Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Tombstone, Arizona

Tombstone’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Subdivided lots of less than 36,000 square feet (excluding streets and easements) inside Tombstone city limits.

  • A building or use permit may be issued only if the wastewater connection or approved system condition is met.
  • General permit requirements for all other land and the Title 3 building permit process were not established from the code text read.

  “f. no building/use permit shall be issued for any subdivided lot of less than thirty six thousand (36,000) square feet in size excluding streets and easements, unless there is a connection to a city approved sanitary sewer system or other system approved by the cochise county health department or arizona department of environmental quality, is operated and maintained in accordance with county and adeq regulations.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Tombstone city limits: the city's own Title 10 Zoning Regulations apply.

  • Title 10 lists chapters for zones and a zoning map (chapter 2), the R-1 single residence zone, the MH-1 mobile home zone, R-2 through R-4 residence zones, B-1/B-2 business zones, I-1/I-2 industrial zones, a trailer park chapter, and a Western Urban Ranch zone (chapter 23).
  • Code overview states it is current through ord. 2025-06, passed 10-14-2025 and carries a disclaimer that the online version may not reflect the latest legislation.
  • Section 10-14-14-1 cites ord. 168 as its source, indicating the zoning chapters derive from an older ordinance; the current amendment history was not verified.

  “title 10 zoning regulations title 11 ambulance department title 12 master plan title 13 subdivision regulations”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Tombstone city limits, per Title 10 Zoning Regulations.

  • Zone-by-zone text was not opened; only the chapter list (R-1, MH-1, R-2 through R-4, B-1, B-2, I-1, I-2, trailer park, Western Urban Ranch, historic preservation, medical marijuana) was read.

  “chapter 2 zones; map chapter 3 r-1 single residence zone chapter 4 mh-1 mobile home zone”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Subdivided lots of 36,000 square feet or larger (excluding streets and easements) inside Tombstone city limits.

  • Individual septic systems, including septic tank systems, are permitted on lots 36,000 square feet or larger.
  • If lots are connected to a community water system, the code permits individual septic systems on these lots.
  • Other systems or lot sizes are not addressed in the text read.

  minimum lot size for individual septic: >= 36000 square feet (excluding streets and easements)

  “b. if lots are connected to a community water system, individual sewage disposal systems, including septic tank systems are permitted on lots of thirty six thousand (36,000) square feet or larger in size excluding streets and easements.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Subdivided lots of less than 36,000 square feet (excluding streets and easements) inside Tombstone city limits.

  • Connection to a city-approved sanitary sewer system, or another system approved by the Cochise County health department or Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, is required.
  • Applies to subdivision lots as written in section 13-1-8; the code excerpt does not state a distance rule for an individual existing lot outside a subdivision.

  lot size threshold: < 36000 square feet (excludes streets and easements)

  “c. for lots of less than thirty six thousand (36,000) square feet in size, excluding streets and easements, a connection to a city approved sanitary sewer system or other system approved by the cochise county health department or arizona department of environmental quality, is required.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Conditional — Subdivisions inside Tombstone city limits located within 400 feet of an available sewer line.

    “d. subdivisions shall be connected to available sewage disposal systems if located within four hundred feet (400') of the subdivision boundaries, and with available capacity at the plant and in the distribution lines.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divided into subdivided lots inside Tombstone city limits, under Title 13 Subdivision Regulations.

  • Lots of 36,000 square feet or larger are not subject to the sewer-connection requirement in section 13-1-8(c), but other provisions still apply.

  “d. subdivisions shall be connected to available sewage disposal systems if located within four hundred feet (400') of the subdivision boundaries, and with available capacity at the plant and in the distribution lines.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Tombstone or Cochise County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permits in Tombstone city.
• Building code adopted — Building codes adopted by Tombstone city.
• Inspections — Building inspections in Tombstone city.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy in Tombstone city.
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in the R-1 single residence zone and MH-1 mobile home zone inside Tombstone city limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Tombstone means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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