Flagstaff, AZ Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

The Flagstaff Zoning Code creates the Downtown Overlay (DO) zone at Section 10-40.50.030(A)(2), applying it 'to areas of the City subject to the Design Handbook for Downtown Flagstaff for the development of properties located within the boundaries of the zone,' mapped as the Downtown Historic District Overlay on Map 10-90.30.030 and covering the T6 Downtown transect area between Humphreys Street and Verde Street, and between Route 66 and Cherry Avenue. Any proposed work on a landmark property or within a historic overlay zone, including demolition, must be approved under Section 10-30.30.060 before it proceeds, whether or not any other permit is required.

The Heritage Preservation Commission or Historic Preservation Officer issues a certificate of no effect, certificate of appropriateness, or certificate of economic hardship after reviewing the proposal. Subsection G of that section, Development Standards and Guidelines, directs the Commission and Officer to apply the standards in Section 10-30.60.050, Compatibility, plus a list of Zone-Specific Development Standards and Guidelines 'available from the Planning Section,' the first of which is the Design Handbook for Downtown Flagstaff (1997), alongside the Townsite Historic Overlay Zone Design Standards and Guidelines (2007) and the Landmark Zone Design Standards and Guidelines (2008).

For Signs specifically within the Downtown Overlay Zone, Section 10-50.100.090(B)(4) treats the same 1997 Handbook differently, stating it 'shall be used for clarification purposes only' alongside binding sign standards such as a ban on cabinet signs and raceways. An aggrieved applicant may appeal a Heritage Preservation Commission or Officer decision under Section 10-20.80.030, Appeals of Permits and Other Approvals.