Barndominium Builders in Scottsdale, Arizona
We build barndominiums in Scottsdale, and most of the open land for one lies in the north of the city. In the established neighborhoods further south, a project is usually a rebuild or a detached shop on a lot someone already owns. North and east of the canal the land opens into desert and mountain terrain governed by the city's Environmentally Sensitive Lands overlay, and that is where acreage for a shop home still comes up. The overlay changes the design brief: part of every property must stay as natural area open space, and the share rises with the slope and the landform. We lay out the house, the shop and the driveway around that set-aside from the start. The city's Planning and Development department requires a building permit for all construction, including accessory buildings, and reviews residential plans against its amended 2021 International Residential Code. We supply barndominium kits, custom plans and full turnkey builds with our own crews. If you are comparing barndominium contractors near Scottsdale for a desert lot, ask how each of them has handled the open-space requirement before. The survey is where we start.
Scottsdale at a glance
- Principal county
- Maricopa County
- Building permit
- City building department
- Local facts on this page
- 5, each linked to its source
Before you build in Scottsdale
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.
City of Scottsdale Planning and Development, Permit Services
Inside Scottsdale, a building permit is required for all construction work, including additions, walls and accessory buildings; a storage building of 200 square feet or less needs only a site plan and review. Permits are applied for through the city's online planning and permitting portal. Land beyond the city limits, including unincorporated desert to the north and east, is permitted by Maricopa County.
Tribal land: The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community borders Scottsdale on the east, according to the city's Southern Scottsdale Character Area Plan. The Community's government has jurisdiction on its own land; Scottsdale and Maricopa County permits do not reach it.
Source: Permit Services (scottsdaleaz.gov)
- Residential code edition
- Scottsdale's building code page lists the city's amendments to the 2021 International Residential Code as effective 7 January 2023, alongside the 2021 building, fire and energy code amendments, and offers a residential 2021 IRC plan review checklist.
- Where the ESL overlay applies
- The city's citizen's guide describes the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Ordinance as zoning regulations adopted in 1991 (amended 2001, 2003 and 2004) that guide development across 134 square miles of desert and mountain land in northern Scottsdale, generally north and east of the Central Arizona Project canal.
- Natural area open space
- Scottsdale's ESL Overlay page says the amount of Natural Area Open Space set aside with each development depends on two factors, the landform area and the land slope. Its table runs from 20% of the property for Lower Desert land sloping 0 to 2% to 80% for Hillside land steeper than 25%, with minimums after reductions of 15%, 20% and 40%.
- Water supply
- Scottsdale Water says the Phoenix Active Management Area includes Scottsdale, and that the city has proved an assured water supply for its entire water service area, so a subdivision served by Scottsdale does not need its own certificate of assured water supply.
- Septic on desert lots
- Where a lot has no sewer, Maricopa County Environmental Services permits the septic system: a site and soils inspection, a Notice of Intent to Discharge, a Construction Authorization, then a Discharge Authorization. The county says many building jurisdictions ask for its septic approval before issuing a building permit.
Source: Building Code Information (scottsdaleaz.gov)
Source: Citizen's Guide to Environmentally Sensitive Lands, City of Scottsdale (scottsdaleaz.gov)
Source: ESL Overlay (scottsdaleaz.gov)
Source: Water Supply (scottsdaleaz.gov)
Source: Onsite Wastewater (Septic) Program Guidance for Homeowners (maricopa.gov)
Building on land near Scottsdale
A north Scottsdale lot is bought for its desert, and the city's rules keep much of that desert in place. Before you buy, find out which ESL landform the parcel sits in and how steep it is, because together they set how much of it stays as natural area open space. Washes are meant to stay in their natural condition where practical, so a wash across the lot shapes where the pad can go. Then check water and wastewater: inside the city's service area Scottsdale Water supplies it, while a desert parcel off the sewer needs a county septic permit after a soils inspection. Land past the city limits is Maricopa County's to zone and permit. Metal building homes with low rooflines and earth-toned steel sit well on this ground, and we plan the siting around the open-space map.
Barndominiums we build in Scottsdale
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.
Have land in or near Scottsdale? Tell us about the parcel and what you want to build, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.
Building in Scottsdale: questions
Start the surveyHow much does it cost to build a barndominium in Scottsdale?
Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Scottsdale?
Is a steel barndominium allowed on ESL land?
Do you build near Scottsdale but outside the city?
Keep reading
What usually comes next once you know what Scottsdale allows.
Barndominium Cost Guide
Sourced per-square-foot ranges by tier and size, and what moves the number on your land.
Read itIs a Barndominium Legal in Arizona?
Zoning, septic and who inspects, before you buy the land.
Read itHow Long Does It Take?
From parcel to move-in, and which steps set the clock.
Read itSources for this page
The published pages behind the Scottsdale facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.
- Permit ServicesBuilding permit authorityscottsdaleaz.gov
- Building Code InformationResidential code editionscottsdaleaz.gov
- Citizen's Guide to Environmentally Sensitive Lands, City of ScottsdaleWhere the ESL overlay appliesscottsdaleaz.gov
- ESL OverlayNatural area open spacescottsdaleaz.gov
- Water SupplyWater supplyscottsdaleaz.gov
- Onsite Wastewater (Septic) Program Guidance for HomeownersSeptic on desert lotsmaricopa.gov
Barndominiums near Scottsdale
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.
Building in Scottsdale?
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.