The bill HB2570, known as the "Arizona Starter Homes Act," proposes changes to municipal planning laws in Arizona. It aims to reduce restrictions on home design and development standards for single-family homes. The bill prohibits municipalities from interfering with a home buyer's right to choose home features, amenities, structure, floor plan, and design. It also prevents municipalities from requiring homeowners' associations (HOAs), shared features or amenities that necessitate an HOA, screening, walls, fences, and private streets or roads.

Additionally, the bill sets limits on municipal regulations by not allowing minimum lot sizes greater than 1,500 square feet for new developments over five acres zoned for single-family homes, except where smaller lots with existing dwellings are aggregated together. It also prohibits setting minimum square footage for homes, maximum or minimum lot coverage, and minimum building setbacks greater than five feet from side lot lines and ten feet from front and rear lot lines. Design, architectural, or aesthetic elements for single-family homes cannot be mandated, except in historically significant districts or places on the National Register of Historic Places. The bill emphasizes that these provisions do not override building codes, fire codes, minimum parking requirements, or public health and safety regulations and apply to developments constructed after the bill's effective date in municipalities with populations over 70,000 or on tribal land.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 9-461.18, 9-461.19
House Engrossed Version: 9-461.18, 9-461.19