Schieffelin Historic District Certificate of Appropriateness (HPC Review) in Tombstone, Arizona

Tombstone requires a schieffelin historic district certificate of appropriateness (hpc review) permit for: Required for: exterior alteration, restoration, reconstruction, removal, or demolition of a landmark structure; exterior alteration or new construction of non-historic structures within the District; and any material change in exterior appearance (including signs, light fixtures, fences, steps, sidewalks, paving, landscaping, or other exterior elements visible from a public street or alley) — Tombstone City Code Section 10-19-4; Exempt: minor alterations as determined by the Building Inspector; routine maintenance or emergency repairs under $1,000 in value (may proceed concurrently with COA application rather than waiting for prior approval); work the Building Inspector certifies in writing as required by public safety due to an unsafe/dangerous condition; Design criteria (Section 10-19-7): contributing properties must be retained with historic features altered minimally; alterations must conform to the unique character of the original structure; new construction must be consistent with surrounding historic architecture; Once the HPC issues notice of a PROPOSED new landmark/district designation, no building permits may be issued for the subject structure/area until the HPC makes its designation decision (Section 2-1-8); No permits shall be issued if the COA application is denied. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Tombstone Building Department at 520-457-3415 before starting work.

In Tombstone, the published Certificate of Appropriateness / HPC Application Fee is: Not separately itemized in the City's November 14, 2025 Fee Schedule. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Per Tombstone City Code Section 10-19-5, the Historic Preservation Inspector must forward a report and recommendation to the Commission within 21 days of application submittal. The Commission then votes at its next public meeting; no separate published guarantee exists for how quickly that meeting/vote occurs after the 21-day report step. Property owners have 10 days from approval to sign the certificate or appeal conditions.

You'll need: HPC Application. Depending on your project, Tombstone may also ask for: Historic District Sign and Construction Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Apply through City of Tombstone Building Department at 611 E. Allen Street, Tombstone, AZ 85638 (City Hall: 613 E. Allen Street, Tombstone, AZ 85638). Phone: 520-457-3415, email: buildingofficial@cityoftombstoneaz.gov. Office hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (City of Tombstone Building Inspector page and Building Permit Application, Rev. 1/2024). Building Official/Inspector: Robert Hendrickson. Applications are submitted in person or by mail to the Building Department (P.O. Box 339, Tombstone, AZ 85638); the City does not appear to offer an online e-permitting portal as of this review — all forms found are static PDFs requiring paper/email submittal. Inspections are scheduled by calling 520-457-3415. Projects within the Schieffelin Historic District require Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) approval BEFORE building permit submission/approval, per the Building Permit Application's own header notice.. Official information: https://cityoftombstoneaz.gov/building-inspector/.

Tombstone, 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 (A.R.S. Title 9). The City of Tombstone is a home-rule city that independently adopts and administers its own construction codes through its own Building Department; it does not defer building permitting to Cochise County despite its small size (2020 Census population 1,307). Source: Tombstone City Code, Title 3 (Building Regulations), Chapter 1 (Building Code), codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/tombstoneaz (current through Ord. 2025-06, passed 10-14-2025).; 2006 International Residential Code (IRC) and 2006 International Building Code (IBC), adopted by reference as 'the Uniform Building Code' of the City, per Tombstone City Code Section 3-1-1 (Adoption of Building Codes). NOTE: this is a genuinely old code cycle (2006, not a current ICC edition) — confirmed independently via two sources: (1) the codified City Code text itself (accessed via r.jina.ai proxy of codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/tombstoneaz/latest/tombstone_az/0-0-0-1834, since amlegal.com returns HTTP 403 to a plain fetch), and (2) the Arizona Building Officials (AZBO) statewide directories, which as of the most recent editions searched (2018/2021) listed Tombstone's adopted codes as 2006 IBC/IRC/IMC/IPC and 2005 NEC. The current Building Permit Application (Rev. 1/2024) also cites 'Tombstone City Code, 3-1-1: Adoption of the Uniform Building Code' and references 'Uniform Building Code Permit Requirements' by name, consistent with the 2006-cycle adoption never having been updated to a current ICC edition. Source: Tombstone City Code Section 3-1-1; AZBO Directory (2018, 2021 editions); City of Tombstone Building Permit Application (Rev. 1/2024).; National Electrical Code of 1988, as copyrighted by the National Fire Protection Association, adopted by reference (Tombstone City Code Section 3-1-4, Electrical Code). This is a very old NEC edition (1988) relative to current AZ municipal practice (most Cochise County peers are on 2017 or 2020 NEC) — confirmed via direct code-section fetch; no more recent NEC adoption ordinance was located despite a search for 'building code' + ordinance amendments through the current Ord. 2025-06 code-currency marker. Source: Tombstone City Code Section 3-1-4.; Uniform Plumbing Code, 1988 edition, as copyrighted by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, adopted by reference (Tombstone City Code Section 3-1-5, Plumbing Code) — notably NOT an ICC/IPC adoption but the IAPMO's competing UPC model code, at its 1988 edition. Source: Tombstone City Code Section 3-1-5.; No IMC (mechanical), IFGC (fuel gas), IFC (fire), or IEBC (existing building) adoption was located anywhere in the codified Tombstone City Code Title 3 chapters reviewed, in the current Building Permit Application, or in the AZBO directory search results for Tombstone. This appears to be a genuine gap in the City's own published code structure (mechanical and gas work is folded into the 2006 IBC/IRC's own built-in mechanical/fuel-gas chapters rather than a standalone locally-adopted IMC/IFGC) rather than an extraction failure — the Building Permit Application's own 'Mechanical Plan' and 'Plumbing Plan' submittal-requirement sections cite no separate code title beyond the 'Uniform Building Code' umbrella term used throughout the form. Source: Tombstone City Code Title 3; City of Tombstone Building Permit Application (Rev. 1/2024).; Terminology construction: wherever 'a municipality' appears in the adopted building code, it is held to mean the City of Tombstone; 'corporation counsel' means the city attorney/legal advisor (Tombstone City Code Section 3-1-2, Construction of Terms). Source: Tombstone City Code Section 3-1-2.; Building Official / administrative authority is vested in the office of the City Clerk under the codified ordinance structure, with authority to designate deputies for inspections and other required duties (Tombstone City Code Section 3-1-6); in current practice, the City separately staffs a dedicated Building Official/Inspector position (Robert Hendrickson) rather than routing this through the Clerk's office day-to-day. Source: Tombstone City Code Section 3-1-6 (codified structure); City of Tombstone Building Inspector page (current practice).; Manufactured homes, mobile homes, and factory-built buildings: construction/installation standards for the home itself are regulated directly by the State of Arizona (Department of Fire, Building and Life Safety / Office of Manufactured Housing, A.R.S. Title 41-4001 et seq.), consistent with statewide practice; the City separately issues its own Manufactured Building Permit (flat fee $300.00, including 2 inspections, per the City's November 14, 2025 Fee Schedule) for local placement/site compliance, using its own dedicated Manufactured Building Permit Application form. Source: City of Tombstone Fee Schedule (effective 11/14/2025); Manufactured Building Permit Application (City of Tombstone).. Local amendments apply — see the Tombstone overview page for the full list.

Exterior alteration, restoration, reconstruction, removal, or demolition of a landmark structure; exterior work or new construction on non-historic structures within the Schieffelin Historic Preservation District; and any material change to exterior appearance (signs, light fixtures, fences, steps, sidewalks, paving, landscaping, or other exterior elements visible from a public street or alley), per Tombstone City Code Section 10-19-4. Minor alterations (Building Inspector's discretion) and routine maintenance/emergency repairs under $1,000 are exempt from prior approval.