Commercial Building Permit in Benson, Arizona

Benson requires a commercial building permit for: Building permit required for new commercial construction, shell buildings, and tenant improvement/interior-alteration or repair projects within Benson city limits; submitted via the online iWorQ Citizen Portal (bensonbuilding.portal.iworq.net) with all plans, calculations, drawings, and spec sheets uploaded in PDF format only (image files such as JPEG/TIFF/GIF are rejected); Construction documents for all commercial projects located within the City must be prepared by a design professional registered in the State of Arizona, or as otherwise approved by the Building Official (locally-amended Building Code Section 107.1); Signed A.R.S. Title 32 form required as part of the online application submittal; Plans must comply with the 2024 IBC (applications received on/after May 13, 2026, per Ordinance 645/Resolution 11-2026) or the previously adopted 2015 IBC cycle with its locally-adopted amendments (applications filed before that date); Site plan prepared by a licensed Arizona registrant, submitted as two 24"x36" plat copies plus an AutoCAD-readable electronic file, per the City's Commercial Checklist (Planning & Zoning Submittal Requirements); Fort Huachuca Notification required per Arizona SB 1387 (notification requirement for development near the military installation), listed as a Planning & Zoning submittal item on the Commercial Checklist; Full multi-department submittal package required for new commercial construction and site development, per the Commercial Checklist: Planning & Zoning (site plan, zoning, drainage/flood, parking, hydrants), Engineering (drainage report, soils report, transportation impact analysis if applicable, water/wastewater models, grading and paving/signing/striping plans, sewer/water improvement plans, landscape plan for public right-of-way), Utilities (ADEQ NOI/SWPPP, ADEQ water-facility approvals, backflow prevention testing, grease trap installation, gas system details), Fire Department (approved site/building plans showing hydrant and riser-room locations, hydrant flow test report), and Building Department (site hydrology, soils, grading, paving, sewer/gas improvement plans, drainage, electrical/street lighting plans, special inspection form if applicable); Building Official may require a Project Safety and Hazards Mitigation Plan for new construction, remodeling, or renovation on existing facilities, to preserve occupant life-safety systems during construction (locally-amended Building Code Section 105.3, Item 8); Building permit valid 180 days from issue date; expires if no inspection progress for 6 consecutive months; one no-charge 6-month extension available within the initial 12-month period if significant progress has been documented; At project completion, a Commercial Project Closeout Checklist package must be submitted as an organized binder before final acceptance of public improvements and project closeout. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Benson Building Department (Community Development) at 520-720-6328 before starting work.

In Benson, the published Building Permit Fee — Based on Valuation is: $47.00 (valuation $1-$1,000); $47.00 + $4.00 per additional $100 to $2,000; $83.00 + $16.00 per additional $1,000 to $25,000; $466.00 + $12.00 per additional $1,000 to $50,000; $766.00 + $8.30 per additional $1,000 to $100,000; $1,181.00 + $6.70 per additional $1,000 to $500,000; $3,862.00 + $5.70 per additional $1,000 to $1,000,000; $6,712.00 + $4.40 per additional $1,000 above $1,000,000. Additional published fees: Plan Review Fee — 65 percent of the calculated Building Permit Fee; Valuation Basis — Shell-Only Building Permits — 65 percent of the unit cost in the ICC 'Building Valuation Data' table; Valuation Basis — Tenant Improvement / Interior Alteration Permits — 45 percent of the unit cost in the ICC 'Building Valuation Data' table; Commercial Site Plan Review Fee — $500 plus $50 per acre; Deferred Submittal Fee — Additional fee; specific dollar figure not published; Outside Consultant Plan Review Pass-Through — Consulting firm's actual fee, billed in addition to standard fees; Re-inspection Fee — Per the fee schedule in City Code Chapter 16; no separate commercial-specific dollar figure published. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

As of this review, the City of Benson does not publish a numeric plan-review turnaround time for commercial projects. The Building Department states only that reviews are performed on a first-come, first-served basis, with emergency repairs taking precedence. This is a confirmed, file-wide publication gap, not specific to commercial permits — call the Building Department at 520-720-6328 for a current estimate.

You'll need: Online Building Permit Application (iWorQ Citizen Portal); A.R.S. Title 32 Form; Commercial Checklist Submittal Package; Site Plan; Fort Huachuca Notification (SB 1387); Commercial Project Closeout Checklist. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Apply through City of Benson Building Department (Community Development) at 120 W. 6th Street, Benson, AZ 85602 (City Hall / general administration: 101 E. 6th Street, Benson, AZ 85602). Phone: 520-720-6328, email: permits@bensonaz.gov. Office hours: City Hall general office hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM MST; Wednesday 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM MST (Source: City of Benson Contact Us page). Building permit applications are submitted online via the City's iWorQ citizen portal (bensonbuilding.portal.iworq.net); all plan documents, calculations, drawings, and spec sheets must be uploaded in PDF format (image files such as JPEG/TIFF/GIF are not accepted). Plan reviews are performed on a first-come, first-served basis; emergency repairs such as utility or structural failures may take precedence. To request an inspection, email permits@bensonaz.gov at least 24 hours in advance with name, contact number, requested date, permit number, project address, and inspection type.. Official information: https://web.archive.org/web/20251124160757/https://www.bensonaz.gov/departments/building_department/index.php.

Benson, Arizona has adopted: Arizona has no statewide mandatory building code floor for general construction — code adoption is a per-city/county authority under state enabling statutes (Arizona Revised Statutes Title 9). The City of Benson independently adopts and administers its own construction codes through its Building Department. Source: Ordinance 645 (City of Benson, adopted April 13, 2026), whereas clause citing A.R.S. Title 9.; 2024 International Building Code (IBC), as amended by Exhibit A to Resolution 11-2026, adopted by reference in Benson City Code Chapter 7, Section 7-1-2 ('Building Codes Adopted'). Per Ordinance 645, all new permit applications received after May 13, 2026 (30 days after the April 13, 2026 adoption date) must comply with this code; plans already in review or approved before that date may remain on the previously adopted 2015 IBC cycle. Source: Ordinance 645, City of Benson (passed and adopted April 13, 2026).; 2024 International Residential Code (IRC), as amended by Exhibit B to Resolution 11-2026, adopted by reference in Benson City Code Chapter 7, effective for new applications received on/after May 13, 2026. Source: Ordinance 645, City of Benson.; 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC), as amended by Exhibit D to Resolution 11-2026, adopted by reference. Source: Ordinance 645, City of Benson.; 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC), as amended by Exhibit E to Resolution 11-2026, adopted by reference. Source: Ordinance 645, City of Benson.; 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), as amended by Exhibit F to Resolution 11-2026, adopted by reference. Source: Ordinance 645, City of Benson.; 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), as amended by Exhibit G to Resolution 11-2026, adopted by reference. Source: Ordinance 645, City of Benson.; 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), as amended by Exhibit H to Resolution 11-2026, adopted by reference. Source: Ordinance 645, City of Benson.; 2024 International Fire Code (IFC), as amended by Exhibit I to Resolution 11-2026, adopted by reference as the City's uniform fire code. Source: Ordinance 645, City of Benson.; 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), as amended by Exhibit J to Resolution 11-2026, adopted by reference. Source: Ordinance 645, City of Benson.; 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC), as published by the National Fire Protection Association, adopted by reference as amended by Exhibit C to Resolution 11-2026 (one edition behind the 2024 ICC set, consistent with the standard NFPA/ICC release-cycle offset). Source: Ordinance 645, City of Benson.; Immediately prior to Ordinance 645 (i.e., for plans submitted and approved before May 13, 2026), the City had adopted the 2015 editions of the International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fuel Gas, Existing Building, Swimming Pool and Spa, and Property Maintenance Codes, plus the 2015 International Fire Code and 2014 NFPA 70 National Electrical Code, per the former Benson City Code Chapter 7, Section 7-1-1 (Resolution 36-2017). Source: City of Benson Building Department page (Wayback Machine capture, November 24, 2025) and City Code of the City of Benson, Arizona (posting updated April 2023).; Manufactured homes, mobile homes, and factory-built buildings: the City of Benson has an Inspection Services Agreement with the Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH), effective May 3, 2021 for a five-year term, under which the City (as ADOH's local enforcement agency) monitors and enforces ADOH's installation standards (A.R.S. § 41-4004(A)(4); A.A.C. R4-34-102, R4-34-204, R4-34-606, R4-34-801) for manufactured home, mobile home, and factory-built building installations within city limits, including setback and tie-down inspections. Source: Resolution 11-2021 and attached Inspection Services Agreement Between Arizona Department of Housing and City of Benson.; ICC A117.1-2017 Standard and Commentary (Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities) is referenced by the City as its accessibility standard, in addition to the federal ADA framework. Source: City of Benson Building Department page.. Local amendments apply — see the Benson overview page for the full list.

No. Benson does not sell tenant improvement as a separate permit product — TI projects go through the same Commercial Building Permit application, iWorQ portal submittal, and Commercial Checklist review as new commercial construction. The only difference is that the City's locally-amended Building Code (Section 109.3.2) values interior-alteration/TI work at 45% of the ICC 'Building Valuation Data' unit cost (versus 65% for shell-only projects, or full unit cost for complete new buildings) when calculating the Building Permit Fee and 65% Plan Review Fee.

Yes. Per the City's locally-amended Building Code Section 107.1, construction documents for all commercial projects located within the City must be prepared by a design professional registered in the State of Arizona, or as otherwise approved by the Building Official — this requirement does not appear in the same form on Benson's residential building permit entry.