HB 2518
Initials PB Page 1 Commerce
ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Fifty-sixth Legislature
Second Regular Session
HB 2518: municipalities; housing needs assessment; zoning
Sponsor: Representative Gress, LD 4
Committee on Commerce
Overview
Establishes requirements relating to zoning ordinances and an assessment and annual
report regarding housing.
History
Statute authorizes municipalities to adopt zoning ordinances and codes to conserve and
promote the public health, safety and general welfare and outlines zoning guidelines and
requirements. Municipalities must adopt, by ordinance, a citizen review process that applies
to all rezoning and specific plan applications that require a public hearing. If a municipality
has a planning commission or a hearing officer, the commission or officer must hold a public
hearing on any zoning ordinance. At least 15 days before the hearing, a notice of the hearing
must be published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality or
posted on the affected property in a manner as to be legible from the public right-of-way and
printed so that the word "zoning" is visible from a distance of 100 feet.
Municipalities, by ordinance, must establish a zoning administrator office which is
responsible for zoning ordinance enforcement. Appeals on decisions of the zoning
administrator are heard and decided on by a municipal board of adjustment. Notices of
hearings of the adjustment board must be published in a newspaper of general circulation in
the municipality and posted in conspicuous places close to the affected property (Title 9, Ch.4,
Art. 6.1, A.R.S.).
Municipalities are statutory required to have in place an overall time frame for issuing
licenses during which the municipality will either grant or deny each type of license that it
issues. The overall time frame for each license type must separately state the administrative
completeness review and the substantive review time frame. The municipality must issue a
notice of administrative completeness or deficiencies to a license applicant within the
administrative completeness review time frame. If the municipality does not issue a notice of
administrative completeness or deficiencies within the time frame, the application for the
license is deemed administratively complete. If the municipality issues a timely notice of
deficiencies, an application is not complete until all required information has been received
by the municipality (A.R.S. § 9-835).
Provisions
Zoning Ordinance Amendment
1. Instructs a municipality, by January 1, 2025, to adopt an amendment to the zoning
ordinance that requires the determination of whether a zoning application is
administratively complete within 30 after receiving the application. (Sec. 3)
☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note HB 2518
Initials PB Page 2 Commerce
2. Stipulates the municipality that determines the application is not administratively
complete must follow the statutory procedures relating to administrative completeness
for licensure until the application is administratively complete. (Sec. 3)
3. Instructs a municipality to determine whether a resubmitted application is
administratively complete within 15 days after receiving the resubmitted application.
(Sec. 3)
4. Requires the municipality to approve or deny the application within 180 days after
determining that the application is administratively complete. (Sec. 3)
5. Provides reasons for which a municipality may extend the time frame to approve or deny
the request beyond 180 days. (Sec. 3)
6. Specifies the requirements for a zoning ordinance amendment do not apply to:
a) land that is designated as a district of historical significance:
b) an area that is designated as historic on the national register of historic places; or
c) planned area developments. (Sec. 3)
Housing Needs Assessment; Annual Report
7. Instructs a municipality, beginning January 1, 2025, and every five years thereafter, to
publish a housing needs assessment. (Sec. 4)
8. Outlines information that the housing needs assessment must include. (Sec. 4)
9. Instructs a municipality, beginning January 1, 2025, to submit an annual report to the
Arizona Department of Housing which accounts for the total number of:
a) proposed residential housing units submitted to the municipality;
b) net new residential housing units submitted to the municipality; and
c) new residential housing units that are entitled, platted, permitted and have received
a certificate of occupancy. (Sec. 4)
10. Outlines information that must be included in the annual report. (Sec. 4)
11. Requires a municipality that has previously conducted a housing needs assessment report
to amend the report to include the required information as outlined. (Sec. 4)
12. Exempts a municipality from the requirement to fulfill certain required projections in the
housing needs assessment. (Sec. 4)
13. Exempts a municipality from the housing needs assessment and annual reporting
requirements that is located on tribal land or has a population of less than 30,000 persons.
(Sec. 4)
Miscellaneous
14. Removes the requirement for a public hearing notice to be published at least once in a
newspaper of general circulation in the municipality. (Sec. 1)
15. Removes the requirement for a municipality's board of adjustment to give notice of the
hearing by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality. (Sec. 2)