The land entitlement process is the series of government approvals that turns raw land into land you can build on. In Arizona that usually means checking zoning and the general plan, amending one or both if they do not fit the plan for the site, then winning plat, site plan and water approvals before permits are issued. Each step is a separate decision with its own hearing, notice rules and appeal risk.
What "entitled" means
Entitlement is a sequence, not a single approval. The steps below run in order for most projects, though some can be skipped when the existing plan and zoning already fit.
Land is entitled when the approvals needed for the intended use are in hand. Raw land may be zoned for ranch use or open space. A buyer who wants homes, retail or industrial space needs approvals that say so. Until then the parcel is worth what its current rights are worth, and a buyer is paying for a chance at more.
Step 1: Due diligence on rights and constraints
Before any application, confirm what the land can do today. Check:
- The current zoning district and its minimum lot size, density and uses.
- The general plan land use designation for the parcel.
- Legal and physical access.
- Water: inside an Active Management Area, a plat needs a certificate of assured water supply or a designated provider's commitment; outside one, ADWR adequacy rules may apply.
- Flood and drainage, utilities and recorded easements.
- Environmental history. See our guide to the Phase 1 environmental site assessment.
Our raw land due diligence checklist covers the full list. Diligence tells you which approvals you need and which could stop the project.
Step 2: General plan amendment, if the plan does not fit
An Arizona city or town adopts a general plan under A.R.S. 9-461.05. The plan must have a land use element showing the distribution and extent of land uses and standards for density and building intensity, plus a circulation element. Zoning has to follow it: under A.R.S. 9-462.01, a rezoning ordinance must be consistent with and conform to the general plan.
If your proposed use is outside the plan, the plan changes first. Under A.R.S. 9-461.06:
- A major amendment, a substantial alteration of the municipality's land use mixture or balance, needs at least two-thirds of the governing body to approve.
- Major amendments must be presented at a public hearing within twelve months after the proposal is made.
- Plans and amendments cannot be enacted as emergency measures and are subject to referendum.
- A plan is effective for up to ten years and must then be readopted or replaced.
The statute leaves the criteria for "major" to each plan, so ask the city early. Cities also run their own neighborhood meeting and hearing rules.
Step 3: Rezoning
Zoning sets the actual development standards. The request goes through staff review, a planning and zoning commission hearing, and a vote by the council or board of supervisors. Our guide to how to rezone property in Arizona walks through the application, citizen participation and hearing steps.
For cities and towns, A.R.S. 9-462.04 requires published notice at least 15 days before the hearing and a written commission recommendation. If owners of 20 percent or more of the property in the zoning area (the parcel plus everything within 150 feet) protest in writing, the change needs a three-fourths vote of the full governing body. The change takes effect no sooner than 30 days after final approval.
Maricopa County's published chart shows about six months from application to the Board of Supervisors hearing, assuming two review cycles. We have not found a statewide figure, and cities vary.
Rezonings often come with conditions. Under A.R.S. 9-462.01 a municipality can tie a change of zone to a development schedule. If development does not happen by the deadline, the body can extend the schedule or revert the zoning after a hearing. It can also require dedication of rights-of-way, drainage and utility land if reasonably needed because of the rezoning.
Step 4: Development agreement, where used
On larger projects a city may sign a development agreement under A.R.S. 9-500.05. It can cover duration, permitted uses, density, building height, land dedication, phasing, public infrastructure and its financing, and annexation. It must be consistent with the municipality's general or specific plan, it takes effect no sooner than 30 days after final approval, and it must be recorded with the county recorder within ten days. Its burdens and benefits bind successors, so it travels with the land.
Step 5: Plats and site plans
If the project divides the land into lots, the preliminary plat comes first, then engineering plans, then the final plat. A.R.S. 9-463.01 makes an approved preliminary plat a condition precedent to the final plat, and it requires bonds or other suitable security for improvements not yet built. See preliminary plat vs. final plat and our subdivision guide.
A site plan shows how a specific project lays out on the land. Maricopa County's zone change checklist shows how much a site plan holds: access points, dimensions of buildings, parking, utilities and easements, screening, retention areas and lighting. Detail depends on the jurisdiction, so ask the planning office what it requires.
Step 6: Water, ADRE and permits
For six or more lots, state law adds a gate. A subdivider cannot sell lots until the Arizona Department of Real Estate issues a public report, and water documents are part of that application. Our overview of assured water supply in Arizona explains the water side.
After a Maricopa County zone change takes effect, the owner may apply for a zoning clearance and building permit, as long as the property complies with the zoning ordinance. Building permits are the last step of entitlement and the first step of construction.
What adds risk and time
- A plan amendment on top of a rezoning. Two votes, a higher bar for major amendments, and referendum exposure.
- Neighbor protests. The three-fourths vote after a 20 percent protest is hard to reach.
- Review cycles. Maricopa County's six-month figure assumes only two. Each added cycle adds weeks.
- Inactivity. Maricopa County closes a zone change case with no activity for six months, and a new application and fees are needed to continue.
- Conditions and schedules. A development schedule can revert the zoning.
- Water. A missing certificate or adequacy finding blocks the plat.
- Prop 207 waivers. Maricopa County's zone change form requires the owner to waive diminution-in-value claims for county action resulting from the application.
- Fees. Maricopa County's fees are due at application and are non-refundable.
Where this fits in development
Entitlement is the middle of a long chain. Engineering, infrastructure and lot sales follow it. See the land development process step by step and our page on land entitlement in Arizona. Rules change, and the county or city planning office and an Arizona attorney have the final word.
Selling land that needs this work
Entitlement takes time, money and public hearings that most landowners would rather not carry. Red Dirt Property buys land as-is across all 15 Arizona counties, underwrites parcels against its own statewide parcel data, and handles entitlement after closing. There is no agent commission on our purchases. If your land needs approvals before it reaches its best use, start a conversation here.