Can you keep horses on a property in Scottsdale?

Yes, in many cases you can. The City of Scottsdale says that, in general, it does not regulate the number of horses or other farm animals on single-family and two-family residential properties as long as they are for the owner's personal use and there is a city-approved, habitable single-family home on the property. That is only one set of rules, though. Maricopa County's health and dust rules, your community's CC&Rs, and the city's rules for fences and buildings all apply too, and boarding horses for other people is a different use that needs a conditional use permit.

I'm Jen Keene, a REALTOR® with eXp Luxury in Scottsdale, AZ, and I'm the agent people call at every stage of their life. If you're shopping for a horse property, I've gathered what the City of Scottsdale and Maricopa County say about it, with the source named next to each fact.

This is general information, not legal advice. A property's zoning, recorded documents and permit history are specific to that lot, so confirm them for the address you're looking at. I checked each source on November 7, 2026. I'm not saying which neighborhoods allow horses, because that depends on the lot, its zoning and its recorded documents.

The city's Farms, Ranches and Stables page, last updated May 21, 2026, says the city does not regulate the number of horses or other farm animals on single-family and two-family residential properties when they are for the homeowner's personal use and a city-approved, habitable single-family home is on the property. It also says horses and livestock are regulated by the Maricopa County Health Department and by the rules of homeowners' associations and CC&Rs.

The city's zoning ordinance defines a private stable as a detached accessory building for keeping horses, mules or ponies owned by the people living on the property and not kept for pay, hire or sale.

Since the city isn't the one capping the number of horses, the questions to ask on a particular lot are about the county's rules, the CC&Rs and what you want to build. Call the city's planning staff to confirm the zoning of the parcel, because the city's pages describe the rules in general terms.

That is a different use, and the city treats it differently. The city's page says Scottsdale regulates commercial boarding and training, and that farms, commercial stables and ranches are allowed in single-family and two-family residential districts only with a conditional use permit. Residents can schedule a pre-application meeting with the city to talk it through.

The zoning ordinance defines what falls under those terms. A commercial stable can include a riding stable open to the public, boarding of livestock that isn't tied to current breeding or training, training for groups of eight or more students, and polo fields or arenas used for scheduled public or club events. A ranch is a lot used mainly for breeding horses, raising livestock, training individuals or groups of eight or fewer, and boarding only horses directly involved with current breeding or training. The ordinance says neither one can have a feed lot, and both have to meet the rules of the zoning district and the city's use permit criteria for commercial stables and ranches. Ask the city for the current version of those criteria before you count on a particular lot.

If a seller tells you the property already boards horses or gives lessons, ask to see that approval.

The county's Environmental Health Code, in its chapter on animals, says cattle, horses and other animals, and the pens, stalls, stables and yards where they're kept, have to be maintained so that flies, vermin, ponded water and accumulated manure don't become a public health nuisance. It says manure and droppings have to be removed from pens, stables and yards at least twice weekly and handled in an approved way, and that watering troughs need drainage so water doesn't pond.

There is also an air quality rule. Maricopa County's Rule 310.01 treats livestock activities, including corrals, arenas, pens and residential activities related to feeding or raising animals, as a source of fugitive dust. The county's flyer on livestock operations says dust can't cross the property line or exceed 20 percent opacity, and that an owner of a corral, pen or arena has to use a control measure such as watering the unpaved areas, planting trees or shrubs within 50 to 100 feet, laying a fibrous material like wood chips, or providing shade.

On a property with a dirt arena or corral, ask the owner how the manure is handled and what keeps the dust down today, since those become your job at closing.

Quite a lot, and they're separate from zoning. The city's page lists homeowners' associations and CC&Rs as their own source of rules for animals. A set of CC&Rs can speak to animals, fences, outbuildings and nuisances, and an architectural committee may have to approve a barn or a corral.

So ask for the recorded CC&Rs and any architectural guidelines before you commit, and read the sections on animals, fences, outbuildings and nuisances. If the home is in a Scottsdale community, here's what HOA rules and regulations cover in Arizona. An attorney can tell you how the wording applies to your plans.

Fences do. The city's walls and fences page, updated May 21, 2026, says a permit is needed for fences over 3 feet, and the city's fence submittal guidelines say a building permit is required for new walls and fences taller than 3 feet, including wood, wrought iron and corral fencing. Walls and fences 3 feet or shorter don't need a permit, though the city still asks for a courtesy site plan review.

For outbuildings, the city says a detached tool or storage shed over 200 square feet needs a building permit, and one under 200 square feet doesn't need a permit but must meet setbacks and get plan approval from Planning Services. The pages I found cover sheds and fences, and they don't spell out the rules for barns, stables or riding arenas, so ask the city's One Stop Shop what applies to the structures on the lot you're considering.

If the seller built a barn, stable or arena fence, ask for the city's records on it and compare them with what's on the ground. Here's how permits work for remodels in Scottsdale.

They can. The City of Scottsdale's trail maintenance page says some trails are on easements dedicated to the city across private property, that some of those easements are held by homeowners' associations and others by individual owners, and that the adjacent property owners are responsible for maintaining the trails. The city's shed guide lists equestrian easements along with public utility and drainage easements as places where an accessory building cannot be built.

Ask for the recorded easements on the lot, and where they sit, before you plan a barn, arena or fence line.

If the lot is on a hillside in North Scottsdale, the city's Environmentally Sensitive Lands rules can limit what you can build and grade, and here's what the ESL ordinance decides on a hillside lot.

If the property is outside the city limits, Maricopa County's zoning applies instead of the city's. Ask the city or the county to confirm which one has jurisdiction over the parcel, using the parcel number.

• Which zoning district the parcel is in, and whether it's inside the City of Scottsdale.
• The recorded CC&Rs and architectural guidelines, if there's an association.
• City records for the barn, stable, outbuildings and any fence over 3 feet.
• The recorded easements, including any trail or equestrian easement.
• How manure is handled and what controls the dust in the corral or arena.
• Whether the city approved any boarding or lessons on the property.

If you're buying with me, ask and I'll pull the zoning, the recorded documents and the permit records for the address with you. And have your inspector look at the structures, since the inspection period in Arizona is the time to find out what needs repair.

Here's my guide to buying a home in Scottsdale and how buying a home works in Arizona, step by step.

If you have a property in mind and want help working out the questions to ask, get in touch or call me at (480) 203-6605. For anything that depends on your own plans, the city, the county or an attorney is the person to ask.