What is the Scottsdale pre-site inspection and what does the inspector check?

The Pre-Site (42) Inspection is Scottsdale's required first inspection, where a city building inspector meets you on the lot to review your approved plans and site conditions before construction begins. The city is plain about its purpose. "The purpose of the pre-site inspection is to review the approved plans, stipulations, ordinance requirements and existing site conditions with the inspector prior to commencement of construction." On a lot inside the Environmentally Sensitive Lands (ESL) overlay, this inspection is a true gate. The city requires that "a pre-site (42) inspection must be scheduled and approved prior to scheduling additional inspections for all new construction that involves or affects site grading and drainage, native plant salvage, NAOS, or Development Review Board stipulations." So on an ESL custom-home lot, nothing else moves until the Pre-Site (42) passes. The inspector confirms your protected open space is roped off, your native plants are inventoried, and your grading, drainage, and setbacks match the approved plans, all before a dozer touches the ground.

This page covers what the Pre-Site (42) Inspection is, when it is required, exactly what the inspector checks, and how to pass it cleanly on a North Scottsdale ESL lot.

What the Pre-Site (42) Inspection is

The Pre-Site (42) Inspection is a sit-down on the dirt between you (or your contractor) and a city inspector to confirm the plan before work starts. It is numbered 42 in Scottsdale's inspection system. The idea is simple. Before anyone grades, the inspector and the contractor walk the lot together with the approved drawings in hand and confirm the build matches what the city approved. The city frames it as reviewing "the approved plans, stipulations, ordinance requirements and existing site conditions" with the inspector "prior to commencement of construction."

That timing is the whole point. A pre-site inspection is a check you pass before you build, not one you call in after a phase is done. It catches problems while they are still cheap to fix, like a misplaced grading limit or open space that has not been protected. On a sensitive desert lot, a mistake found after grading is often a permanent loss, so the city moves the review to the front.

The contractor has a real role here, not just the inspector. The city expects "the contractor should be on site to review approved site plans, stipulations, etc., with the inspector." You bring the paperwork, you show the field conditions, and the inspector signs off that the two match. Then construction can proceed.

When the Pre-Site (42) is required

The Pre-Site (42) is required for new construction that touches site grading, drainage, native plant salvage, NAOS, or Development Review Board stipulations, which describes nearly every ESL custom home. The city ties the requirement directly to those triggers. The inspection "must be scheduled and approved prior to scheduling additional inspections for all new construction that involves or affects site grading and drainage, native plant salvage, NAOS, or Development Review Board stipulations."

That makes it a sequencing gate, not just a formality. Because it must be "approved prior to scheduling additional inspections," you cannot get a footing or any later inspection on the calendar until the Pre-Site (42) clears. On an ESL lot, where grading, salvage, and Natural Area Open Space (NAOS) are nearly always in play, that puts the Pre-Site (42) at the very front of the build.

There is a narrow exception. The city notes it "is not required in situations where, for example tenant improvements or remodeling projects, there are no exterior building modifications or site work that will occur as a part of the construction." So an interior remodel with no site work skips it. A new custom home on a desert lot does not. If your project disturbs the ground or affects protected open space, plan on the Pre-Site (42) first.

What the inspector checks

The inspector checks that your protected open space, native plants, grading, and setbacks on the ground match the approved plans. On an ESL residential lot, the city's checklist for the Pre-Site (42) covers a focused set of items. The inspector is confirming the environmental and site protections are real, not just drawn.

The residential checklist includes:

• NAOS. The protected Natural Area Open Space has to be set out per the approved plans. The city requires the contractor to have "all NAOS roped off (if applicable), per approved plans," so the inspector can see the off-limits desert is physically marked before grading.
• Native plant inventory. The contractor must provide "a copy of the approved site plan and approved native plant inventory (if applicable)" at the inspection. This confirms the protected saguaros and trees are accounted for before salvage.
• On-site grading and drainage. The inspector reviews the grading and drainage against the approved plan, so the cut, fill, and water flow match what the city signed off on.
• Setbacks. The building location and setbacks are checked against the plan.
• Perimeter wall, exterior lighting, landscaping per ESLO, and paint (LRV). Site features like walls, dark-sky lighting, ESL landscaping, and the approved low-reflectivity paint color are part of the same inspection family.

The two documents you must have in hand are the approved site plan and the approved native plant inventory. Show up without them and the inspection cannot be completed. For how the native plant inventory and salvage work, see what plant salvage or cactus boxing is before grading on a Scottsdale ESL lot. For the paint-color check, see the LRV paint color rules in North Scottsdale luxury communities.

How to pass the Pre-Site (42) cleanly

You pass the Pre-Site (42) by having the open space protected, the plants inventoried, and the right paperwork on site before you call it in. The inspection rewards preparation, because everything it checks is something you control ahead of time. Rushing it is how a build loses its first week.

A practical checklist for an ESL lot:

• Rope off all NAOS per the approved plan. The protected open space has to be physically marked before the inspector arrives, not after.
• Have the approved native plant inventory ready. Bring the approved, stamped inventory so the inspector can confirm protected plants are addressed and salvage can begin.
• Bring the approved site plan. Have the current approved drawings on the lot, with grading, drainage, and setbacks matching field conditions.
• Have the contractor on site. The city expects the contractor present to walk the plans with the inspector.
• Sequence it first. Schedule the Pre-Site (42) before any other inspection, since nothing else can be scheduled until it is approved.

The Pre-Site (42) is the opening move of the ESL build, and it connects to the open space and revegetation rules that govern the rest of the lot. For how much of your lot stays as protected open space and how revegetation works, see what NAOS revegetation is and how much of your open space you can revegetate in Scottsdale. For the broader overlay this all sits inside, see the Scottsdale ESL ordinance and design review explained.

Scottsdale's inspection numbers, checklist items, and ESL requirements can change as the city updates its procedures. So confirm the current Pre-Site (42) requirements and checklist (as of 2026) with Scottsdale Planning and Development Services before you schedule. A builder who works inside the ESL overlay, like Jematell Homes, ropes off the NAOS and assembles the approved plans and plant inventory before calling the Pre-Site (42). That way the first inspection passes on the first try, and the build starts on schedule instead of stalling at the gate.

Where Jematell Homes comes in

We handle jurisdiction, submittals, and inspections as part of every build. Every project is different, so we will confirm the specifics for your parcel and budget with you directly.

Sources

• City of Scottsdale: Site Inspections (Pre-Site (42) Inspection purpose, requirement before other inspections, and checklist)
• City of Scottsdale: Environmentally Sensitive Lands Overlay (ESL)
• City of Scottsdale: Native Plant Ordinance Information (native plant program and salvage)