Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Cave Creek, Arizona

Town of Cave Creek’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Cave Creek town limits: the Town's own zoning ordinance (Chapter 2 residential zones: Desert Rural, Single Residence, Multiple Residence)

  • Chapter 2 is the residential-zones chapter of the Town zoning ordinance; commercial and open-space zones are in separate chapters not opened in this research.

  “town of cave creek zoning ordinance chapter 2 – residential zones effective 12/4/25 (amended by ord. o2025-13)”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Cave Creek town limits (Desert Rural, Single Residence, Multiple Residence residential zones)

  • The zoning map (Appendix C) was referenced but not opened; commercial (Chapter 3) and open-space (Chapter 4) zone chapters were not opened.

  “section 2.2 single residence (r) zones a. purpose: the purpose of the single residence (r) zone is to conserve and protect residential areas intended for single residential dwelling unit uses”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Desert Rural (DR) zone divisions inside Cave Creek town limits: DR-190, DR-89, DR-70 and DR-43

  • Each division has its own minimum lot size; the Chapter 2 bulk table lists minimum lot width of 300, 250, 250 and 145 feet respectively.

  minimum lot size DR-190: 190000 square feet · minimum lot size DR-89: 89000 square feet · minimum lot size DR-70: 70000 square feet · minimum lot size DR-43: 43000 square feet

  “divisions: 1. dr-190: 190,000 square feet per lot (minimum lot size). 2. dr-89: 89,000 square feet per lot (minimum lot size). 3. dr-70: 70,000 square feet per lot (minimum lot size). 4. dr-43: 43,000 square feet per lot (minimum lot size).”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single Residence (R) zone divisions inside Cave Creek town limits: R-35 and R-18

    “divisions: 1. r-35: 35,000 square feet per lot (minimum lot size) 2. r-18: 18,000 square feet per lot (minimum lot size)”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Desert Rural (DR) zone divisions inside Cave Creek town limits

  • Front and rear yard 60 feet for DR-190, DR-89 and DR-70; 40 feet for DR-43.
  • Side yard 30 feet for DR-190, DR-89 and DR-70; 20 feet for DR-43.

  front and rear yard setback DR-190, DR-89, DR-70: 60 feet · side yard setback DR-190, DR-89, DR-70: 30 feet · front and rear yard setback DR-43: 40 feet · side yard setback DR-43: 20 feet

  “min. yard setbacks lot area & lot width (feet) front & rear side yard min. lot area min. lot width yard (feet) (square feet) (feet) (feet) 60 30 190,000 300 60 30 89,000 250 60 30 70,000 250 40 20 43,000 145”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  Lots in the Desert Rural (DR) zone inside Cave Creek town limits

  • Listed among the DR zone permitted uses; the size, count, setback and occupancy conditions for detached accessory living quarters were not extracted.
  • Accessory uses are subject to the general ordinance requirements and lot-coverage/disturbance limits, not verified here.

  “3. detached accessory living quarters, accessory buildings, and associated accessory uses including alternative energy systems.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Cave Creek or Maricopa County directly.

• Building permit — New construction inside Cave Creek town limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit eligibility inside Cave Creek town limits
• Inspections — Construction inspections inside Cave Creek town limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Cave Creek town limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size for a new home inside Cave Creek town limits

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Cave Creek means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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