Arizona
Buying Land in Gila County, Arizona
Gila County has a working zoning ordinance dating to 1959 and its own subdivision regulations -- but a documented land-ownership breakdown shows barely 4% of the county's total area is privately owned, with the U.S. Forest Service (Tonto National Forest) and Apache tribal lands accounting for nearly all the rest. On the private land that does exist, this county's identity as a major historic copper-mining district (Globe-Miami) brings a specific, real hazard: documented abandoned mine shafts and subsidence areas that Arizona law treats as a distinct safety category.
Real zoning -- on a county where private land is genuinely scarce
Gila County adopted its Zoning Ordinance for unincorporated areas on September 8, 1959, and has revised it periodically since (a 2022 revision is the most recent version this research located); it's administered by the Community Development Division's Planning and Zoning section, with a Planning and Zoning Commission that reviews Comprehensive Master Plan amendments and Conditional Use Permits before the Board of Supervisors acts. A separate Subdivision Regulations document, adopted September 24, 2002, governs how land gets divided -- Arizona's general statutory framework (ARS 11-831) lets counties like Gila handle splits of five or fewer parcels, each 10 acres or smaller, through an administrative land-division process rather than full subdivision review, though the county's own current regulations control the specifics.
What matters more before any of that, though, is confirming a parcel is private land at all. A 2024 University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center factsheet documents Gila County's land ownership as roughly 57% federal (the great majority of it U.S. Forest Service land within the nearly 3-million-acre Tonto National Forest), 38% tribal, 1% state trust, and only about 4% private -- among the smallest private-land shares of any county in this guide. The San Carlos Apache Reservation (which also extends into Graham and Pinal counties) and a sliver of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation both reach into Gila County, and that tribal land follows the same fee-simple-unavailable pattern documented on this site's other reservation-heavy Arizona county pages: it's generally not for sale as private real estate, only leasable through the relevant tribal government -- see our dedicated tribal trust land page for the San Carlos Apache Tribe's actual residential-permit process and fees. Confirm a specific parcel's ownership category through the County Assessor and GIS parcel viewer before assuming it's ordinary private land subject to the county zoning ordinance.
The Globe-Miami copper district: a real, documented mine-hazard consideration
Gila County, centered on Globe and Miami, is one of Arizona's most significant historic copper-mining districts -- part of the so-called Copper Triangle, which by some estimates accounts for roughly 13.6% of all historic U.S. copper production, dating back to silver and copper discoveries in the 1870s-80s and continuing with active open-pit operations today. That mining legacy leaves a specific, documented physical-hazard category behind: abandoned mine shafts, adits, pits, and tailings or subsidence areas, which Arizona law (ARS 27-318) requires mine owners or operators to secure -- covering, fencing, or filling dangerous abandoned features and posting warning signage -- once notified by the state mine inspector. The Arizona State Mine Inspector's office maintains information on abandoned mines and hazard remediation, including active federal cleanup work (through the BLM's Abandoned Mine Lands program and U.S. Forest Service projects in the Globe Ranger District) addressing legacy features without safe closure.
This doesn't mean every parcel in the county sits near a hazard, but it does mean that land near Globe, Miami, or elsewhere in the historic mining district warrants a specific check: ask the county and, if needed, the Arizona State Mine Inspector's office whether a known abandoned mine feature, tailings area, or subsidence zone is documented on or near the parcel, and have any site-specific geotechnical or environmental question addressed before you close -- this is a different and more specific question than a routine perc test or general soil study.
Who to Call Before Buying Land in Gila County
For land within the San Carlos Apache Reservation or the portion of the Fort Apache (White Mountain Apache) Reservation extending into Gila County, contact the relevant tribal government directly -- these are separate sovereign governments with their own land offices, not Gila County departments. For land within Tonto National Forest, contact the U.S. Forest Service's Tonto National Forest office (Globe Ranger District covers much of the county) rather than the county.
Planning & Zoning
Gila County Community Development Division -- Planning and Zoning
Confirming a parcel's zoning district under the county Zoning Ordinance, permitted uses, and land-division/subdivision questions.
Building & Permitting
Gila County Community Development Division -- Building Safety
Building permits, floodplain permits, and grading/drainage permits for construction in unincorporated Gila County (Globe and Payson offices).
Septic / Onsite Wastewater
Gila County Community Development Division -- Wastewater
Septic system permit applications, plan review, soils testing, and inspections.
GIS / Parcel Records
Gila County GIS / Assessor Mapping
Pulling a specific parcel's boundaries and ownership category (private, Forest Service, tribal, or state trust) before relying on a listing description.
Assessor / Property Tax
Gila County Assessor
Current assessed value and property tax questions for a specific parcel.
Recorder / Clerk / Land Records
Gila County Recorder
Recorded deed, easement, and plat history for a specific parcel.
Other
Arizona State Mine Inspector
Questions about documented abandoned mine hazards, subsidence areas, or tailings areas on or near a specific parcel in the historic Globe-Miami mining district.
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Get local guidanceTopics Specific to Gila County
Sources
- Planning and Zoning — Gila County, Arizona Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Zoning Ordinance for Unincorporated Areas of Gila County, Arizona (Revised 03-15-2022) — Gila County, Arizona Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Subdivision Regulations, Gila County, Arizona (Adopted September 24, 2002) — Gila County, Arizona Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Gila County Factsheet (January 2024) — Water Resources Research Center, University of Arizona (accessed 2026-09)
- Profile: Gila County, Arizona — Arizona Department of Commerce (hosted via Resolution Copper Mine EIS reference library) (accessed 2026-09)
- Mining history of Globe-Miami area, Arizona — Arizona Geological Survey (accessed 2026-09)
- Abandoned Mines — Arizona State Mine Inspector (accessed 2026-09)
- Arizona Revised Statutes § 27-318 -- Dangerous mine shafts, adits or tunnels — Arizona State Legislature (accessed 2026-09)
- Arizona - Abandoned Mine Lands Program — U.S. Bureau of Land Management (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09