How Many Horses Per Acre? Arizona Zoning by Town

How many horses per acre you can keep in Arizona depends entirely on which government has jurisdiction over your dirt. There is no state number. Gilbert counts square feet per animal. Queen Creek counts animal units. Apache Junction sets a minimum acreage and then does not cap the count at all. I get this question every week, and the honest answer starts with a question back: what is the address?

Is There a Statewide Limit on Horses Per Acre in Arizona?

No. Arizona leaves the number of horses to cities, towns and counties, so the rule changes at the town line. Here is how the East Valley jurisdictions I work in handle it, straight from their own codes.

How Many Horses Can You Keep in Gilbert?

Gilbert uses a square footage formula. The Town’s own code compliance guidance, which points to Municipal Code Sections 6-126 and 6-127 and Land Development Code Section 2.107, states: “A minimum lot size of 15,000 square feet is required and there must be 10,000 square feet of lot for each large livestock and 5,000 square feet of lot size for each small livestock. Or any combination of such animals.”

The Town gives its own example: “A lot size of 20,000 sq ft could have two horses, a horse and two sheep or 4 sheep.” Gilbert also prohibits swine within town limits, with an exception for Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, which the Town classifies as exotic animals.

So on a one acre Gilbert lot, 43,560 square feet, the formula points to four large livestock. That is a different answer than you get five miles east.

How Many Horses Can You Keep in Queen Creek?

Queen Creek counts animal units, and it updated the rule this year. Ordinance No. 889-26, adopted April 15, 2026 and effective May 15, 2026, amended Article 6, Section 6.2. Table 6.2-1, Permitted Animal Units Allowance, reads:

• 35,000 square feet to 39,999 square feet: 2 animal units
• 40,000 square feet to 43,559 square feet: 3 animal units
• 43,560 square feet and larger: 4 animal units

The exception is the part that changed and the part that matters most to horse owners: “One (1) additional animal unit permitted per 3,000 sf in excess of one (1) acre (43,560 sf).”

One animal unit is one large livestock animal over six months of age, and the ordinance names horse, llama, alpaca, mule, burro, cattle, oxen, donkeys and ostrich. Alternatively, one unit is five medium livestock such as goats or sheep, or ten small livestock such as rabbits, ducks or chickens. Swine are permitted only as part of an educational project, and roosters only on lots one acre and larger.

Two more Queen Creek rules to plan around. Offspring under six months of age on site do not count toward the permitted animal units. And corrals or yard areas “are required on all lots, regardless of lot size, for the keeping of large and medium agricultural animals,” with a stall or pen allowed as an accessory structure but never as a substitute for that corral. Animals must also “be provided with shade accessible at all times.”

How Many Horses Can You Keep in Apache Junction?

Apache Junction takes the opposite approach. Under Land Development Code Section 1-6-7(B), covering horses kept for personal use, equine are allowed in all single-family residential districts, the minimum lot area is 1.25 gross acres, and the maximum number of equine is “No limit as long as the equine are owned by the residents or owners of the property.”

Horse training is allowed as an incidental business use, but boarding is not. Barns and stables that house equine must maintain a minimum 50 foot side, rear and front setback.

Commercial boarding is a different animal. It is allowed only in the RS-GR, RS-54 and RS-54M districts, the minimum lot area is 2.5 gross acres, and a conditional use permit plus a business license are required. My Apache Junction horse property guide covers what else to look at out there.

What About Unincorporated Maricopa County?

In the county’s Rural districts, the framework is about use rather than a headcount. Maricopa County Planning and Development Directive DD-2017-05 explains that farms are a permitted principal use there, that keeping farm animals is incidental to a single-family residence or a farm, and that limited equestrian uses are permitted accessory to a residence.

The limits show up at the commercial line. The directive states that these are not permitted accessory uses in the Rural districts: arenas for rodeos, team roping, barrel racing and penning “for 25 or more persons on site at any given time,” mounted cowboy shooting, “the boarding of six or more horses,” riding lessons except in conjunction with boarding, and horse rentals or staging for off-site trail rides. Those go through a Special Use Permit.

Confirm your parcel’s district with Maricopa County Planning and Development at 602-506-3301 before you count stalls.

What About Pinal County and San Tan Valley?

In unincorporated Pinal County, the County’s own planning FAQ says that “There are limitations on the number of animals that can be kept based on the size and zoning of your lot for horses and livestock.” Get your district from the County’s zoning map and confirm the count with Pinal County planning staff.

San Tan Valley is its own town now, and that changes who you ask. It incorporated on September 17, 2025, and the Town’s applicant guidance states that beginning July 1, 2026 the Town assumed zoning, land use, subdivision and development review authority within town limits. Ordinance No. 2026-03, adopted May 6, 2026, set the citizen review process for the Town’s initial zoning ordinance, zoning map, and “initial conversion of Pinal County zoning classifications to Town zoning classifications.”

In plain language, your old county zoning was converted to a Town district. Ask the Town’s Community Development Department which district you landed in before you assume your animal count carried over. My San Tan Valley horse property guide has more on the area.

How Do You Check Your Own Property?

Four steps, in order.

1. Get the parcel number from the county assessor.
2. Confirm which jurisdiction it sits in. Town limits are not always where people think.
3. Pull that jurisdiction’s animal or livestock section, not a neighbor’s opinion.
4. If you plan to board, train or host events, read the commercial rules too. My article on horse boarding and training facility zoning in Arizona walks through that line, and how much land you need for horses in Arizona covers turnout and footing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many horses can I have on one acre in Arizona?
It depends on the jurisdiction. Gilbert requires 10,000 square feet of lot per large livestock animal. Queen Creek allows 4 animal units at 43,560 square feet plus one more per 3,000 square feet above an acre. Apache Junction requires 1.25 gross acres and sets no limit on resident-owned equine.

Does Queen Creek limit how many horses I can have?
Yes, through animal units. Table 6.2-1 of the Town’s zoning ordinance allows 4 animal units at one acre, with one additional animal unit permitted per 3,000 square feet in excess of one acre.

Can I board other people’s horses on my property?
Usually not without approval. Apache Junction allows commercial boarding only in RS-GR, RS-54 and RS-54M on 2.5 gross acres with a conditional use permit and business license. Queen Creek requires a conditional use permit. Unincorporated Maricopa County does not treat boarding six or more horses as a permitted accessory use in Rural districts.

Is San Tan Valley still under Pinal County zoning?
No. San Tan Valley incorporated on September 17, 2025, and the Town assumed zoning and land use authority beginning July 1, 2026, converting County classifications to Town districts.

The Bottom Line

Never buy horse property on the assumption that acreage equals horses. Confirm the jurisdiction, pull the animal section, and count the way that code counts. It is a twenty minute check that can save you from a herd you are not allowed to keep.

Looking for horse property in the Metro Plex of Arizona? Call or text Kim Williamson at 480-206-1500 or visit ArizonaHorsePropertyForSale.com.

Kim Williamson, REALTOR® | 8x WPRA World Champion | 1,000+ transactions | 24 years selling real estate | 36 years living in Arizona | Real Brokerage | 480-206-1500

This article is general information, not legal advice. Codes are amended regularly. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction that governs your specific parcel.

Sources (checked 2026-09-20): Town of Gilbert, Municipal Code and Land Development Code FAQ, gilbertaz.gov; Town of Queen Creek Ordinance No. 889-26, Exhibit A, Article 6 Section 6.2 and Table 6.2-1, queencreekaz.granicus.com; Apache Junction Land Development Code § 1-6-7, codelibrary.amlegal.com; Maricopa County Planning and Development Directive DD-2017-05, maricopa.gov; Pinal County Community Development planning FAQ, pinal.gov; League of Arizona Cities and Towns, Town of San Tan Valley page, and Town of San Tan Valley Ordinance No. 2026-03 and applicant transition guidance, azleague.org.

TAGS: how many horses per acre arizona, queen creek animal units, gilbert livestock lot size, apache junction horse zoning, Kim Williamson