Tempe

Maricopa County portion

ADU Pass helps homeowners in Tempe, Maricopa County, Arizona navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 4 ZIP codes.

4 ZIP codes

ADU details

ADU legality: allowed-with-restrictions

Statewith-restrictions (Arizona accessory-dwelling framework) — Arizona statewide ADU posture per state-adu-research file.
Countyallowed (Maricopa County unincorporated zoning) — Maricopa County permits ADUs in unincorporated areas under state-law-aligned standards. Within Tempe city limits the city ordinance plus state law govern.
Cityallowed (City of Tempe Municipal / Zoning Code — Accessory Dwelling Units) — City of Tempe permits ADUs under the local ordinance aligned with Arizona statewide framework where applicable.

Arizona partially preempts local ADU restrictions; cities retain authority over design and setbacks. Tempe permits ADUs subject to local conditions per its zoning ordinance.

Cost scenarios

ScenarioSq ft PermitBuildTotal
minimum 150 $4,950 $38,850 $43,800
600 600 $4,950 $155,400 $160,350
midpoint 575 $4,950 $148,925 $153,875
maximum 1,000 $4,950 $259,000 $263,950
Fee breakdown
Plan review$1,485
Building permit$2,723
Impact fees$743
Total$4,950

Viability (permitted uses)

  • Long-term rental: yes Long-term rental of ADU generally permitted; landlord-tenant law and any city rental-registration ordinance apply.
  • Short-term rental: with-restrictions STR rules vary by city. Tempe regulates STRs separately from ADU permitting; check local STR ordinance and HOA covenants.
  • Office rental: with-restrictions Detached office rental requires home occupation permit or rezoning.
  • Home office: yes Home occupation permitted with restrictions on signage and customer traffic.
  • Studio / workshop: yes Personal artist studio is a permitted accessory use.
  • Agriculture: with-restrictions Limited urban agriculture permitted in residential zones; livestock varies by district.
  • Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU explicitly permitted in single-family zones.

Utilities

  • Water: Tempe Water Utility · 30d connect · $4,500
  • Sewer: Tempe Sewer / Wastewater · 30d connect · $5,500
  • Electric: Tempe Electric Utility · 21d connect · $1,800
  • Gas: Tempe Gas Utility · 30d connect · $1,500

Property values & taxes

Median value$475,000
Median tax$2,580/yr
Effective rate0.5%

Construction timeline

Detached build22 weeks
Conversion12 weeks
Contractor lead4 months

Realistic total: best 7mo · typical 11mo · worst 16mo

Financing

Insurance impact

Annual premium delta$420
Landlord policyrecommended
Umbrella threshold$1M umbrella when renting

HOA prevalence & preemption

State HOA preemptionno

Arizona has no HOA-ADU preemption; HOA covenants restricting ADUs are enforceable.

Regulatory overlays (2)

  • airport-noise-zone
    Airport noise contours affect some parcels and may require sound-attenuation construction.
  • hillside-overlay
    Hillside grading and hillside-development standards apply on parcels exceeding the city's slope thresholds.
Technical envelope (climate & building code)

Climate & energy code

IECC climate zone2B
Heating degree days1,100
Cooling degree days4,400
Design low / high34°F / 110°F
Wind design speed105 mph
Seismic design cat.B
Annual rainfall8"
Wildfire exposurelow
Energy codeIECC
Version / adopted2018 / 2020

Building code

Base codeIRC
Version year2,018
Adopted2020
Fire sprinklernone
Egress window5.7 sqft min
Min ceiling7 ft
Attic R-valueR-38 min
Wall R-valueR-13 min

Amendments:

  • Amendment
  • Amendment
Maricopa County — county ADU rules and overlays

County ADU ordinance

Maricopa County (state-capital county; ~4.6 million residents — the fourth-most-populous county in the US — encompassing Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, Glendale, Gilbert, Tempe, Peoria, Surprise, and roughly 9,224 sq mi of Sonoran Desert) regulates land use in unincorporated areas through the Maricopa County Zoning Ordinance, administered by the Maricopa County Planning and Development Department. Arizona's HB 2720 (2024, effective 2025) preempts cities of population 75,000+ to allow at least one ADU on residential lots, but the preemption applies to incorporated cities — county zoning of unincorporated parcels remains under county authority. The county zoning ordinance permits 'guest houses' and 'guest quarters' on rural-zoned parcels (RU-43, RU-190) by right subject to size and occupancy limits; 'casitas' or accessory dwellings on smaller residential parcels (R1-6, R1-8, R1-10, R1-18) are conditionally permitted with somewhat tighter standards. The county updated its zoning ordinance in 2024 to expand accessory-dwelling allowances modestly and to align with HB 2720 where the preemption reaches incorporated cities the county serves administratively.

County regulatory overlays

Arizona state — ADU law and programs

State ADU law

Arizona has enacted statewide ADU preemption in two waves. HB 2720 (signed 2024-05-21, codified at A.R.S. § 9-416.18) requires every Arizona municipality with population of at least 75,000 to permit ADUs on single-family parcels by 2025-01-01: at least one attached and one detached ADU on every single-family lot, plus a third detached ADU on lots one acre or larger if at least one unit is income-restricted. HB 2928 (signed 2025-05-28) extends the same regime to counties, with a 2026-01-01 compliance deadline; counties that fail to adopt compliant regulations by that date must allow ADUs by-right on every residential parcel. Both bills cap ADU size at the lesser of 75% of the primary dwelling's gross floor area or 1,000 sqft, prohibit additional parking requirements, prohibit design-matching mandates, set a 5-foot maximum side and rear setback, prohibit additional impact fees keyed to ADU status, and forbid public-street-improvement conditions. Owner-occupancy may be required by a city or county only when the ADU is operated as a short-term or vacation rental and only for ADUs constructed on or after 2024-09-14. Critically, both bills explicitly preserve the enforceability of private CC&Rs, so HOAs may continue to ban ADUs.

State financing programs

Arizona does not operate an ADU-specific statewide loan, grant, or forgivable-loan program. The Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH) administers the State Housing Trust Fund, federal HOME and CDBG pass-through, the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit allocation, and the Arizona is Home down-payment-assistance and mortgage product line. None target ADU construction directly, though an ADU-bearing primary residence can qualify for the underlying mortgage when other eligibility criteria are met. The Arizona Industrial Development Authority issues mortgage credit certificates and revenue bonds that can flow through to ADU-bearing properties on the same basis as conventional homes.

State housing programs

Arizona's state-level ADU programs work through the HB 2720 / HB 2928 preemption framework rather than through a separate pre-approved-plan catalog or fee-waiver statute. The state itself does not maintain an ADU plan library, but HB 2720 and HB 2928 effectively waive impact fees keyed to ADU status by prohibiting cities and counties from imposing them. Pre-approved plan libraries are emerging at the city level (Tempe received a 2025 AARP Community Challenge Grant for an ADU Design Challenge that will populate its standard plan library). No statewide ministerial-approval timeline mandate exists beyond the general preemption requirements; cities and counties retain discretion over the review process so long as they do not impose conditions HB 2720/2928 forbids.

Federal (United States) — ADU-relevant rules and programs

Federal ADU law

The United States has no federal statute that directly regulates accessory dwelling unit entitlement or design. Land-use authority over ADUs resides with states and local governments under the traditional police power. Federal engagement is limited to financing (Fannie/Freddie/FHA/VA/USDA), flood insurance (FEMA/NFIP), and discretionary housing programs (HUD), which are recorded in sibling sections of this file.

Federal financing programs

Federal housing-finance agencies and GSEs set nationwide underwriting rules that govern whether an ADU can be financed, appraised, and counted toward mortgage qualifying income. The relevant actors are Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA (HUD), VA, and USDA Rural Development.

Federal tax credits

There is no ADU-specific federal tax credit. ADUs may incidentally qualify for existing federal energy-efficiency and clean-energy tax credits when the ADU construction includes qualifying measures.

Federal housing programs

HUD administers several discretionary programs that can fund ADU-related activity at the grantee's election, but none is an ADU-specific program.

ZIP Codes

  • 85281
  • 85282
  • 85283
  • 85284

Post Office

  • 1962 E Apache Blvd, 85281
  • 233 E Southern Ave, 85282
  • 8205 S Priest Dr, 85284

Locale Names