ADUs and casitas in Queen Creek, AZ
Yes, we build accessory dwelling units and casitas in Queen Creek and across the East Valley. Detached casitas, attached in-law suites, and guest houses. Arizona state law changed in 2025 and Queen Creek now has to permit ADUs on single-family lots, which means more is possible on your property than it was two years ago.
Arizona law changed in your favor
As of 1 January 2025, Arizona's HB 2720 requires Queen Creek to allow accessory dwelling units by right on single-family lots. The Town has confirmed that no neighborhoods in Queen Creek are exempt.
What the law requires the Town to allow:
- Up to two ADUs per parcel, one attached and one detached
- Size up to the lesser of 1,000 sq ft or 75% of your home's floor area
- Side and rear setbacks of 5 feet
- No extra parking required
- No requirement that you live on site
- No requirement that it match your home's architecture
- Long-term rental allowed, of both the house and the casita
Queen Creek's own ordinance also requires a permanent foundation, full code compliance, separate utility connections and an independent entrance.
One thing the law does not override
Your HOA.
HB 2720 restricts what the Town can require. It does not touch private CC&Rs. Queen Creek is full of master-planned communities, and your HOA can still restrict what the Town now has to permit.
So the first thing we do is read your CC&Rs. Before the design, before the estimate, before you get attached to an idea. If your HOA rules it out, you will hear that from us in the first conversation, not after you have paid for drawings.
ADU rules and HOA requirements both change. We confirm what applies to your specific lot before we quote anything.
What people build
- A casita for aging parents who want to stay close but keep their independence
- A guest house for family who visit for months, not weekends
- A long-term rental that helps carry the mortgage
- A home office or studio genuinely separate from the house
- An adult child's first place that is not across town
If the casita is for a parent
Before Ken came back to building, he spent a decade running assisted living communities in Arizona, finishing as CEO. So when a casita is for a parent, we think about it differently from the start.
Doorway widths. Threshold heights. Turning space in the bathroom. Where a grab bar can actually be anchored later, whether or not you want one now. Lighting that works for eyes that are seventy rather than forty. None of it has to look clinical, and almost all of it is inexpensive to build in and expensive to retrofit.
We will also tell you when a casita is not the right answer for your parent's situation. Ken has seen how that decision goes both ways, and it is not always the building that solves it.
Casita, ADU, or guest house?
People use these words interchangeably. The Town does not.
A casita is the regional word for a small detached building. A guest house usually means no kitchen, which means it generally cannot be rented as an independent home. An ADU is the legal term for a self-contained unit with its own kitchen, bathroom, sleeping area and entrance, and it is the one you can rent.
Which one you want depends on what you plan to do with it. We work that out before we draw anything.
Frequently asked questions
Can I build a casita in Queen Creek?
In almost all cases, yes. Arizona's HB 2720 took effect on 1 January 2025 and requires municipalities over 75,000 people, which includes Queen Creek, to permit accessory dwelling units by right on single-family lots. The Town has stated that no neighborhoods in Queen Creek are exempt. Two things still need checking on your specific property: whether your HOA's CC&Rs restrict it, and whether your address is actually inside Queen Creek town limits rather than unincorporated county, because the state requirement applies to the municipality. We check both before we quote.
How big can an ADU be in Queen Creek?
Up to the lesser of 1,000 square feet or 75% of your home's floor area. So on a 2,000 square foot house the cap is 1,000 square feet, and on a 1,200 square foot house the cap is 900. The law also allows up to two ADUs on a single-family parcel, one attached and one detached. Side and rear setbacks cannot be required to exceed five feet, and the Town cannot require additional parking or make the casita match your home's architecture.
Can my HOA stop me from building a casita?
Yes, and this is the part most people do not expect. HB 2720 limits what the Town can require. It does not override private HOA covenants. The Town's own guidance states the law does not prohibit HOAs from regulating ADUs through their CC&Rs. In a master-planned community your HOA may restrict casitas outright, or allow them subject to architectural review with rules on height, roof material and exterior finish. Reading your CC&Rs is the first thing we do, before design and before any estimate, because there is no point designing something your community will not approve.
Can I rent out an ADU in Arizona?
HB 2720 permits long-term rental of both the main house and the ADU, and the Town cannot require you to live on the property. Short-term rental is treated differently from long-term rental and is worth confirming for your specific situation. Your HOA may also have its own rental restrictions that apply regardless of state law. One structural point matters here: a guest house without a kitchen generally cannot be rented as an independent dwelling. If renting is your goal, tell us at the start, because it changes what we build.
Do I have to live on the property?
No. HB 2720 removed owner-occupancy requirements, so Queen Creek cannot require you to live in either the main house or the ADU. Your HOA covenants are a separate matter and we check those on your lot.
How long does a casita take to build?
It depends on whether it is attached or detached, the size, the site work and utility runs involved, whether your HOA requires architectural review before permitting, and how long plan review takes. A detached casita needs its own foundation, its own utility connections and its own independent entrance under Queen Creek's ordinance, so it is a real building project rather than a room addition. You get a timeline in your estimate, and you hear from us the moment anything on it changes.