Board of Adjustment

Roles and Responsibilities

State law mandates the establishment of a Board of Adjustment in every County in Arizona. In Cochise County, there is one Board of Adjustment with jurisdiction Countywide. The Board consists of three members appointed by the Board of Supervisors for four-year terms. Each supervisor appoints one member from the district they represent. All board members must reside in the district they represent.

It is the role of the Cochise County Board of Adjustment to:

• Allow a variance from the terms of the ordinance when owing to peculiar conditions, a strict interpretation would cause unnecessary hardship if, in granting such Variance, the general intent and purpose of the zoning ordinance will be preserved.
• Interpret the zoning ordinance when the meaning of any word, phrase, or section is in doubt, when there is a dispute between the appellant and enforcing officers, or when the location of a district boundary is in doubt. The Board may reverse, affirm, or modify a decision of the zoning administrator/planning director.

Meetings are held on an as-needed basis, but generally fall on the final Wednesday of the month.

Zoning Law

Zoning law should apply uniformly to everyone. However, applying general regulations to all building and land use situations may not fit because of unique site conditions or other special circumstances. For example, the Zoning Regulations may require a minimum setback of twenty feet from the property line for a new house. If a particular site has an active irrigation ditch crossing the middle of the parcel, which would only allow for a 15-foot setback from the property line. In such a case, the property owner may seek a variance from the Board of Adjustment.

Members