Commercial Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Alteration) in Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff requires a commercial building permit (new construction / addition / alteration) for: Building Permit required for new commercial construction, additions, and structural alterations, reviewed under the 2018 Suite of Codes as adopted by City of Flagstaff Resolution 2019-26 / Ordinance 2019-16; Application for Commercial Building/Grading Permit must be filled out completely, and construction drawings must include a Standard Code Summary Block on the cover sheet (occupancy type, type of construction, occupant loads, fire sprinklers, square footage figures); Construction plans must be sealed by an Arizona registrant per A.R.S. 32-143 if the project is over 3,000 sq ft, has 20 or more occupants, or has structural members greater than 20 feet; If the project is located in a City of Flagstaff Historic District, approval from the Historic Preservation Committee/Commission must be obtained before submitting building plans; The Grading Questionnaire on the application (cut/fill inside the building footprint excluded) must be completed; a 'Yes' answer to triggers such as fill greater than 50 cubic yards, engineered fill supporting a structure, or an unsupported cut slope over 5 feet requires the combined Building/Grading Permit process; Restaurants, medical marijuana facilities, pools, and similar uses require separate approval documentation from the Coconino County Health Department submitted with the plan set; Fire sprinkler and fire alarm system work requires a separate Fire Prevention Permit submitted directly to the Flagstaff Fire Department — administratively distinct from, and in addition to, this Building Permit; A Building Permit application is deemed abandoned 180 days after filing unless pursued in good faith or a permit issued (IBC 105.3.2); the Building Official may grant one or more 180-day extensions in writing for justifiable cause; Commercial Building Permits are valid for a maximum of 730 days, with one 365-day extension available on written request with justifiable cause; a second extension requires paying one-half the original building permit fee (excluding plan review fee); permits not passing final inspection within 1,095 days expire outright; Apply through the Citizen Access Portal, or submit directly to the Building Safety & Code Compliance Section (211 W Aspen Avenue); large commercial attachments may be emailed to Commercial.BuildingPermits@flagstaffaz.gov. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Flagstaff Building Safety Section (Planning & Development Services, Community Development Division) at 928-213-2000 before starting work.

Fees use the February 2017 ICC Building Valuation Data methodology: Gross Area x Square Foot Construction Cost (by occupancy/construction type) x a 0.01 permit fee multiplier, with the plan review fee set at 65% of the calculated building permit fee, per City Council Resolution 2017-21 (effective August 1, 2017). The plan review fee is due as a non-refundable deposit at submittal.

For new commercial construction or a 'Commercial Building /Civil Plan Review' project: 15 working days Administrative Completeness Review + 50 working days Substantive Review, for an overall timeframe of 65 working days. A separate, faster track applies to Commercial Tenant Improvement Plans (35 working days overall) — see the commercial-tenant-improvement-permit entry. Source: City of Flagstaff Commercial Plan Review (PDF).

You'll need: Application for Commercial Building/Grading Permit (PDF); Commercial Construction Drawings and Plan Review Checklist; Plumbing, Mechanical, and Electrical Plans. Depending on your project, Flagstaff may also ask for: Owner Authorization Form (PDF). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Flagstaff requires 4 inspection(s) for a commercial building permit (new construction / addition / alteration), in order: Foundation/Footing, Framing, Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing Rough-In, Final. 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.