Schools
Even if the 1/16/25 proposed draft was canceled, it is likely that they are going to still be addressing microschools in the next draft…with good reason…. Under the current zoning restrictions, microschools encounter a lot of difficulties. See this story:
Microschool Entrepreneur Struggles to Make Sense of Zoning
Here are some notes on the 1/16/25 canceled draft regarding schools below. These notes are subject to error so please check the source pages and links provided. Do you think these rules will help make it easier for microschools to exist in Pinal County or not? Are they reasonable?
SCHOOLS
Chapter 2.150.280 p. 154 of the marked-up draft 1/16/25
Current:
A. Public schools are permitted in all Zoning Districts
B. Private schools for k-12 need to be at least on 1 acre,
playgrounds & fields need to be 100 ft from property lines,
there needs to be a 10 ft wide landscaped area for screening and buffering along all property lines
all driveways & parking lots need to be paved, outdoor lighting needs to meet the requirements of PCDSC 2.195
all outdoor lighting for recreational areas has to be off no later than 11pm
C. Charter Schools are prohibited from operating in an existing single-family residence that is on less than 1 acre
See page 154 of the 1/16/25 draft
The canceled 1/16/25 draft
Definitions p. 32
Home-Based Microschool is a Structure or Building in a rural zoning district on a parcel of not less than 1 acre, operated between the hours of 7 am and 6 pm AZ time Monday through Friday educates not more than 15 K-8 students at any time, and excludes grades 9-12
Commercially-Based Microschool is a Structure or Building in a commercial or industrial zone,
on a parcel not less than 1 acre, operated between 7 am and 6 pm AZ time, Monday through Friday,
and educates not more than 49 K-12 students at any time.
To find these definitions you have to look for “school, micro” in the document
See page 156 of the canceled 1/16/25 draft
SCHOOLS Chapter 2.150.280 p. 154 of the marked up draft 1/16/25
The following has not been changed significantly regarding schools from the previous draft:
A. Public schools are permitted in all Zoning Districts
B. Private schools for k-12 need to be at least on 1 acre,
playgrounds & fields need to be 100 ft from property lines,
there needs to be a 10 ft wide landscaped area for screening and buffering along all property lines
all driveways & parking lots need to be paved, outdoor lighting needs to meet the requirements of PCDSC 2.195, all outdoor lighting for recreational areas has to be off no later than 11pm,
C. Charter Schools prohibited from operating in an existing single-family residence that is on less than 1 acre
See page 154 of the 1/16/25 draft
The proposed update has a new section of rules regarding Microschools.
General Provisions
a. home based or commercially based microschools are a commercial Use.
All structures/buildings must comply with current adopted versions of International Building code, Fire code, and residential codes for the greatest number of students & staff expected to be present at a home based or commercial based micro school at any time.
b. all requirements for private schools above shall apply, but the property only needs to be 1 acre instead of 5.
c. it is recommended that applicants make an appoointment with Building safety
Rules for Microschools that are specific to rural zones:
a. home based micro school may only be located in the following zones: CAR, SR, SH, GR, Rural zoning districts and Rural Commercial districts.
b. a home based micro school needs a Special Use Permit with a reapplication required after 5 years.
c. Approval of an Special Use Permit to have a home based micro school is a change in land use and will require building code compliance as well as compliance with the Development service code.
d. Approval of an application for a Special Use Permit for a home based Microschool will require applicant to provide a traffic memo, and in some cases a traffic impact analysis.
e. refer to PCDSC 2.150.260 for signage requirements
f. Manufactured homes are not allowed for home based microschools
g. you can’t have a home based micro school within 1200 ft of a homebred or commercially based microschool
h. the total area of structures used for the home based micro school may not be more than 30% of the total structures on the property.
i. home based microschools have additional requirements beyond a private dwelling. There needs to be 30ft2 per student
j. if you have 6 or more people at any time for educational purposes, you are considered an E occupancy and must comply with all E occupancy requirements including ADA, accessibility and egress
k. if a floor below grade is used for a home based micro school it has to have at least 1 emergency escape window that complies with the code for such.
l. Pinal county can require home based microschools to comply with all building codes and provisions that don’t conflict with the rules above including parking, traffic, hours of operation, and any regulations on the location of the home based micro school that the county thinks is necessary to preserve the health safety and character of the surrounding community.
see page 156 of the draft
A commercially based micro school
has a right to be in zones CB-1, CB-2, C-1 C-2, C-3, CI-1, i-2, CI-B, I-1
-There are a lot of site plan requirements including a traffic impact analysis
-A commercially based micro school has to comply with all building safety and zoning regulations for that zone.
-Pinal county can require commercially based microschools to comply with all building codes and provisions that don’t conflict with the rules above including parking, traffic, hours of operation, and any regulations on the location of the home based micro school that the county thinks is necessary to preserve the health safety and character of the surrounding community.