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HB2588 • 2026

municipalities; planned communities; design; prohibition.

HB2588 - municipalities; planned communities; design; prohibition.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Michael Way
Last action
2026-01-26
Official status
House second read
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary text does not provide specific details about the effective date of the bill.

Municipalities; Planned Communities; Design Prohibition

This bill prohibits municipalities from requiring certain shared features or amenities in planned communities and restricts their ability to interfere with home buyers' design choices for single-family homes.

What This Bill Does

  • Prohibits municipalities from requiring homeowners' associations, condominium associations, or other associations to maintain specific shared features or amenities as part of a development or subdivision.
  • Prevents municipalities from mandating gates, walls, fences, or controlled access in planned communities.
  • Protects home buyers’ rights by preventing municipalities from interfering with their choices for the design and structure of single-family homes.
  • Limits municipalities' ability to enforce certain aesthetic design standards that restrict materials, colors, window styles, roof forms, facade designs, floor plans, garages, lighting fixtures, outdoor improvements, or driveway paving.
  • Requires municipalities to allow building permits without delay based on prohibited home design requirements.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Home buyers and developers in planned communities
  • Municipalities that regulate development and subdivision

Terms To Know

homeowners' association
A nonprofit corporation or unincorporated group of owners created to manage common areas or community-owned property.
planned community
A development where homes are built according to a pre-approved plan, often with shared amenities and features.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not apply to historical districts or areas designated as historic on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Municipalities can still enforce building codes, fire codes, public health regulations, utility clearance requirements, minimum parking requirements, and dark sky ordinances.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-26 House

    House second read

  2. 2026-01-22 House

    House Rules: None

  3. 2026-01-22 House

    House Rural Economic Development: HELD

  4. 2026-01-22 House

    House Commerce: W/D

  5. 2026-01-22 House

    House first read

Official Summary Text

HB2588 - 572R - House Bill Summary

ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

57th
Legislature, 2nd Regular Session

Majority Research Staff

HB
2588
: municipalities; planned communities; design; prohibition.

Sponsor:
Representative Way, LD 15

Committee
on Rural Economic Development

Overview

Prohibits
municipalities from requiring certain shared features or amenities as part of a
development or subdivision and interfering with a home buyer's right to choose
home design standards.

History

A planning agency of a municipality cannot require that a
subdivider or developer to establish an association as part of a subdivision
regulation or zoning ordinance. Alternatively, the municipality may require a
subdivider or developer to establish an association to maintain private, common
or community owned improvements that are approved and installed as part of a
preliminary plan, final plat or specific plan, and cannot require that an
association be formed or operated other than for the maintenance of common
areas or community owned property. (
A.R.S. �
9-461.15
). �

Statute defines
association
as a nonprofit corporation
or unincorporated association of owners that is created pursuant to a
declaration to own and operate portions of a planned community and that has the
power under the declaration to assess association members to pay the costs and
expenses incurred in the performance of the association's obligations under the
declaration (
A.R.S. �
33-1802
).

Provisions

Development
& Subdivision Standards

1.

Prohibits a
municipality from requiring as part of a development or subdivision:

a.

a shared
feature or amenity that would require a homeowners' association, a condominium
association or any other association to maintain or operate the feature or
amenity, except if required by federal law; or

b.

a gate,
wall, fence or other perimeter enclosure or any type of controlled access.
(Sec. 1)

2.

Asserts the
municipal prohibitions relating to shared features do not supersede applicable
building codes, fire codes or public health and safety regulations. (Sec. 1)

3.

Defines
condominium
association
and
homeowners' association
. (Sec. 1)

Planning
& Home Design Standards

4.

Prevents a
municipality from interfering with a home buyer's right to choose the features,
amenities, structure, floor plan, interior and exterior design of a home. (Sec.
2)

5.

Outlines specified
home design features that a municipality cannot require be established though
adoption of any code, ordinance or regulation. (Sec. 2)

6.

Prohibits a
municipality from denying, delaying or conditionally approving a building
permit or other entitlement based on prohibited home design requirements. (Sec.
2)

7.

Authorizes a
municipality to require the preparation and submission of acceptable electric
and water utility plans and specifications. (Sec. 2)

Applicability

8.

Specifies
the prohibited home design requirements do not supersede:

a.

applicable
building codes or fire codes;

b.

public
health and safety regulations;

c.

utility
clearance requirements or utility easements;

d.

minimum
parking requirements; and

e.

dark sky
ordinances. (Sec. 2)

9.

Outlines the
types of properties that are exempted from the prohibited home design
requirements. (Sec. 2)

Miscellaneous

10.

Defines pertinent
terms. (Sec. 2)

11.

Makes
technical changes. (Sec. 1)

12.

13.

14.

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FOOTER ---------

15.

Initials PB/AI����������������� HB
2588

16.

2/5/2026��� Page 0 Rural
Economic Development

17.

18.

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Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB2588 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
municipalities; planned communities; design; prohibition.

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HB 2588

Introduced by

Representative
Way

AN
ACT

amending section 9-461.15, arizona
revised statutes; amending title 9, chapter 4, article 6, arizona revised
statutes, by adding section 9-461.21; relating to municipal planning.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 9-461.15, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
9-461.15.

Requirement of planned community; shared features; prohibited;
applicability; definitions

A. The planning agency of a municipality
,
in exercising its authority pursuant to this title
,
shall not require as part of a subdivision regulation or
zoning ordinance that a subdivider or developer establish
an
a homeowner's
association
as defined in section
33-1802
. A subdivider or developer shall not be
penalized because a real estate subdivision or development does not constitute
or include a planned community.

B. Notwithstanding any other LAW, a
municipality may not require as part of a development or subdivision either of
the following:

1. A shared feature or amenity that
would require a homeowners' association, a condominium association or any other
association to maintain or operate the feature or amenity, except if required
by federal law.

2. A gate, wall, fence or other
perimeter enclosure or any type of controlled access.

B.

c.
A
municipality may require a subdivider or developer to establish
an
a homeowner's
association to maintain private, common or
community owned
community-owned

improvements that are approved and installed as part of a preliminary plat,
final plat or specific plan. A municipality shall not require that
an
a HOMEOWNER'S
association be formed or
operated other than for the maintenance of common areas or
community
owned
community-owned

property. This subsection applies only to planned communities that are
established in plats recorded after
the effective date of this
section
July 24, 2014
.

C.

D.
This
section does not limit the subdivider or developer in the establishment or
authority of any planned community established pursuant to title 33,
chapter 16 or limit a subdivider, a developer or
an
a homeowner's
association from requesting and entering into a
maintenance agreement with a municipality.

E. Subsection B of this section does
not supersede applicable building codes, fire codes or public health and safety
regulations.

F. For the purposes of this section:

1. "Condominium
association" means an association as defined in section 33-1202.

2. "Homeowners'
association" means an association as defined in section 33-1802.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Title
9, chapter 4, article 6, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section
9-461.21, to read:

START_STATUTE
9-461.21.

Planning; home design; restrictions; prohibition; applicability:
definitions

A. A municipality may not interfere
with a home buyer's right to choose the features, amenities, structure, floor
plan and interior and exterior design of a home.�

B. Notwithstanding any other law, a
municipality may not adopt or enforce any code, ordinance, regulation,
standard, stipulation or other legal requirement that directly or indirectly
establishes any of the following requirements for a single-family home or
an accessory dwelling unit:

1. Screening, walls or fences on
residential property.

2. aesthetic design standards or
design, architectural or aesthetic elements or guidelines and requirements for
any of the following:

(
a
) Materials
or finishes, including minimum percentages of material or finishes, or
specified materials.

(
b
) Colors or
color palettes.

(
c
) Window
placement, configuration or style.

(
d
) roof form
or pitch.

(
e
) fa�ade
design, articulation, nonstructural ornamentation or architectural style.

(
f
) Layout,
floor plan or configuration of the livable area.

(
g
) Garages or
other specified VEHICLE enclosures.

(
h
) Decorative
lighting fixtures, including carriage lights.

(
i
) Patios,
decks, porches, hardscaping or other outdoor improvements.

(
j
) Paving or
surfacing of driveways.

C. A municipality may not deny, delay
or conditionally approve a building permit or other entitlement based on a
requirement that is prohibited by this section.

D. this section does not supersede
any of the following:

1. applicable building codes or fire
codes.

2. Public health and safety
regulations.

3. Utility clearance requirements or
utility easements that are recorded as of the effective date of this SECTION.

4. Minimum parking requirements.

5. Dark sky ordinances.

E. A municipality may require
preparing and submitting acceptable electric and water utility plans and
specifications.

F. This section does not apply to:

1. A single-family home that is
on either of the following:

(
a
) Land that
is designated as a district of historical significance pursuant to section 9-462.01,
subsection A, paragraph 10.

(
b
) An area
that is designated as historic on the national register of historic places.

2. Lots or parcels that are located
on EITHER of the following:

(
a
) tRIBAL
LAND.

(
b
) lAND IN A
HIGH NOISE OR ACCIDENT POTENTIAL ZONE AS DEFINED IN SECTION 28-8461 OF A
MILITARY AIRPORT OR an ANCILLARY MILITARY FACILITY AS DEFINED IN SECTION 28-8461.

g. fOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION:

1. "Accessory dwelling
unit" has the same meaning prescribed in section 9-461.18.

2. "BUILDING CODE":

(
a
) mEANS THE
CONSTRUCTION CODES THAT ARE ADOPTED BY THE MUNICIPALITY.

(
b
) iNCLUDES
PLUMBING AND MECHANICAL CODES, ELECTRIC CODES, RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION CODES,
WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE CODES AND ENERGY CONSERVATION CODES, HOWEVER
DENOMINATED.
END_STATUTE