Gilbert

Gilbert zones its single-family land in districts named for their minimum lot size, from SF-6 up through SF-15, SF-35 and SF-43, and Table 2.104 of the Town's Land Development Code sets each district's yards, height and lot coverage. The bigger the lot, the deeper the yards. On Gilbert's acre lots the side and rear setbacks are 30 and 40 feet, as the Town's planning manager described them in 2024, while only the smallest lots come down to 5 to 10 feet. Many Gilbert neighborhoods were approved as Planned Area Developments with yards of their own, so two lots of the same size can carry different setbacks, and we confirm them with the Town for the specific lot.

If the lot sits in a subdivision with a homeowners association, the association approves the plans before the Town permit is applied for, which is the order our HOA design review answer walks through. In Ray Ranch, for example, the association's guidelines send casita plans through its architectural committee, so we get the association's answer before design starts.

Gilbert grew from a farm town into one of the largest towns in the country, and most of it was built out as master-planned communities such as Val Vista Lakes, Power Ranch, Morrison Ranch and Agritopia, whose lots already carry homes. A custom home in Gilbert usually goes on an older acre lot, on an infill lot bought on its own, or on land along the Town's eastern and southern edges toward Queen Creek and Mesa.

Search for new homes in Gilbert and the first results are production builders' communities, and many of them are not in Gilbert at all. On Toll Brothers' page for homes near Gilbert, Preserve at San Tan and Toll Brothers at Ladera Trails are in San Tan Valley, while Sereno Canyon, Toll Brothers at Storyrock and Toll Brothers at Cavasson are in Scottsdale. Each sells the builder's own plans on the builder's lots, grouped as the Peralta and Sonoran Collections at Preserve at San Tan, the Villa, Enclave and Manor Collections at Sereno Canyon, or the Canyon and Overlook Collections at Storyrock. A custom home in the Town itself is drawn for the lot you choose, to the Town's rules for that lot.

Some land inside Gilbert's outer boundary is not in the Town at all. These county islands are zoned and permitted by Maricopa County under the county's own zoning ordinance. In a 2021 county zoning case on Gilbert Road, case Z2021006, the county's staff report lists the site as a Gilbert county island; the Town of Gilbert sent a letter of support, and the county made the decision. So the first check on any lot is which side of the line it sits on. Our answer on whether a lot is in the city or unincorporated county shows how to look that up, and our page on Maricopa County residential zoning covers the county's rural districts.

The Town of Gilbert reviews the plans, issues the permit and inspects the build. Gilbert enforces the 2018 International Residential Code with Town amendments, adopted with the residential building and fire code amendments of Ordinance 2788 on January 19, 2021, alongside the 2018 energy, fuel gas and fire codes and the 2017 National Electrical Code. That is two code cycles behind Chandler, which moved to the 2024 codes in 2025, and one behind Queen Creek's 2021 codes, so a plan drawn for a neighboring city is checked against the Gilbert editions before it goes in.

Code editions change by ordinance, so we confirm which editions the Town is enforcing on the day the plans are submitted, and our table of Arizona building code editions by city shows how the Valley's cities compare.

Plans for a new home go to the Town's Development Services for plan review before the permit is issued. A complete first set, with the HOA's approval already in hand where there is an association, saves a review cycle. For the whole plan review and permit phase we allow 2 to 4 months, depending on jurisdiction.

Once the permit is issued the Town inspects the build in stages, from the footings and the plumbing in the ground through the framing and rough trades to the final, and work does not move past a stage until it passes. We handle the permit, book every inspection, and send you a written update every week of construction.

Already own land in Gilbert? We build a new home on a lot you already own, or on one our licensed real estate agents help you find. A boundary survey comes first, the recorded subdivision plat at the Maricopa County Recorder shows the lot's dimensions, and Arizona 811 marks the underground utilities at least two days before anyone digs.

Before you buy, our answer on how to find out if you can build on a lot in Arizona lists the checks we run, from zoning and access to water, sewer and drainage.

Gilbert has more than 75,000 residents, so the state's casita law, A.R.S. 9-461.18, applies in full. The Town must allow at least one attached and one detached accessory dwelling unit on any lot where a single-family home is allowed, each up to 75% of the main home's interior living area or 1,000 square feet, whichever is less. Side and rear setbacks can be no more than five feet, and the Town cannot hold an ADU to stricter height, lot size, coverage or frontage limits than the house, require it to match the house, or require extra parking. On a lot of an acre or more, a third unit is allowed when one of them is rented as restricted-affordable housing.

That replaced a stricter local code. Before the law, the Town's planning manager said, every ADU in Gilbert needed an administrative use permit, had to meet the main home's setbacks unless it sat over a detached garage, and had to match the home's materials, colors and style. Now an ADU is a permitted use that needs only a building permit. The law does not override private covenants, so an association whose CC&Rs already bar ADUs keeps that rule, and we read the CC&Rs before we design one.

The state law also leaves out lots inside a public airport's 65 decibel noise area, which is worth checking near Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport east of Gilbert, and an ADU cannot sit on a utility easement without the utility's written consent. Our answer on Arizona ADU requirements explains the state law behind these rules, and we build casitas and guest houses with a new home or on a lot you already own, including RV garages.

How much does it cost to build a custom home in Gilbert? The house itself costs about the same across the Valley, because the same trades and suppliers serve every town, and our answer on cost per square foot in Arizona covers that part. What changes the total in Gilbert is the lot, its site work and the Town's permit and review fees. Our guide to building permit costs in Arizona compares how each Valley city prices its permit. On a cost-plus build we share every subcontractor bid with you before work begins.

Is it cheaper to build or buy a house in Gilbert? Building usually costs more than buying a resale home of the same size, because you pay for new construction, current codes and your own plan. In return you get the layout, lot and finishes you chose and new systems under warranty. Starting from one of our in-house floor plans saves design time, and on those plans we can quote a flat-rate build cost up front. Our construction financing page explains how a build is paid for, draw by draw.

Whoever builds your Gilbert home pulls the permit in their name and must hold an Arizona Registrar of Contractors license; ours is ROC# 339367. Our guide on how to check a builder's license shows how to look one up before you sign.