Phoenix uses a General Plan plus 15 Urban Village character areas with appointed Village Planning Committees that review rezonings, use permits, and area plans. Specific area plans (like Downtown, Reinvent PHX) layer additional standards on top of Chapter 36 zoning.
Phoenix planning is structured around the General Plan (last reaffirmed by voters in 2015 as PlanPHX) plus 15 designated Urban Villages, each with its own appointed Village Planning Committee. These committees recommend on rezonings, use permits, and General Plan amendments before items reach City Council. Specific area plans add detailed standards: Downtown Code Walkable Urban (Form-Based Code), Reinvent PHX transit-oriented zoning along light-rail corridors, Camelback East Village character plan, and Estrella Mountain Village plan, among others. The Phoenix Zoning Ordinance is at City Code Chapter 36 with the underlying use map and overlays. Planning and Development administers approvals; major changes need City Council adoption after Planning Commission and Village review.
Zoning and area-plan violations are enforced through Phoenix Planning and Development with civil penalties up to $2,500 per day under Chapter 36, stop-work orders, certificate-of-occupancy holds, and possible misdemeanor referral for willful violations after notice.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Phoenix, AZ
The Phoenix Heat Action Plan, adopted 2023, targets 25 percent tree-canopy coverage citywide, expands cool pavement and cool roofs, opens cooling centers dur...
Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix Zoning Ordinance Section 701 establishes setback requirements by district. Common residential setbacks: R1-6 has 20 ft front, 5 ft side, 15 ft rear; ...
Phoenix, AZ
A home occupation in Phoenix must be a secondary use of a residential dwelling that does not alter the home's exterior or the residential character of the ne...
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