How much of the lot stays natural
| Land slope | Lower desert | Upper desert | Hillside |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2% | 20% | 25% | 50% |
| 2 to 5% | 25% | 25% | 50% |
| 5 to 10% | 30% | 35% | 50% |
| 10 to 15% | 30% | 45% | 50% |
| 15 to 25% | 30% | 45% | 65% |
| Over 25% | 30% | 45% | 80% |
| Minimum after reductions | 15% | 20% | 40% |
From the City's ESL Overlay page; reductions are under Zoning Ordinance Sec. 6.1060B and 6.1060F. The City publishes an interactive GIS map of ESL landforms and of 50 cfs flow washes, the protected peaks and ridges index, and the protected native plant list on the same page.
The other ESL rules a builder runs into
- Native plants. The Native Plant Ordinance covers protecting and transplanting major native plant specimens and applies to the entire city.
- Washes. The overlay's goal is to leave washes in place. Changing one, or running a wall or fence across one, needs a wash modification approved by the Zoning Administrator, designed to the floodplain chapter of the City Code (Chapter 37) and the Design Standards and Policies Manual, and the process starts with a pre-application.
- Which version applies. The current overlay is ESL 2004, effective 21 May 2004. An owner who can show the City Council a hardship, with little impact, can ask to follow an earlier version's specific rules.
- Solar, too. In ESL areas the City's solar guidelines require the site plan to state that "No NAOS or Protected Native Plants shall be affected by installation of solar panels" (see Scottsdale solar permit).
What it means when you hire
- Find your NAOS before the design. Ask the title company or the City for any recorded NAOS easement on the lot (the City's page links its NAOS easement and dedication forms). A builder who prices a pool or guest house without knowing where the NAOS line runs is guessing.
- Ask about protected plants. Ask each bidder which protected native plants are in the work area, whether the quote includes salvage or transplanting under the Native Plant Ordinance, and who does it.
- Watch the washes. A fence or wall across a wash is a separate approval with engineering, not a line on the fence quote.
- Check past ESL work. Ask each builder for permits on ESL lots and look them up in the City's records (Scottsdale building permit search).
What Scottsdale permits show
| Measure (October 2023 to September 2026) | New home | Addition | Pool | Guest house |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permits | 1,067 | 835 | 1,688 | 272 |
| Firms | 304 | 617 | 365 | 182 |
| Usual filed value | $865,193 | $85,573 | $32,967 | $160,813 |
| Closed (a year or more old) | 78.9% | 65.5% | 81.1% | 67.5% |
| Builders with one permit | 60.2% | 79.3% | 51.2% | 85.2% |
These are citywide figures; our file does not flag which lots are in the overlay. What they do show is how thin most builders' records are: 79.3% of firms on addition permits filed only one, so ask for ESL addresses specifically. Values by firm: new home cost, addition cost, pool cost.
Compare Scottsdale home builders by permits →
Related
Guest houses and ADUs on desert lots: Scottsdale guest house vs ADU. Pools: Scottsdale pool permit. Licenses: Scottsdale contractor license lookup.
What this does not tell you
We cannot tell from the permit file whether a property is in the ESL overlay or how much NAOS it carries; the City's GIS maps and the recorded easement do. This is a summary of the City's page, not the ordinance; the ESL Overlay ordinance in the Zoning Ordinance governs.
How we know this
ESL, NAOS, native plant, wash and hardship rules are from the City of Scottsdale's ESL Overlay page (last updated 21 May 2026), read 23 October 2026. Permit counts are City of Scottsdale permits by type, October 2023 to September 2026; the closed share uses permits a year or more old.
Numbers come from City of Scottsdale building permits (the City's open-data permit file up to January 2026, and the City's SPUR permit system since), with the contractor named on each permit, data through October 22, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- What is NAOS in Scottsdale?
Natural Area Open Space: the part of a property inside the Environmentally Sensitive Lands overlay that must be permanently preserved in its natural desert state. How much depends on the landform (lower desert, upper desert, hillside) and the slope, from 20% on flat lower desert to 80% on hillside steeper than 25%.
- Where does the ESL overlay apply in Scottsdale?
To about 134 square miles of desert and mountain areas north and east of the Central Arizona Project canal, according to the City. Some older properties were set up under the former Hillside District instead.
- Can I build on NAOS land in Scottsdale?
No. NAOS is preserved permanently; the City publishes NAOS easement and dedication forms for it. Pools, guest houses, walls and additions have to fit in the rest of the lot, and the City's solar guidelines make plans state that no NAOS or protected native plants will be affected.
- Do I need permission to move a saguaro on my Scottsdale lot?
Scottsdale's Native Plant Ordinance covers the protection and transplanting of major native plant specimens and applies to the entire city, not only the ESL area. Check the City's protected native plant list and the ordinance before any site work.
- How much does a new custom home cost in Scottsdale?
On the permit, the usual Scottsdale new home was filed at $865,193 (1,067 permits, October 2023 to September 2026), citywide. That figure covers ESL and non-ESL lots alike.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Scottsdale building permit search: SPUR, eServices and permit history
- Home improvement costs in Scottsdale, AZ (2026): what 8 kinds of jobs were filed at
- Albuquerque contractor license lookup: the CID license, its classification and the City permits
- Austin contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- Scottsdale guest house vs ADU: the 50% rule, the deed restriction since 2025, and what guest houses were filed at
- Do I need a permit to build a house in Scottsdale? The custom-home permit, review times and the per-square-foot fees
For one city
- ESL Overlay — City of Scottsdale (accessed 2026-10-23)