Arizona building permits

Where to get a building permit in Arizona

Apply to the building department of the city, town or county where the property is (the steps).

Our Arizona city guides, with each department's contacts, fees, inspections and project rules:

• Phoenix
• Tucson
• Mesa

State rules on which work needs a permit

A.R.S. § 9-470; § 11-324; § 11-865; § 9-467(F)

• Notwithstanding any other law, construction of a hoophouse or polyhouse is exempt from municipal building permit requirements if the hoophouse or polyhouse meets all of the following requirements…⁴
• Notwithstanding any other law, construction of a hoophouse or polyhouse is exempt from county building permit requirements if the hoophouse or polyhouse meets all of the following requirements…⁵
• 31 feet. The structure is not wider than thirty-one feet and there is an unobstructed path of not more than one hundred fifty feet from any point to a door or fully accessible wall.⁴
• Construction or operation incidental to construction and repair to irrigation and drainage ditches or appurtenances thereto, of regularly constituted districts or reclamation districts, or to farming, dairying, agriculture, viticulture, horticulture or stock or poultry raising, or clearing or other work on land in rural areas for fire prevention purposes.⁶
• …except that the board may authorize that areas zoned rural or unclassified may be exempt from the provisions of the code adopted.²
• If a person has constructed a building or an addition to a building without obtaining a building permit, a municipality shall not require a subsequent owner to obtain a permit for the construction or addition done by the prior owner before issuing a permit for a building addition except that this section does not prohibit enforcing an applicable ordinance or code provision that affects the public health or safety.¹

Homeowners doing their own work

A.R.S. § 32-1121(A)(5)

• Owners of property who improve such property or who build or improve structures or appurtenances on such property and who do the work themselves, with their own employees or with duly licensed contractors, if the structure, group of structures or appurtenances, including the improvements thereto, are intended for occupancy solely by the owner and are not intended for occupancy by members of the public as the owner's employees or business visitors and the structures or appurtenances are not intended for sale or for rent.⁷
• 1 year. In all actions brought under this chapter, except an action against an owner-occupant as defined in section 33-1002, proof of the sale or rent or the offering for sale or rent of any such structure by the owner-builder within one year after completion or issuance of a certificate of occupancy is prima facie evidence that such a project was undertaken for the purpose of sale or rent.⁷
• If the applicant purports to be exempt from the licensing requirements of this chapter, the statement shall contain the basis of the asserted exemption and the name and license number of any general, mechanical, electrical or plumbing contractor who will be employed on the work.⁸
• The local issuing authority may require from the applicant a statement signed by the registrar to verify any purported exemption.⁸
• Owners of property who improve such property or who build or improve structures or appurtenances on such property and who do the work themselves…⁹

Contractor licensing

A.R.S. § 32-1151; § 32-1164; § 32-1101.01

• It is unlawful for any person, firm, partnership, corporation, association or other organization, or a combination of any of them, to engage in the business of, submit a bid or respond to a request for qualification or a request for proposals for construction services as, act or offer to act in the capacity of or purport to have the capacity of a contractor without having a contractor's license in good standing in the name of the person, firm, partnership, corporation, association or other organization as provided in this chapter, unless the person, firm, partnership, corporation, association or other organization is exempt as provided in this chapter.¹⁰
• The legislature determines that the licensing of construction contractors is a proper state function.¹¹
• General residential contracting, which is engaging in the contracting business by any general contractor or subcontractor who undertakes to construct, alter, repair, add to, subtract from, improve, move, wreck or demolish any residential structure or appurtenances including swimming pools on or within residential property lines.¹²
• Class 1 misdemeanor. Commission by a contractor of any of the following acts is a class 1 misdemeanor…¹³
• $1,000. For the first offense under subsection A of this section, a contractor shall be fined not less than one thousand dollars.¹³
• $2,000. For the second or any subsequent offense under subsection A of this section, a contractor shall be fined not less than two thousand dollars.¹³
• Each county, city or other political subdivision or authority of this state or any agency, department, board or commission of this state that requires the issuance of a building permit as a condition precedent to the construction, alteration, improvement, demolition or repair of a building, structure or other improvement to real property for which a license is required under this chapter, as part of the application procedures which it uses, shall require that each applicant for a building permit file a signed statement that the applicant is properly licensed to perform the work described in the permit under this chapter with the applicant's license number.⁸

Handyman limits

A.R.S. § 32-1121(A)(14)

• The work or operations that are exempt under this paragraph shall be of a casual or minor nature.⁷
• (a) In any case in which the performance of the work requires a local building permit.⁷
• (c) To a person who uses any form of advertising to the public in which the person's unlicensed status is not disclosed by including the words "not a licensed contractor" in the advertisement.⁷
• All work done, including installing, maintaining and repairing devices, appliances or equipment, that involves connecting to any supply of natural gas, propane or other petroleum or gaseous fuel.⁷

Deadlines for permit decisions and inspections

A.R.S. § 9-835; § 11-1605

• A municipality that issues licenses required under existing ordinances or codes shall have in place an overall time frame during which the municipality will either grant or deny each type of license that it issues.¹⁴
• "License" includes the whole or part of any municipal permit, certificate, approval, registration, charter or similar form of permission required by law.¹⁵
• If a municipality does not issue a written or electronic notice of administrative completeness or deficiencies within the administrative completeness review time frame, the application is deemed administratively complete.¹⁴
• Refund of review fees. If a municipality makes more than one comprehensive written or electronic request for corrections and one supplemental written or electronic request for corrections to a license application necessary for residential building construction or land development limited to previously identified issues or in response to modifications made by the applicant or does not issue the applicant the written or electronic notice granting, conditionally granting or denying a license within the overall time frame or within the mutually agreed on time frame extension, the municipality shall refund to the applicant all fees charged for reviewing and acting on the application for the license and shall excuse payment of any fees that have not yet been paid.¹⁴
• This section does not apply to a license that is issued within seven working days after receipt of the initial application or a permit that expires within twenty-one working days after issuance.¹⁴
• On or before December 31, 2012, a county that issues licenses required under existing ordinances or codes shall have in place an overall time frame during which the county will either grant or deny each type of license that it issues.¹⁶
• Refund of review fees. If a county does not issue to the applicant the written or electronic notice granting or denying a license within the overall time frame or within the mutually agreed on time frame extension, the county shall refund to the applicant all fees charged for reviewing and acting on the application for the license and shall excuse payment of any fees that have not yet been paid.¹⁶
• 15 business days. If a municipality with a population of thirty thousand persons or more does not approve, conditionally approve or respond with required additions or revisions to an application for a single-family residential building permit within fifteen working days after the date the application is submitted, any required review of the application may be performed by a qualified third party selected by the municipality pursuant to the requirements of this section.¹⁷

Private plan review and inspections

A.R.S. § 9-470.01

• Third party plan review only. If a municipality with a population of thirty thousand persons or more does not approve, conditionally approve or respond with required additions or revisions to an application for a single-family residential building permit within fifteen working days after the date the application is submitted, any required review of the application may be performed by a qualified third party selected by the municipality pursuant to the requirements of this section.¹⁷
• A municipality shall maintain a list of at least three third-party reviewers who are eligible to be hired by the municipality to perform a building permit application review pursuant to this section.¹⁷
• The applicant is responsible for any fees and costs associated with a third-party review and shall pay the fees and costs to the municipality.¹⁷
• This section does not apply to applications required to comply with a hillside development ordinance or for floodplain reviews that are required pursuant to federal floodplain regulations.¹⁷

Selling a home with unpermitted work

A.R.S. § 33-422

• 7 days. A seller of five or fewer parcels of land, other than subdivided land, in an unincorporated area of a county and any subsequent seller of such a parcel shall complete and furnish a written affidavit of disclosure to the buyer at least seven days before the transfer of the property and the buyer shall acknowledge receipt of the affidavit.¹⁸
• If those requirements are not met, the property owner may not be able to obtain a building permit.¹⁸
• 5 days. The buyer has the right to rescind the sales transaction for a period of five days after the affidavit of disclosure is furnished to the buyer.¹⁸
• If a person has constructed a building or an addition to a building without obtaining a building permit, a municipality shall not require a subsequent owner to obtain a permit for the construction or addition done by the prior owner before issuing a permit for a building addition except that this section does not prohibit enforcing an applicable ordinance or code provision that affects the public health or safety.¹

Solar permitting

A.R.S. § 9-468; § 11-323

• A municipality shall not require a stamp from a professional engineer for a solar photovoltaic system unless an engineering stamp is deemed necessary.¹⁹
• A fee or charge shall not exceed the actual cost of issuing a permit, and a written, itemized list of the individual costs associated with the permit fee shall be provided at the request of the permittee.¹⁹
• Any building or permit fee or charge assessed by a county for a building permit for solar construction must be attributable to and defray or cover the expense of the service for which the fee or charge is assessed.²⁰

Accessory dwelling units (ADUs)

A.R.S. § 9-461.18 (cities and towns over 75,000); § 11-810.01 (counties); § 11-820.03 (park model trailers)

• At least one attached and one detached accessory dwelling unit as a permitted use.²¹
• A minimum of one additional detached accessory dwelling unit as a permitted use on a lot or parcel that is one acre or more in size if at least one accessory dwelling unit on the lot or parcel is a restricted-affordable dwelling unit.²¹
• 1,000 square feet. An accessory dwelling unit that is seventy-five percent of the gross floor area of the single-family dwelling on the same lot or parcel or one thousand square feet, whichever is less.²¹
• Require that a lot or parcel have additional parking to accommodate an accessory dwelling unit or require payment of fees instead of additional parking.²¹
• 5 feet. Set rear or side setbacks for accessory dwelling units that are more than five feet from the property line.²¹
• Require a familial, marital, employment or other preexisting relationship between the owner or occupant of a single-family dwelling and the occupant of an accessory dwelling unit located on the same lot or parcel.²¹
• This section does not supersede applicable building codes, fire codes or public health and safety regulations, except that a municipality may not require an accessory dwelling unit to comply with a commercial building code or contain a fire sprinkler.²¹
• This section does not prohibit restrictive covenants concerning accessory dwelling units entered into between private parties.²¹
• A minimum of one additional detached accessory dwelling unit as a permitted use on a lot or parcel that is one acre or more in size.²²
• 1,000 square feet. A county shall allow each accessory dwelling unit developed pursuant to this section to be at least seventy-five percent of the gross floor area of the single-family dwelling on the same lot or parcel or one thousand square feet, whichever is less.²²
• Effective January 1, 2026. If a county fails to adopt development regulations as required by this section on or before January 1, 2026, accessory dwelling units shall be allowed on all lots or parcels zoned for residential use in the county without limits.²²
• A county shall allow the use of a park model trailer as an accessory dwelling unit for use as a single-family residence in a location zoned for one dwelling unit per three acres or greater unless the parcel is located in a high noise or accident potential zone as defined in section 28-8461.²³

Applies to

75,000²¹