Building permits, zoning and land rules in Gila County, Arizona

Yes. In unincorporated Gila County, a building permit is required before you construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building, change its occupancy, or install or replace electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems¹. Plans are reviewed for building, grading, floodplain, onsite wastewater and zoning compliance, and the permit issues only after every required approval and fee is in¹. Building Safety enforces the county's adopted building codes¹³.

Inspections happen during construction: staff give the owner or contractor the required list before the permit issues, and the owner or contractor calls to schedule each one¹. After the last inspection, the county issues a Certificate of Occupancy or final construction approval; the published rule does not say every project gets a separate certificate¹. Arizona's owner-builder exemption covers contractor licensing only and does not remove the local permit¹⁰. A qualifying hoophouse or polyhouse used only to grow and store live plants is exempt from county building permits¹⁴. These rules cover unincorporated land; inside Globe, the city's own code applies, and its code requires a building permit for manufactured homes in its R1-MH overlay district¹⁵.

Gila County Community Development runs Building Safety out of two offices: Globe, at 745 N. Rose Mofford Way, phone 928-402-4224, and Payson, at 608 E. Hwy 260, phone 928-474-7110¹³. Building Safety reviews plans, issues building permits and inspects the work¹³. Phone payments by credit or debit card carry a 3% service fee; the published page does not list the underlying permit amounts¹³. The county's goal is to complete the first residential plan review within 15 days¹⁶.

Manufactured and factory-built homes also get a Building Safety installation inspection¹³. For the parcel's zoning district and any land-use approval, contact Planning and Zoning separately¹². Septic permits are a different office, the Wastewater Division, even inside city limits³.

Yes. Gila County's zoning ordinance covers unincorporated land, and incorporated cities fall outside it^2,5. Like the counties around it in Arizona, Gila County has county zoning². Globe has its own zoning districts⁴.

Lot size, setbacks, coverage and height vary by district¹⁷. In residential density districts, yards are 20 feet front, 20 feet rear, 10 feet on the street side of a corner lot and 7 feet on an interior side (9 feet on one side when vehicles need access), and a dwelling must sit at least 6 feet from other buildings on its lot⁷. Buildings cannot exceed 37 feet unless the district says otherwise, though a variance can allow more⁷. In the SFR district, a conventional or prefabricated dwelling must exceed 720 square feet⁷. Mobile/manufactured home subdivision (MHS) lots need 6,000 square feet, with 10-foot front and rear setbacks and 8-foot side setbacks^7,8. Commercial C1 buildings are capped at 2 stories or 30 feet⁷.

County zoning does not regulate general agricultural use on a tract of 5 or more contiguous commercial acres⁷. Planning and Zoning handles variances and rezoning¹².

Gila County's Wastewater Division reviews septic plans, issues permits and performs soils testing and inspections under authority delegated by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality^3,6. Going off grid does not avoid sanitation review: an onsite wastewater system remains subject to county permitting and applicable ADEQ rules, and the available county material does not confirm that every composting toilet, graywater system, cesspool or other alternative is allowed³. Ask the Wastewater Division about the proposed system before buying equipment⁶.

A septic system and reserve area must keep required separation from wells, property lines and driveways, while steep downslopes or cut banks trigger additional spacing¹⁸. Site conditions are consequential in Gila County: only 1.8% of its soils rate free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, and 36% of its land is at a 15% slope or less, so allow for a site evaluation and the possibility of an engineered system¹⁹. On a home sale, Arizona requires a certified inspection within six months before transfer, and the buyer must file a Notice of Transfer within 15 days after closing²⁰.

In Gila County's SFR district, an RV may be stored but cannot serve as a permanent dwelling; in the RR district, one RV may be stored on a lot of at least 1 acre, but it cannot be occupied as a dwelling^7,8. The R1L zone is stricter: an RV cannot be occupied there as either a permanent or temporary dwelling⁷. In other residential zoning districts, an RV may serve as temporary living quarters only with an approved Temporary Use Permit and an active building permit for construction of a permanent residence⁹.

A conventional or prefabricated dwelling in the SFR district must exceed 720 square feet, so a smaller tiny home does not qualify there; manufactured or modular homes face the same size threshold plus a permanent foundation or piers and an Assessor's Affidavit of Affixture⁷. We could not confirm a minimum dwelling size in other districts, so ask Planning and Zoning about the parcel and proposed structure¹². In single-family districts, one accessory dwelling is allowed by right on a qualifying lot of at least 5,000 square feet, with owner-occupancy, wastewater, parking, setback and height conditions²¹. A manufactured home is allowed for residential occupancy in the MHS district⁸.

1. Confirm the parcel's zoning district with Planning and Zoning before designing; setbacks, height and dwelling size depend on the district^12,17.
2. If the project needs a variance, rezoning, conditional use permit or land division, start with the county's zoning planner; most zoning applications require a pre-application meeting²².
3. Arrange the soil evaluation and septic design with the Wastewater Division, including county review of any off-grid sanitation proposal^3,6.
4. If a well is needed, file a Notice of Intention to Drill with the Arizona Department of Water Resources; a parcel of 5 acres or less needs county or local health review first¹¹.
5. Check floodplain and regulated-watercourse status with the Flood Control District and obtain a Floodplain Use Permit when required^23,24.
6. Clear driveway placement with Public Works before fixing the site plan: sight distance and spacing near guardrails, bridges, arterial intersections and some property lines can restrict a new or changed access^25,26.
7. Submit plans to Building Safety in Globe or Payson; the county's first-review goal is 15 days^13,16.
8. Call county staff for every inspection on the required list, then obtain the Certificate of Occupancy or final construction approval when the inspections are complete¹.

Planning and Zoning handles minor land divisions and subdivisions in unincorporated Gila County¹². No lot may be created below the minimum square footage and dimensions of its zoning district, and no building permit issues in a new subdivision until the Board of Supervisors approves the final plat and accepts the improvements⁷. The county adopted revised subdivision regulations in 2018; a subdivision with fewer than 25 lots may get one access point only with a Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation and a reason two are not obtainable²⁷.

Arizona law adds its own layer: dividing land into 6 or more lots or parcels for sale or lease requires notice to the state real estate commissioner unless an exception applies, such as every lot being 36 acres or more²⁸. Splits into 5 or fewer parcels get a separate county review under state law²⁸.

Water and wastewater feasibility come first: confirm whether the parcel has a well or needs a Notice of Intention to Drill, and remember that a parcel of 5 acres or less needs county or local health review before state approval of a domestic well¹¹. Only 1.8% of Gila County soils rate free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, while 36% of county land is at a 15% slope or less, so price the site evaluation before assuming a standard septic system will work¹⁹.

Ask the Flood Control District whether the parcel is in a mapped floodplain or along a regulated watercourse^23,24. Verify legal, buildable access before closing: Gila County can restrict a new or changed driveway for inadequate sight distance or spacing near guardrails, bridges, arterial intersections and certain property lines²⁵. Public Works issues county grading, drainage and right-of-way permits, while access onto a state highway requires an ADOT permit that does not transfer to a new owner^26,29.

If you plan to rent the property short-term, unincorporated Gila County requires an annual county permit for each property, costing $250 for a new permit and $250 to renew, and rentals in an RV, travel trailer or tent are excluded³⁰. The median property-tax bill is $1,331 at an effective rate of 0.5%, and a typical home-insurance premium is $1,099 a year¹⁹.