Residential drafting in Sedona, Arizona
Sedona's housing mixes modest postwar houses, ranch and Southwest forms, hillside custom homes, red rock contemporary work, and later second home and resort influenced construction. Existing houses tend to respond to views and grade with split levels, stepped slabs, retaining walls, decks, and footprints that are not square to anything.
That makes a small addition into a substantial site project more often than owners expect. Wildfire requirements, limited access, steep driveways, rock excavation, and drainage can all cost more than the building. Visible roof mass can matter as much as interior area, because what the building looks like from the surrounding slopes is part of the review.
Lots here are constrained by slope, rock outcrops, drainage, Oak Creek and its riparian areas, floodplain, protected vegetation, access, and scenic exposure. Aerial imagery consistently overstates how much of the lot is actually buildable. Vegetation decisions also pull in two directions at once, since defensible space and privacy screening want opposite things.
ADU standards
Setback, size, and parking rules for an accessory dwelling unit in Sedona.
| Maximum size | 50 percent of the house or 750 sq ft, whichever is greater (3.4.C(1)a.3) |
|---|---|
| Setbacks | The same setbacks that apply to the house, from 5 ft side in RS-6 to 25 ft in RS-70 (3.4.C(2)b.1) |
| Reduced rear setback | The 5 ft allowance is only for buildings without habitable space (3.4.C(2)b.2) |
| Height | 22 ft to the horizontal and parallel planes, 40 ft overall from the highest roof point to the lowest adjacent grade (2.24.E) |
| How many | One accessory building on the lot may be used as habitable space (3.4.C(2)a.1) |
| Access | Must share a common driveway with the house. No separate approach (Ordinance 2024-09) |
| Ownership | The owner of the house must own the unit. It cannot be sold separately (Ordinance 2024-09) |
Sedona is below the population threshold in Arizona's ADU statute, so the state ADU mandate (A.R.S. 9-461.18) does not apply here. Other state ADU law can still reach the city. The city adopted its own framework in November 2024, replacing what it used to call guest quarters with accessory dwelling units.
Three local rules shape the design more than the size limit does. Only one accessory building on the lot may contain habitable space (3.4.C(2)a.1), so an existing pool house or studio is part of the calculation. Access has to come through a common driveway shared with the house. And the five foot reduced rear setback that applies to sheds and other accessory buildings is not available to anything with habitable space (3.4.C(2)b.2).
On short term rental: a unit that received its certificate of occupancy on or after September 14, 2024 (A.R.S. 9-500.39(B)(9)) cannot be used as a vacation rental unless the owner's primary residence is on the same property. That question turns on a date, so it is worth establishing early.
Planning office: Sedona Community Development
Sources: Sedona Land Development Code 3.4.C, 2.24.E. Ordinance 2024-09, adopted November 2024. A.R.S. 9-461.18. A.R.S. 9-500.39. Last checked August 2026.
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