

Tempe treats a single class of electric bicycle: a two- or three-wheeled bike with working pedals and a motor of 750 watts or less that tops out at 20 mph on motor power alone. City…

Tempe's general code sets direction-of-travel and right-of-way rules for bike lanes and sidewalks. Riders must travel with vehicular traffic on the roadway side where the lane sits…

Arizona runs two separate low-speed classes and gives neither one a local street-designation scheme. A neighborhood electric vehicle, the state's version of a federal low-speed…

Tempe confines data centers to the MU-Ed, General Industrial and Heavy Industrial zoning districts, and only with an approved use permit under the Zoning and Development Code…

Tempe's Zoning and Development Code requires data center generators to sit inside an enclosed, ventilated building specifically to cut noise reaching neighbors, and keeps data center…

Tempe classifies crypto currency mining and processing operations as data centers under its Zoning and Development Code. That means a crypto mining facility can only open in the MU-ED…

Tempe caps single-family and agricultural building height at 30 feet across the AG, R1-15, R1-10, R1-8, R1-7, R1-6 and R1-5 districts, rising to 35 feet in R1-4, under Table 4-202A of…

Tempe caps how much of a single-family or agricultural lot a building can cover under Table 4-202A of Section 4-202. The AG district holds development to 25% of net site area, while…

Tempe's Table 4-202A sets minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks for every agricultural and single-family district. Front building setbacks run from 40 feet in the AG district down…

Tempe bans planting several tree species in its public rights-of-way outright. Section 29-46 outlaws most eucalyptus and elm varieties, ficus nitida, willow, cottonwood, and poplar…

Tempe's AG district permits farming, livestock and apiaries by right or use permit under fixed density formulas: one horse or cow per 6,000 square feet of net lot area, up to 24…

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

Tempe's Zoning and Development Code channels commercial marijuana uses into a short list of zoning districts. A medical marijuana dispensary or marijuana establishment without a…

Tempe's Zoning and Development Code keeps marijuana dispensaries and marijuana establishments away from sensitive uses under Section 3-426(B)(1). A dispensary cannot sit within 1,500…

Arizona law (Proposition 207 / ARS 36-2852) permits adults 21+ to grow up to 6 cannabis plants per person (12 per household with 2+ adults) for personal use. Plants must be in an…

Tempe's Community Development Director inspects rental housing units under City Code Sec. 21-24 to check compliance with the Rental Housing Code's sanitary, electrical and safety…

Tempe makes it a nuisance violation to let insects or rodents, bees, wasps, mice, rats or roaches, build up on any property in numbers that threaten public health or safety. City Code…

Maricopa County requires every food establishment's Person in Charge to train Food Employees on foodborne disease prevention within 30 days of starting food-handling work, and to keep…

Maricopa County's Environmental Health Code bans harboring bed bugs on any premises and requires owners to eliminate an infestation once Environmental Services orders it, with permit…

Unincorporated Maricopa County has no separate curbside rule for used needles or sharps. Instead it regulates them as biohazardous medical waste under Chapter II, Section 10 of the…

Tempe requires every owner of vacant land to control dust by stabilizing unpaved ground or installing City-approved physical barriers that block vehicle access. City Code § 13A-54(c)…

Tempe's building official can order any structurally unsafe, unsanitary or fire-hazard building repaired or demolished under City Code Sec. 8-116. Owners get a written notice, must…

Tempe's Zoning and Development Code caps on-site lighting at 40 foot-candles and classifies fixtures by cutoff type: full-cutoff fixtures can use any output up to that cap, while…

Tempe limits spillover light at a property line adjacent to a single-family district to 0.5 foot-candle, and bars lighting next to a residential use from spilling over onto that use at…

Tempe requires lighting fixtures that illuminate an outdoor advertising sign (billboard) to be mounted on top of the sign structure and to comply with the same shielding standards that…

Tempe has no bar-specific decibel table; bar and nightclub noise is judged under the general "unnecessary noise" nuisance standard in the noise chapter, weighing 14 listed factors…

Tempe's noise chapter exempts properly functioning air-conditioning equipment from the city's noise regulations entirely. As long as a unit runs to manufacturer specifications and is…

Maricopa County's noise ordinance bans generator noise reaching neighboring homes: if generator sound is audible from inside a closed residential structure within 500 feet of your…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, amplified music and bass-heavy stereo or speaker noise is illegal once it can be heard inside a closed residential structure within 500 feet of the…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, a car alarm or other warning device is exempt from Ordinance P-23's noise ban only if it doesn't sound continuously for more than thirty minutes per…

Tempe requires a City Engineer permit or license before anyone builds, places, or maintains anything in a public right-of-way. Section 29-19 splits temporary encroachments like awnings…

Tempe puts the duty to keep sidewalks in good repair on the adjacent property owner, not the City. Section 29-2 requires everyone to keep the sidewalk fronting their premises, plus the…

Blocking a Tempe street, alley, or sidewalk with anything that hinders its free use is illegal under City Code Section 29-21. The City Engineer can grant written, temporary exceptions…

Tempe's General Code makes it illegal to let a water leak run once you should reasonably have discovered it. Section 33-123 prohibits permitting the excess use, loss or escape of water…

Tempe caps how much turf and other thirsty landscaping a new development can plant. Section 4-702(B)(1) of the Zoning and Development Code limits water-intensive landscape, including…

Maricopa County requires reclaimed wastewater lines to be built and separated from drinking water and sewer lines to strict engineering standards before Environmental Services will…

Tempe requires a film permit from the Community Services Film Office before shooting commercial photo, video or motion-picture content on City-owned buildings, parks, streets or…

Tempe caps garage sales at five days per six-month period per property and restricts hours to between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. City Code § 21-4(a)(4) also bans selling merchandise bought for…

Commercial drone operations in Tempe are primarily regulated by the FAA under Part 107 rules. Operators need a Remote Pilot Certificate. Tempe is near Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport…

A density bonus exists only in the Highway 74 Scenic Corridor overlay, letting developers double base density if they leave part of a parcel undeveloped.

In unincorporated Maricopa County, no parcel inside a Planned Area Development (PAD) overlay can be built on until the county approves a Specific Development Plan for it. The plan must…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, solar panels are allowed as a by-right accessory use in every zoning district, no special use permit required, subject to development standards on…

Arizona law bars homeowners associations from banning solar energy devices outright. A.R.S. § 33-1816 lets an association adopt only reasonable placement rules, and only if those rules…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, anyone can report rubbish, weeds, filth, debris, or a dilapidated building on a property to the Planning and Development abatement officer, who must…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, building or using land without a permit or against zoning rules is a class 2 misdemeanor and a declared public nuisance, with each day of continued…

In unincorporated Maricopa County, the Abatement Officer must inspect a property after any weeds, rubbish, or dilapidated-building complaint, then give the owner at least 30 days to…

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

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 lets a nonprofit with federal 501(c) tax-exempt status run a raffle without a gambling license under A.R.S. Section 13-3302(B), so long as it has operated in-state for a full…

Arizona law defines "social gambling" in ARS § 13-3301(9) and excludes it from criminal liability under § 13-3302(A)(2). A private game qualifies only if no player collects more than…

Arizona legalized event wagering, commonly called sports betting, in 2021 under Arizona Revised Statutes Title 5, Chapter 11. The Department of Gaming may issue no more than ten event…

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…

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…

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…

Arizona does not give homeowners a general right to xeriscape, gravel, or desert landscaping over an HOA's objection; that stays governed entirely by each community's own declaration…

Arizona law bars homeowners associations from banning outdoor display of eight protected flags, including the American, Arizona state, POW/MIA, Gadsden and first responder flags. Under…

Arizona law caps how much a homeowners association can fine a member and forces the board to give notice and a hearing first. A.R.S. § 33-1803 limits late charges on an unpaid penalty…

Arizona bars an association from foreclosing an assessment lien until the owner passes a dollar figure or a time period, and the trigger is not the same in every community. In a…

Arizona homeowners associations cannot block a member's right to rent unless the declaration itself prohibits it or limits rental time periods. Once a unit is rented, A.R.S. §…

Arizona has no DUI checkpoint statute at all. The words "checkpoint" and "roadblock" appear nowhere in the Arizona Revised Statutes, so nothing in state law authorizes sobriety…

Arizona's only statute aimed at filming police, A.R.S. § 13-3732, has never taken effect. It would have made it a class 3 misdemeanor to keep video recording law enforcement activity…

Arizona does have a stop-and-identify statute, but it is a narrow one. A.R.S. § 13-2412 compels you to state your true full name only after a peace officer has lawfully detained you on…

Arizona is one of the few states whose legalisation act says in terms that lawful adult conduct "may not constitute the basis for detention, search or arrest." A.R.S. § 36-2852(A)…

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 bans the sale or furnishing of tobacco, vapor, and alternative nicotine products to anyone under 21 under A.R.S. 13-3622. The state raised its own minimum age from 18 to 21 in…

Arizona allows a vehicle four kinds of extra forward lighting and puts a mounting-height band on each: one spot lamp, two fog lamps mounted 12 to 30 inches off the ground, two…

Arizona is one of the few states whose code names dash cam recording and permits it in so many words. A.R.S. section 28-963(A)(3) forbids recording or broadcasting video on a device…

Arizona still prohibits lane splitting as most riders picture it, but A.R.S. § 28-903(F) opens a narrow lane-filtering exception. A two-wheeled motorcycle may move between lanes to…

Arizona bans any plate cover, spray, electronic device or electrochromatic film that obscures the numbers, characters, year tabs or issuing state name "from any angle", under A.R.S. §…

A radar detector is legal in a private vehicle anywhere in Arizona. The state's vehicle equipment article, A.R.S. sections 28-921 through 28-966, names no radar detector, laser jammer…

Arizona lets you run metal studded tires anywhere in the state from October 1 to May 1, and bans them for the other five months. A.R.S. § 28-958(B)(3) also caps the hardware itself…

Arizona lets the front side windows carry film with a light transmission of thirty-three percent plus or minus three percent, so a front window measuring down to 30 percent still…