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Change of Occupancy / Certificate of Occupancy in Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff's real local equivalent of a generic 'change of use' permit is its Change of Occupancy process: whenever a building's occupancy classification changes — regardless of whether any physical alterations are made — a Building Permit is required to assess compliance with the International Existing Building Code (IEBC) for the new occupancy, per IBC/IEBC Section 105.1, culminating in a new Certificate of Occupancy. No building or structure may be occupied or used until the Building Official issues that Certificate of Occupancy, confirming compliance with the Zoning Code and all on- and off-site improvements. This is administered by the Building Safety & Code Compliance Section using the standard Residential or Commercial Building Permit Application — there is no separate 'change of use' permit type or application form.

Verified 2026-07-23 · Source

When you need this permit

  • A Building Permit is required whenever a building's occupancy classification changes, regardless of whether alterations are made to the building for the new use, to assess IEBC compliance for the new occupancy, per IBC and IEBC Section 105.1
  • To confirm whether a given project is considered a Change of Occupancy, and whether a building permit / new Certificate of Occupancy is required, the applicant must contact a Building Plan Reviewer via the Plan Reviewer of the Day schedule
  • No building or structure may be occupied or used until the Building Official has issued a Certificate of Occupancy and determined the building has been constructed, and all on- and off-site improvements developed, in compliance with the Zoning Code and other applicable City codes
  • The standard Residential Building Permit Application or Commercial Building Permit Application is used (there is no distinct Change-of-Occupancy application form); even the Over-the-Counter Permit Application screens for this by asking 'Does the proposed work constitute a change to the occupancy classification or use of the building?' — a 'Yes' answer routes the project out of the OTC pathway into full plan review
  • Temporary Certificates of Occupancy are NOT authorized for residential construction (detached single-family dwellings and duplexes), per the City's 2019 amendment to 2018 IBC 111.3 / IRC R110.1, EXCEPT: (1) when a driveway approach cannot be poured due to weather and the applicant posts a bond with the City, or (2) when the structure meets all requirements for habitable space and sanitation, in which case any unfinished items (bonus rooms, basement finishing, etc.) are annotated 'not inspected' in the inspection record at the time of Temporary CO issuance
  • Applicants who move into a dwelling before receiving a Certificate of Occupancy may be evicted, as the property is posted 'NO OCCUPANCY' by the building inspector or Building Official
  • Billed under the same valuation-based Building Permit Fee methodology as other Building Permits (City Council Resolution 2017-21); no separate Change-of-Occupancy or Certificate-of-Occupancy issuance fee schedule was found

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee (valuation-based, ICC February 2017 Building Valuation Data methodology)City of Flagstaff Resolution 2017-21, effective August 1, 2017 — the same general fee methodology used for the Residential and Commercial Building Permits; no separate Change-of-Occupancy or Certificate-of-Occupancy fee schedule was found distinct from this general valuation-based Building Permit Fee
Gross/Project Area x Square Foot Construction Cost (by new occupancy/construction type) x 0.01 permit fee multiplier, plus 65% plan review fee

Review timeline

Plan reviewFlagstaff’s published plan-review target
15–65 business days

How long did your Change of Occupancy / Certificate of Occupancy permit actually take in Flagstaff?

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Inspection process

  1. 1

    IEBC Compliance / Plan Review

    Building Plan Reviewer assesses the proposed new occupancy classification against International Existing Building Code requirements

  2. 2

    Construction Inspections (if alterations are made)

    Standard foundation/framing/MEP rough-in inspections applicable to whichever underlying Building Permit type (residential addition/remodel or commercial building permit) covers the alteration work, if any

  3. 3

    Final / Certificate of Occupancy Inspection

    Building Official confirms the building complies with the Zoning Code and all applicable City codes before issuing the new Certificate of Occupancy

See the full Flagstaff inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • A Change of Occupancy building permit is triggered purely by a change in occupancy classification (e.g., retail to restaurant, office to assembly) — even if no physical construction or alteration takes place.
  • Always confirm with the Plan Reviewer of the Day before assuming a change in tenant or use is exempt from permitting — the City, not the applicant, determines whether a use change constitutes a Change of Occupancy.
  • Temporary Certificates of Occupancy are effectively unavailable for new single-family/duplex residential construction, with only two narrow exceptions (weather-blocked driveway with a bond; a substantially complete home with unfinished items annotated 'not inspected'). Moving in before the CO is issued risks eviction and a 'NO OCCUPANCY' posting by the Building Official.
  • There is no separate Change-of-Occupancy or CO-issuance fee — it is billed as a standard valuation-based Building Permit (Resolution 2017-21), so a low-valuation, non-structural use change can still trigger a real plan-review fee.
  • reviewTimelineDays reflects the Commercial Building/Civil Plan Review track (15 working days Administrative Completeness Review + 50 working days Substantive Review = 65 working days overall) since a Change of Occupancy predominantly applies to commercial/business occupancy reclassifications. A rare residential change of occupancy (e.g., a duplex-to-single-family conversion) would instead fall under the Small Residential Plans track (10 + 25 = 35 working days overall). Source: City of Flagstaff Commercial Plan Review (PDF) and Residential Building Permits Plan Review Process and Timeframes (PDF).

Frequently asked questions

Yes. A change in occupancy classification requires a Building Permit — to assess compliance with the International Existing Building Code (IEBC) for the new occupancy — and a new Certificate of Occupancy, regardless of whether any physical alterations are made, per IBC/IEBC Section 105.1. Confirm with the Plan Reviewer of the Day whether your specific project counts as a Change of Occupancy.

In Flagstaff, the published Building Permit Fee (valuation-based, ICC February 2017 Building Valuation Data methodology) is: Gross/Project Area x Square Foot Construction Cost (by new occupancy/construction type) x 0.01 permit fee multiplier, plus 65% plan review fee. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Flagstaff's published plan-review target for a change of occupancy / certificate of occupancy permit is 15–65 business days.

You'll need: Residential Building Permit Application or Commercial Building Permit Application; Plans/Documentation for IEBC Compliance Review. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Flagstaff requires 3 inspection(s) for a change of occupancy / certificate of occupancy permit, in order: IEBC Compliance / Plan Review, Construction Inspections (if alterations are made), Final / Certificate of Occupancy Inspection. Schedule each through City of Flagstaff Building Safety Section (Planning & Development Services, Community Development Division) (928-213-2000).

Apply through City of Flagstaff Building Safety Section (Planning & Development Services, Community Development Division) at 211 W Aspen Avenue, Flagstaff, AZ 86001. Phone: 928-213-2000, email: BuildingPermits@flagstaffaz.gov. Office hours: City Hall is open 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Commercial permit attachments too large for the portal: Commercial.BuildingPermits@flagstaffaz.gov. Inter-departmental submittals: FrontCounter@flagstaffaz.gov.. Official information: https://www.flagstaff.az.gov/494/Building-Safety.

Flagstaff, Arizona has adopted: Arizona has no mandatory statewide building code edition — cities and counties each adopt and amend their own codes (per Arizona Revised Statutes framework for municipal building regulation; no state building-code-adoption agency parallel to Montana's DLI exists). The City of Flagstaff independently administers its own Building Safety program within city limits, separate from Coconino County's building department, which handles unincorporated county areas. Source: City of Flagstaff Building Safety page (flagstaff.az.gov/494/Building-Safety) and Building Permits page.; 2018 International Building Code (IBC) — adopted by City of Flagstaff Resolution 2019-26 and Ordinance 2019-16 on June 18, 2019, effective July 19, 2019 (the '2018 Suite of Codes'). Source: City of Flagstaff 2019 Adopted Building Codes (PDF); 2018 International Residential Code (IRC) — adopted per Resolution 2019-26 / Ordinance 2019-16, effective July 19, 2019; 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — adopted per Resolution 2019-26 / Ordinance 2019-16, effective July 19, 2019; 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — adopted per Resolution 2019-26 / Ordinance 2019-16, effective July 19, 2019; 2018 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — adopted per Resolution 2019-26 / Ordinance 2019-16, effective July 19, 2019 (Arizona/Flagstaff uses the IPC, not the Uniform Plumbing Code); 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — adopted per Resolution 2019-26 / Ordinance 2019-16, effective July 19, 2019; 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — adopted per Resolution 2019-26 / Ordinance 2019-16, effective July 19, 2019; 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — adopted per Resolution 2019-26 / Ordinance 2019-16, effective July 19, 2019; 2018 International Solar Energy Provisions (ISEP) — adopted per Resolution 2019-26 / Ordinance 2019-16, effective July 19, 2019; a compilation of solar energy provisions from the IBC, IRC, IECC, IMC, IPC, IFC, and ISPSC; 2017 NFPA 70 / National Electrical Code (NEC) — adopted per Resolution 2019-26 / Ordinance 2019-16, effective July 19, 2019; ICC A117.1-2017, Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities — adopted per Resolution 2019-26 / Ordinance 2019-16; 1997 Uniform Housing Code, 1997 Uniform Administrative Code, and 1997 Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings (ICBO) — retained as adopted codes per Flagstaff City Code Title 4, Chapter 4-01; All codes amended locally by Flagstaff City Code Title 4, Building Regulations (Chapters 4-01 through 4-11), on file with the City Clerk. Source: Flagstaff City Code Title 4 Building Regulations amendments document (2019 Amendments to the Adopted Codes, PDF, rev. 05/14/2019); Statewide overlay: Arizona Revised Statutes Section 9-468 sets mandatory statewide standards for solar photovoltaic and solar water heating construction permits (limits on required plan documentation, prohibits requiring a PE stamp absent a written justification, and caps solar permit fees at actual cost of issuance) — binding on the City of Flagstaff as a municipality. Source: azleg.gov ARS 9-468; Arizona Revised Statutes Sections 9-835 and 9-836 set statutory residential building-permit plan-review timeframes (Administrative Completeness Review and Substantive Review stages) that the City of Flagstaff's published review timeframes implement. Source: City of Flagstaff Residential Building Permits Plan Review Process and Timeframes (PDF). Local amendments apply — see the Flagstaff overview page for the full list.

Generally no. Temporary Certificates of Occupancy are not authorized for detached single-family dwellings and duplexes, except when a driveway approach can't be poured due to weather (with a bond posted) or when the home meets all habitable-space and sanitation requirements with only minor unfinished items remaining. Occupying a home before the CO is issued risks eviction and a 'NO OCCUPANCY' posting.

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