Assigned to RAGE AS PASSED BY ADD COW
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
AMENDED
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1529
municipal housing; preapproval design
Purpose
Requires municipalities to establish standard preapproved housing design plans or a
preapproved housing design plan program, as prescribed.
Background
Statute requires each municipality's planning agency and governing body to prepare and
adopt, in coordination with the Arizona State Land Department, a comprehensive, long-range
general plan for the development of the municipality. The general plan must include a statement
of community goals and development policies, including maps and plan proposals. After a
municipality has adopted a general plan, or plan amendment, the planning agency must investigate
and make recommendations to the governing body for putting into effect the general plan in order
for it to serve as a pattern and guide for the orderly growth and development of the municipality.
The measures recommended may include plans, regulations, financial reports and capital budgets.
The planning agency may, and if so directed by the governing body must, prepare specific plans
based on the general plan and drafts of such regulations, programs and legislation as may be
required for the systematic execution of the general plan, including zoning ordinances and
subdivision regulations (A.R.S. §§ 9-461.05; 9-461.07; and 9-461.08).
Municipalities are authorized to adopt zoning ordinances and codes to conserve and
promote the public health, safety, convenience and general welfare. A municipality may:
1) regulate the use of buildings, structures and land between agriculture residence, industry and
business; 2) regulate the location, height, bulk, number of stories and size of buildings and
structures, the size and use of lots, yards, courts and other open spaces, the percentage of a lot that
may be occupied by a building or structure, access to incident solar energy and the intensity of
land use; 3) establish requirements for off-street parking and loading; 4) establish and maintain
building setback lines; and 5) establish floodplain and age-specific community zoning districts and
districts of historical significance (A.R.S. § 9-462.01).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires a municipality to establish standard preapproved housing design plans or a
preapproved housing design plan program. FACT SHEET – Amended
S.B. 1529
Page 2
2. Requires the standard preapproved housing design plans developed by the municipality to
include at least three different elevation options for each class of standard preapproved housing
design plan.
3. States that the standard preapproved housing design plans are as follows:
a) for class 1 beginning July 1, 2026, at least three standard preapproved housing design plans
for single-family homes ranging in size from 800 square feet to 2,000 square feet per
single-family house, or three single-family home sizes beginning with the minimum
single-family home size allowed by the municipality, in areas zoned as single-family
residential;
b) for class 2 beginning January 1, 2027, at least three standard preapproved housing design
plans for duplex homes ranging in size from 400 square feet to 1,000 square feet per duplex
unit in areas zoned as single-family residential and allows for the development of duplexes;
c) for class 3 beginning January 1, 2027, at least three standard design plans for triplex homes
ranging in size from 400 square feet to 1,000 square feet per triplex unit in areas zoned as
single-family residential and allows for the development of triplexes; and
d) for class 4 beginning January 1, 2026, at least three standard preapproved housing design
plans for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) that are 200, 600 and 1,000 square feet in areas
zoned as single-family residential and allows for the development of ADUs.
4. States that a preapproved housing design plan program must comply with all of the following:
a) a municipality must accept plan submissions for the preapproved housing design plan
program for class 1, class 2, class 3 and class 4 plans;
b) the municipality must not restrict who may submit a preapproved housing design plan in
accordance with the program;
c) a municipality must approve or deny a preapproved housing design plan in accordance with
the program and statutory administrative review and approval requirements;
d) a municipality may charge an applicant who submits a preapproved housing design plan in
accordance with the program to the same fees that the municipality would charge an
applicant who has submitted a request for approval for the same sized class 1, class 2, class
3 and class 4 plans approved by a municipality;
e) a municipality must post plans that are preapproved in accordance with the program on the
municipality’s official website and the posting by the municipality of a preapproved
housing design plan does not constitute an endorsement by the municipality of the applicant
or applicant’s application for a preapproved housing design plan in accordance with the
program;
f) the municipality must post the contact information of the applicant of preapproved housing
design plans summitted in accordance with the program and is not responsible for the
accuracy of the applicant's posted contact information;
g) a municipality must remove a preapproved housings design plans summitted in accordance
with the program from their official website within 30 days after receiving a request from
the applicant to remove the preapproved housing design plan; and
h) a municipality may also admit the following class 1, class 2, class 3 and class 4 preapproved
housing design plans into the program:
i. plans that have been developed and approved by the municipality;
ii. plans that have been developed and preapproved by other municipalities or agencies
within the state. FACT SHEET – Amended
S.B. 1529
Page 3
i) a municipality must administratively approve or deny an application for a class 1, class 2,
class 3 and class 4 preapproved housing design plan submitted in accordance with the
program without discretionary review.
5. Allows a municipality to require a person or entity to release and indemnify the municipality
and the municipality's employees and contractors as a condition of using a standard
preapproved housing design plan for construction.
6. Defines ADU as a self-contained living unit that is on the same lot or parcel as a single-family
dwelling of greater square footage than the accessory dwelling unit, that includes its own
sleeping and sanitation facilities and that may include its own kitchen facilities.
7. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Additional Committee of the Whole
1. Adds that a class 1 preapproved housing design plan for single-family homes may include
plans that range in three sizes beginning with the minimum single-family home size allowed
by the municipality.
2. Specifies that, for a class 3 preapproved housing design plan for accessory dwelling units, a
municipality must create plans that are 200, 600 and 1,000 square feet in size, rather than range
in size to include the minimum and maximum square footage allowed by the municipality.
3. Allows a municipality to require a person or entity to release and indemnify the municipality
and the municipality's employees and contractors as a condition of using a standard
preapproved housing design plan for construction.
4. Specifies that the class 1 and class 4 preapproved housing design plans for single-family homes
and accessory dwelling units must be established by July 1, 2026.
5. Specifies that the class 2 and class 3 preapproved housing design plans for duplexes and
triplexes must be established by July 1, 2027.
6. Specifies that a municipality must establish standard preapproved housing design plans or a
preapproved housing design plan program.
7. Outlines the requirements of the preapproved housing design plan program.
Senate Action
RAGE 2/20/25 DP 7-0-0
Prepared by Senate Research
March 6, 2025
JT/ci