Yuma, AZ Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)
Key Facts
- Reviewing body
- Design and Historic Review Commission
- Triggers review
- Any development, alteration, or demolition permit
- Auto overlay
- Aesthetic Overlay District unless already Historic Overlay
- Guideline documents
- 5 layered design-guideline sets apply
- Key document
- Downtown Kit of Parts, adopted July 7, 2000
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine / 10 days jail, per day
Summary
Any proposed development, alteration, or demolition permit on property in Yuma's Old Town (OT) District triggers mandatory review by the City Design and Historic Review Commission. Old Town parcels not already inside the Historic Overlay are automatically pulled into the Aesthetic Overlay District as well, layering a second design code on top.
(A) Applicability. Property located in the Old Town (OT) District, but not also located in the Historic Overlay District, shall automatically be included within the Aesthetic Overlay (AO) District. The City Design and Historic Review Commission shall review any proposed development, alteration or demolition permit for property located in the Old Town (OT) District. (B) General requirements. The following design guidelines are used in the review of designs within the Old Town (OT) District and contain important considerations for projects under review by the Design and Historic Review Commission: ... (3) City of Yuma Downtown Kit of Parts, as prepared by EDAW and Deardorff Design Resources, July 7, 2000. This guideline contains elements that are utilized in the Old Town (OT) District rights-of-way and has preferences for a variety of elements... (5) Aesthetic Overlay (AO) District Design Guidelines, as presented within the creation of the Aesthetic Overlay Zoning District, Planning and Zoning Case Z93-2 and adopted by City Ordinance No. 2263 on July 20, 1994.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-74: Current through May 20, 2026).
Full Breakdown
01. Property in the OT District that is not also in the Historic Overlay District is automatically swept into the Aesthetic Overlay (AO) District, meaning most Old Town parcels answer to two design frameworks at once. The DHRC applies five stacked sets of guidelines depending on the parcel: the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for historic properties and cultural landscapes, the Main Street Historic District Design Guidelines for the Yuma Main Street National Historic District, the City of Yuma Downtown Kit of Parts (prepared by EDAW and Deardorff Design Resources, adopted July 7, 2000, governing streetscape elements in OT rights-of-way), the Yuma Crossing Design Guidelines (Wayne Donaldson Architects, June 2, 2003, for parcels between 4th Avenue, Penitentiary Avenue, the Colorado River, and 1st Street), and the Aesthetic Overlay District Design Guidelines adopted by Ordinance No.
2263 on July 20, 1994. 03 for any signage. There is no general exemption for minor exterior changes; the ordinance text names 'any proposed development, alteration or demolition permit' without a size threshold.
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of Chapter 154, including skipping required Design and Historic Review Commission review, is a class 1 misdemeanor under Section 154-999: a fine of up to $1,000, up to 10 days in jail, or both. Each day the violation continues counts as a separate offense, so an unreviewed project left standing accrues daily exposure until it is brought into compliance or approved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every Old Town building change need commission review?
Which design guidelines apply to my Old Town property?
What happens if I build without DHRC approval?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yuma
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