Permitted uses in Surprise, AZ

Single-family detached homes and rural/agricultural-compatible accessory uses are the primary permitted uses. The full use standards are in Sec. 106-2.2. A separate 'Desert Rural' zoning designation and Rural Residential Overlay, intended for existing large-lot rural communities within Surprise, is in a public Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) process that started August 2024 and is expected to conclude by the end of 2026; it is not yet adopted and does not currently apply. Confirm the current Sec. 106-2.2 use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

Single-family detached homes are the primary permitted use. The full use standards, including any accessory dwelling unit reference to LDO Article XI, are in Sec. 106-2.3. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

Single-family detached homes, and depending on the specific lot pattern, townhouse and small-lot residential product, are the primary permitted uses. The full use standards are in Sec. 106-2.4. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

Townhouses, multifamily, and apartment product are the primary permitted uses, at the highest residential density in the base district roster. The full use standards are in Sec. 106-2.5. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

Allows single-family detached homes (including more than one home on a large property in some cases), duplexes or architecturally integrated apartments, and live/work units. Consolidates the prior RL-5 (Low Density) and RM-6 (Medium Density) districts into SHD-RO within the Original Town Site. Introduces a 'Cottage Industry' home-based business standard that is more flexible than the citywide Home Occupation standard: hours of operation 8am to 8pm, up to 50 percent of the home may be used, a small number of employees is allowed, some outdoor activity is allowed if screened, and small identifying signage is permitted. Also allows manufactured homes that are no more than 10 years old at permit, maintain conventional site-built architectural standards, include a front porch, and have garages or carports matching the home's architecture.

Consolidates prior commercial and industrial zoning into one overlay covering neighborhood-scale commercial, retail, entertainment, and mixed-use development, including multifamily and true mixed-use (residential over retail) buildings. New Regional Commercial and industrial land uses are prohibited after a property is rezoned into SHD-CO, though this does not remove existing land use rights on already-developed sites.

Neighborhood-serving retail and service uses. The full use standards are in Sec. 106-6.2. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

Community-serving retail, service, and office uses. The full use standards are in Sec. 106-6.2. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

Large-format and regional-draw retail, service, hospitality, and entertainment uses. This is the district a live GIS point query returned on 2026-07-03 for a mapped commercial parcel (ZONING_STATUS: ACTIVE). The full use standards are in Sec. 106-6.2. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

Office, research and development, and light industrial campus uses. Projects must develop in a campus-like setting with a mix of building sizes connected by outdoor seating, shaded pathways, and landscaping. The minimum parcel size for requesting BP zoning is 50 acres (Sec. 106-7.3.A). The full use standards are in Sec. 106-7.2. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

Light manufacturing, warehousing, and assembly uses with limited retail or on-site consumer interaction; permitted uses are intended to be indoor with restricted and limited outdoor operations and storage (Sec. 106-10.32). The full use standards are in Sec. 106-7.2. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

General manufacturing and industrial uses of greater intensity than I-1, requiring large land areas unencumbered by nearby residential or commercial development; permitted uses may include a variety of indoor uses with outdoor operations and storage (Sec. 106-10.32). The full use standards are in Sec. 106-7.2. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

Heavy industrial uses at the highest intensity in the employment district roster, for uses requiring major earth-moving activities suitable only in certain locations and that may require land reclamation upon completion (Sec. 106-7.2.D). Developments must have primary access from an arterial street or streets designed for intense heavy equipment use, with appropriate hazard warning signage (Sec. 106-7.3.C). The full use standards are in Sec. 106-7.2. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

Land kept as conservation open space (desert washes and floodplains, environmentally sensitive lands, wildlife habitats, steep hillsides, historic or archeological sites) with only limited passive recreational uses such as hiking, horseback riding, and bicycling; motorized OHV/ATV use is prohibited. Minimum parcel size to establish OS-1 zoning is 10 acres, and private land proposed for OS-1 requires the property owner's express written consent (Sec. 106-8.2.B). The full use standards are in Sec. 106-8.2. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

Land kept as recreation-oriented open space, such as parks and golf courses, developed for recreational uses through the plan approval process; new residential subdivisions must plan and provide required open space on a subdivision-wide basis rather than lot-by-lot, with a minimum active-recreation open space width of 30 feet. The full use standards are in Sec. 106-8.3. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

Development on federal, state, county, and city owned land for uses necessary to serve the community and/or protect public health and safety, such as government facilities, schools, and utility infrastructure. The full use standards are in Sec. 106-8.4. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

Medium-density mixed residential and commercial uses in a vibrant suburban neighborhood setting; commercial uses are meant as an amenity, service, or business/employment option in keeping with the surrounding neighborhood's character and scale. MU-1 developments are limited to locations at intersections or in conjunction with a park, school, civic use, or public space, with building frontage along collector ROW. Maximum gross residential density 8 dwelling units per acre with a minimum of 4 dwelling units per lot of record. 25 to 75 percent of total floor area must be designed for residential occupancy; the ground floor of a vertically integrated mixed-use structure must be designed for commercial occupancy; any individual building is capped at a 5,000-square-foot footprint. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

High-density mixed residential and commercial uses. Exact-figure review-gated: this draft could not independently fetch the Sec. 106-5.3 development standards table (Table 106-5b, by analogy to MU-1's Table 106-5a) this session; the section number and district name are confirmed live via the Municode table of contents. Confirm the current use table and dimensional standards with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

Resort-scale mixed residential, hospitality, and commercial uses. The full use standards are in Sec. 106-5.4. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.

Each Traditional Neighborhood Development is established through its own review and process (Sec. 106-4.3) with development standards set individually (Sec. 106-4.4) rather than in a single citywide chart. Confirm the specific TND establishing ordinance and standards for the property with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000). The city's zoning GIS layer carries two live TND sub-codes not distinguished in this pack's district roster: TND-R (Traditional Neighborhood Development-Residential, confirmed live via GIS group-by query on 2026-07-03, 20 features) and TND-C (Traditional Neighborhood Development-Commercial, 5 features), plus a smaller TND-OS (Open Space) count; all three appear to be sub-designations of the single TND district established in this chapter rather than separate base districts.

Uses and standards are set entirely by the individual PAD ordinance and any approved PAD document for that property, generally built on an underlying base district shown in the zoning layer's UNDERLYING_ZONING field (examples confirmed via live GIS query on 2026-07-03: RM, R1-5, C-2, C-3). There is no single citywide PAD use table. Confirm the specific PAD name and document for the property with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000).

Planned Unit Development is a legacy planned-development overlay/district; PAD is the current standard vehicle for planned development in Surprise (Sec. 106-9.1). Confirm whether a PUD-zoned property is still governed by its original PUD ordinance or has since been rezoned to PAD, with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000).

Office and service uses that limit impact on and can be integrated within a residential neighborhood, plus smaller supportive shops and dining. Applicable in rural, suburban, urban, and community commercial development types under the General Plan. The full use standards are in Sec. 106-6.2. Confirm the current use table with Planning and Zoning (623-222-3000) before acting.