Maricopa County, Arizona Phoenix & the Valley

Barndominium Builders in Maricopa County, Arizona

We build barndominiums on unincorporated land across Maricopa County: the acreage outside the city limits where a buyer can still find room for a shop, a horse barn and a house on one parcel. Our projects run from turnkey steel homes, built from grading to final inspection, to barndominium kits we ship for owners who plan to erect the frame themselves. Out here the county, not a city, is the office that matters. Maricopa County Planning & Development reviews the plans and issues the permit, and its Board of Supervisors adopted the 2018 International Residential Code with regional amendments in August 2022, so that is the edition we draw county homes to. Most rural parcels sit in one of the Rural zoning districts, where the minimum lot runs from about an acre up to more than four. A septic system goes through the county's Environmental Services Department in two phases before it can be used. If you are comparing barndominium contractors near Maricopa County acreage, ask how they handle the county's septic phases, because those set the schedule. Send us the parcel through the survey and we will check its zoning district first.

Maricopa County at a glance

County: Maricopa County
Building permit: County (unincorporated land)
Local facts on this page: 6, each linked to its source

Tell us about your land

Before you build in Maricopa County

The local answers that shape a build here, each taken from the office or document that publishes it. Rules change, so we confirm them again against your parcel before drawing.

County-issued permitWho issues the permit

Maricopa County Planning & Development Department

On unincorporated land, Maricopa County Planning & Development reviews residential construction plans and issues building permits, with applications filed through its online permit tool. The county includes 24 cities and towns, and each runs its own building program inside its limits. Near Luke Air Force Base, the county does not permit new residential uses in the base's High Noise or Accident Potential Zone.

Tribal land: Maricopa County reports that nearly 5% of its land is tribal, including the Fort McDowell Yavapai, Gila River, Salt River Pima-Maricopa and Tohono O'odham communities. The tribal government has jurisdiction on its own land; county permits do not reach it, and we do not build there under county rules.

Source: Residential Construction | Maricopa County, AZ (maricopa.gov)

Adopted residential code: Maricopa County Planning & Development states that on 17 August 2022 the Board of Supervisors voted to adopt the 2018 International Residential Code, with the 2018 building, plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas codes and the 2017 National Electrical Code, all with AZBO/MAG amendments.
Design criteria: The county's Local Additions and Addenda (2022 version) list Table R301.2.1 values of ground snow load N/A, 115 mph wind, Seismic Design Category B, frost line depth 0 and moderate-to-heavy termite exposure, with flood hazards referred to the Maricopa County Flood Control District.
Rural zoning lot sizes: The Maricopa County Zoning Ordinance sets minimum lot areas of 190,000 square feet in Rural-190, 70,000 in Rural-70 and 43,560 in Rural-43. It says these districts exist to conserve farms and open land and to discourage small-lot subdivision where water, sewage disposal and other services are not available.
Septic permits: Maricopa County Environmental Services takes onsite wastewater applications for a Phase I site and soils evaluation and a Phase II conventional or alternative system design. The owner requests a final inspection by filing a Request for Discharge Authorization.
Land ownership: Maricopa County's quick facts give the county 9,224 square miles, of which 53% is federal land, 29% private land, 13% state land and nearly 5% tribal land.
Rio Verde Foothills water: A September 2022 county supervisor's statement said most Rio Verde Foothills residents draw from private wells and the rest rely on water hauled from a Scottsdale standpipe, which Scottsdale said they could no longer use from 1 January 2023. In November 2023 the Arizona Corporation Commission approved EPCOR's application to build a standpipe for the community.

Building on land near Maricopa County

Only about 29% of Maricopa County is private land, by the county's own figures, so a buildable rural parcel is worth checking closely before you buy. Start with the zoning district and its minimum lot area, then the water: a well, a provider's main, or hauled water, as Rio Verde Foothills owners learned when their standpipe access changed. Next come the septic site and soils evaluation and any floodplain on the lot. Parcels near Luke Air Force Base need a check against its noise and accident zones. Pole barn homes and metal building homes both suit Rural-43 acreage, and we size the frame to the county's 115 mph wind figure.

Other locations in this part of Arizona

Phoenix & the Valley

Barndominiums we build in Maricopa County

Turnkey builds, kit packages and pole barn homes, drawn to the design figures and codes of the office that permits your land. The parcel decides the budget more than the floor area does, so we quote against your land rather than a rate card.

Turnkey Builds

Turnkey barndominiums in Arizona, raw land to keys: plans, permits, site work, a steel shell and the finish-out, built by us on one contract.

Barndominium Kits

Steel barndominium kits for Arizona land: a red-iron shell drawn to your jurisdiction's wind and snow figures, delivered and put up by our crews or yours.

Pole Barn Homes

Pole barn homes in Arizona, built as real houses: post-frame spans on concrete, termite protection for wood, and a wall that handles the desert heat.

See every service

Have land in or near Maricopa County? Tell us about the parcel and what you want to build, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.

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Building in Maricopa County: questions

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How much does it cost to build a barndominium on Maricopa County land?

On unincorporated acreage, the site work is often the biggest variable: a well or a water-hauling setup, a septic system sized by the soils evaluation, a driveway and power brought in from the road. We price once we know the parcel. Sourced per-square-foot ranges and the main cost drivers are in our barndominium cost guide.

Do I need a county building permit for a barndominium in unincorporated Maricopa County?

Yes. A home on unincorporated land needs a residential building permit from Maricopa County Planning & Development, reviewed to the county's adopted 2018 codes. A septic system needs its own approvals from Environmental Services. On turnkey jobs we prepare the drawings and file both. If you buy a kit and build it yourself, the applications are yours and we supply the drawings. See our permitting service.

Is a steel barndominium a good fit for Rural-43 acreage?

It can be. An acre-plus lot gives room for a steel barndominium with a shop bay, a separate septic field and parking for trailers, and a clear-span frame keeps the interior open. Frost depth in the county's design table is zero, so footings are sized for soil and wind rather than frost. Our steel construction page explains the frame options.

Which towns near the county land do you cover?

We build in Buckeye and Phoenix, and next door in Pinal County and Yavapai County. A parcel inside a city goes to that city's building office instead of the county, so we confirm the jurisdiction first.

Keep reading

What usually comes next once you know what Maricopa County allows.

Barndominium Cost Guide

Sourced per-square-foot ranges by tier and size, and what moves the number on your land.

Read it

Is a Barndominium Legal in Arizona?

Zoning, septic and who inspects, before you buy the land.

Read it

How Long Does It Take?

From parcel to move-in, and which steps set the clock.

Read it

Sources for this page

The published pages behind the Maricopa County facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.

Barndominiums near Maricopa County

Nearby places we also cover. Across a city limit or a county line the permit office, zoning and septic rules can change, so each has its own page.

Phoenix

Maricopa County, Arizona

Buckeye

Maricopa County, Arizona

Pinal County

Arizona county

Yavapai County

Arizona county

Building in Maricopa County?

Start with the survey. Tell us where the land is and what you want on it, and we will come back with which office permits it, what it will allow, and a plan to fit.

Start the survey