PDSD News
Attend a Public Meeting on Accessory Dwelling Units
Posted February 8, 2021
At the request of Mayor and Council, the City of Tucson is considering changes to the zoning code to allow Accessory Dwelling Units. An Accessory Dwelling Unit, or ADU, is an independent housing unit with its own kitchen, bathroom, living and sleeping space, built on the same lot as a primary residence. These units have been legalized in other communities in order to create more affordable housing, support multi-generational households and provide more options for residents who wish to age in place.
Attend a Public Meeting on Changes to Zoning Regulations Related to Medical and Adult Use Marijuana
Posted December 29, 2020
The City of Tucson Mayor and Council have directed staff to update Tucson’s zoning regulations related to marijuana dispensaries in light of the recently passed voter initiative (Proposition 207, Smart and Safe Arizona) to allow adult use marijuana.
Residential Model Plans, Permits from Residential Model Plans, and Development Packages may now be submitted through new online application
Posted November 19, 2020
On Monday, October 26, 2020, Planning and Development Services launched Phase 1 of its new Online Building Permit Application to process most building permit submittals. This new process is part of a phased approach to help automate the intake of permits. It aims to reduce the time from application submission to permit initialization and allow for more immediate tracking of permit progress.
Tucson awarded two grants from State Historic Preservation Office for surveys
Posted November 5, 2020
The City of Tucson was recently awarded two grants from the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to support historic preservation projects in our community. The two grants will support the following projects:
Barrio Kroeger Lane Survey
Mayor and Council to review updates to Tucson Floodplain Management Plan, Floodplain Ordinance, and Levee Manual
Posted November 4, 2020
Mayor and Council of the City of Tucson will hold a virtual public hearing on Tuesday, December 8, 2020, at or after 5:30 p.m. The public hearing will be conducted online. You may view the public hearing at https://www.tucsonaz.gov/gov/mayor-and-council-live. Mayor and Council will consider: update to the 2016 adopted Tucson Floodplain Management Plan, revisions to the Floodplain Ordinance, and a new City of Tucson Levee Manual.
The final drafts of documents to be reviewed by Mayor and Council can be found here:
New online building permit application and other technology changes
Posted October 23, 2020
New online application for building permits to go live Monday, October 26
Customers will be able to use our new Online Building Permit Application form for most building permit submittals starting October 26.
This new process is part of a phased approach to help automate the intake of permits. It aims to reduce the time from application submission to permit initialization and allow for more immediate tracking of permit progress.
Neighborhood meeting on proposed Sunshine Mile Overlay - October 5
Posted September 30, 2020
The next virtual neighborhood meeting regarding the proposed Sunshine Mile Overlay District will be held Monday, October 5 at 6pm. The project team will present an update on how public comments on earlier drafts of the overlay document have been addressed.
Construction underway on Tucson Development Center
Posted September 15, 2020
While our offices are not currently open to the public, we have been using this time to create a new center for development permits in Tucson. Renovations on the first floor of the Public Works building are nearly complete.
Video provides an overview of PDSD services
Posted August 17, 2020
Planning and Development Services Planner, Sarah Meggison, was interviewed on the Thrive Resource Cafe last week. Watch the video below, or on the Thrive in the 05 page, to learn about PDSD's online services, such as MapTucson, NoticeTucson, the Development Activity Map and more.
PDSD Virtual Service Update
Posted June 22, 2020
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in mid March 2020, Planning and Development Services made a full transition to online operations. Since that time, PDSD has managed to process, review, and issue 1,600 permits. Development in Tucson is still moving forward at a healthy pace. However, PDSD is currently experiencing a significant permitting backlog. To address the backlog, starting June 26, 2020 PDSD is transitioning to a more efficient method of operations:
Guidelines and Application Available for Temporary Expansion of Restaurant Seating
Posted June 2, 2020
The City of Tucson Planning and Development Services Department (PDSD) and the Department of Transportation and Mobility (DTM), at the direction of Mayor and Council and pursuant to the authority granted to the City Manager in Mayor Romero’s Emergency Proclamation dated May 15, 2020, have enacted regulatory zoning relief allowing the temporary expansion of seating areas for food and beverage establishments which have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Take a quick survey to help us improve our website
Posted May 20, 2020
As more of our services and customer interactions have moved online, Planning and Development Services is working to improve our website and make it easier for the public to access information they need.
You may have seen some small changes already - we have tried to make it easier for customers to find information on how to appy for a permit, submit their application online, and schedule an inspection.
We want future changes to our website to be based on YOU and your needs.
Virtual Planning and Development Services
Posted May 6, 2020
City of Tucson Planning and Development Services (PDSD) has been working for more than two years to move our application submittals and other customer services online to make it easier for our customers to do business with us, modernize our processes, and improve review turnaround times and other services our customers rely on. So when Mayor Regina Romero announced on March 17 that all City of Tucson facilities would be closed to the public in order to protect public health in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had an existing framework for online operations to build on.
PDSD transitions to remote operations during COVID-19 pandemic
Posted April 27, 2020
Dear Planning and Development Services Customers:
In responding to the global COVID-19 pandemic, PDSD made a rapid and unexpected transition to offsite and fully digital operations. This major shift in both location and business operations was temporarily disruptive and caused delays in responding to customer inquiries, processing development applications and responding to inspection request.
Public Comments Welcome on Development Impact Fee Report on Tuesday, April 21, Mayor and Council Meeting
Posted March 25, 2020
The City of Tucson’s Planning and Development Services Department (PDSD) is inviting the public to provide comments on updates to the City’s Development Impact Fee Report Tuesday, April 21, at the Mayor and Council regular meeting.