"They still have to buy the permit," Pinetop-Lakeside Public Works Director Frank Young told the White Mountain Independent. "They just get a free set of plans."
That sums up the town's new preapproved housing program pretty well. The plans are real and they're free. They also cost the town about $4,300 to produce, and that's less than a single new sewer connection in the Pinetop-Lakeside Sanitary District. If you're thinking about buying a vacant lot here and building, the plan you pick matters less than the lot underneath it. The lot's slope, its wastewater path and its water provider will set most of your budget and your timeline.
The Three Plans the Council Approved
The Town Council unanimously approved three preapproved residential plans on Oct. 1, 2026. According to the town's Council Decision Report, the lineup looks like this:
| Plan | Size | Layout | Parking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 | 880 sq. ft. | 1 bedroom, 1 bath | Carport or garage alternative |
| Plan 2 | 1,741 sq. ft., or 1,224 sq. ft. without garage | 2 bedrooms, 2 baths | Garage or carport alternative |
| Plan 3 | 1,827 sq. ft. | 3 bedrooms, 2 baths | Carport or garage alternative |
Each plan comes with the required elevation options. The Independent reported that the designs offer different exterior finishes and can be mirrored to fit individual properties.
It helps to know why these exist at all. The Arizona Legislature passed Senate Bill 1529 in 2025, and it now lives in A.R.S. § 9-461.20. For single-family homes, it requires municipalities to offer at least three standard preapproved plans, each with at least three elevation options. That requirement took effect July 1, 2026. Town Manager Kristi Salskov was open about this in the Independent's coverage. "This is just basically making us compliant with Senate Bill 1529," she said, adding that the town also hopes the plans will help people "that maybe want to come in and build a house here and don't know where to start."
So a state mandate produced the plans, and the town built them on a budget. They came in at about $4,300, under the $6,000 the town had set aside. That modest cost tells you something useful. A house plan is one of the cheaper inputs to a new home. The expensive inputs come with the land.
Start With How Flat the Lot Is
All three plans use a monolithic slab foundation. The Independent noted that this makes them a better fit for relatively flat lots. Salskov said she'd like to explore a stem-wall, framed-floor version that could work better on some of the area's sloped properties. Vice Mayor Sterling Beus had suggested adding a two-story design. Salskov said that isn't in the current budget but could be considered later if residents use the program.
This changes the order of operations for a buyer. Most people find a lot they love and then figure out what to build on it. With these plans, how the lot sits decides whether the free option is even available. A gently sloped parcel with tall pines and a view may still be a great lot. It just probably isn't a free-plan lot right now, and the cost of a custom or adapted design belongs in your comparison from the start.
Sewer or Septic Splits Similar Lots
The council report says plainly that "Preapproved does not mean permit-free." Every project still gets site-specific review covering zoning, setbacks, lot coverage, grading and drainage, utilities, access, fire and life-safety, and septic or sewer requirements. The Independent listed what a builder still has to bring: a building permit, a site plan, the required sewer documentation and inspections.
Wastewater is where two lots that look alike on paper start to separate. A parcel served by the Pinetop-Lakeside Sanitary District has a published price. The district's 2026/2027 fee schedule lists these charges per residential unit:
- $6,884 main-line connection fee per equivalent dwelling unit
- $300 tap fee
- $60 inspection fee
- $10 monthly availability fee
The one-time items add up to $7,244, which is well above what the town spent designing all three house plans. This fee is separate from the town's building and development fees.
A parcel without sewer service takes a different route, and its cost depends on the soil. Navajo County's construction permit instructions require proof of an approved septic system or a sanitary-district release when you request a building permit. A conventional septic submission calls for a stack of documents.
- A construction application
- A GP 4.02 Notice of Intent to Discharge
- The checklist and calculation worksheet
- An ADEQ site-investigation form
- A bill of materials and a trench detail
- An onsite findings report
- A detailed site plan
The county's instructions set conventional-system soil suitability at 10 to 120 minutes per inch of percolation, or an SAR of at least .2, with five feet of separation from groundwater or an impermeable layer. Where a site doesn't meet those criteria, alternative systems may be permitted. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality classifies a conventional septic system with a design flow under 3,000 gallons per day as Type 4.02.
So the soil test on an unsewered lot carries real weight. It can decide whether you're building a conventional system or an alternative one. You won't know the answer just from looking at the lot.
Water Service Runs on Its Own Clock
Arizona Water Company publishes a Lakeside rate schedule, and which utility serves a given parcel depends on the parcel.
That matters for your timeline. Arizona Water Company's development FAQ says a formal response to a service request averages 45 business days after the company receives complete information. Meter size is set from the fixture count on the request form, and cost estimates are valid for 30 days. That's roughly nine weeks of business days before you even have a number to plan around. A free plan can be downloaded in minutes once it's posted, but the water side of the project runs on its own schedule.
Second-home owners also have an ongoing cost to think about. One domestic water improvement district, Pinedale Estates, lists a $50 monthly residential minimum that includes 2,500 gallons, with tiered rates above that. A cabin that sits empty part of the year still pays the minimum. The same goes for the sanitary district's $10 monthly availability fee on sewered lots.
The Permit Still Has a Price
The town's standard building permit, plan review and development fees still apply under its adopted fee schedule. The current version is the FY 2026–2027 Consolidated Fee Schedule, approved as Resolution 26-1815 with an effective date of July 4, 2026, according to the June 4, 2026 council minutes. The town's Fee Schedule page is the place to price your specific project.
The free plan takes away the design fee and gives the town's reviewers a set of drawings they've already approved. The report describes the goal as simplifying "the initial design and plan-review process." The town still reviews the site, still charges for the permit, and the wastewater and water costs above stay the same.
What I'd Check on a Lot Before Picking a Plan
If one of these plans is part of why you're looking at land, I'd run every parcel through the same four questions before making an offer:
- Is it flat enough for a slab? If it isn't, budget for a different foundation and design.
- Is it inside the sanitary district? If yes, the $7,244 in one-time district charges is a known number. If no, the soil and the septic submission set the cost.
- Which water provider serves it? Then find out that provider's service-request process and timing.
- Do the setbacks and lot coverage fit? The town checks that your chosen plan, mirrored or not, actually works on that parcel.
Salskov told the Independent that staff were building the web page where the plans would be posted, along with information about what else residents need before starting construction. The town's Building Permits page is the natural place to look for them.
A Few Questions I Hear About This
Can anyone use the plans, or only current residents? Salskov told the Independent, "Anybody who wants to use those preapproved plans is welcome to do so free of cost."
Does a preapproved plan mean my house is approved for my lot? No. The council report says approval of a plan doesn't approve building it on any specific property. Each project still gets site-specific review.
Is a two-story or sloped-lot plan coming? Both have come up. As the Independent reported, Salskov said a stem-wall option is something she'd like to explore, and a two-story design could be considered later if the program gets used. Neither is part of the current set.
This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Please confirm fees, permits and septic requirements for your own parcel with the town, the county, your utility providers and a qualified professional.
If you're weighing a Pinetop-Lakeside lot with one of these plans in mind, I can help you sort out the slope, sewer and water questions on each parcel before you're under contract, and I'll coordinate it all for you if you're buying from out of state. Start Your Move — Request a Free Consultation with Kerri DeWaters.
