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Commercial Building Permit in Town of Payson, Arizona

Required for new commercial building construction and for interior/exterior alterations (tenant improvements) to existing commercial buildings in Payson. Reviewed against the 2018 IBC, 2018 IPC, 2018 IMC, and 2017 NEC per the Town of Payson's own Commercial Construction Checklist. Tenant improvement work is NOT a separate permit type in Payson: it is submitted using the same Commercial Construction Checklist and Building Permit Application as new commercial construction, and billed the same valuation-based Building Permit Fee (Chapter 150 Table 3-A) plus 65% plan review fee. The checklist's only distinction between 'building' and 'tenant space' is for the registered-design-professional-stamp threshold (see requirements below), not a separate application, checklist, or fee schedule.

Verified 2026-08-16 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Building permit required for new commercial building construction and for tenant improvements (interior/exterior alterations to an existing commercial building); both use the same Town of Payson Commercial Construction Checklist (Revised 7/20/20)
  • Design Review Approval is required before plans can be submitted for building permit review, per the Commercial Construction Checklist
  • Reviewed against 2018 IBC, 2018 IPC, and 2018 IMC, plus 2017 NEC, per the Commercial Construction Checklist
  • Electronic submittal (email or thumb drive) is preferred; if paper copies are submitted, 9 full sets are required (10 sets if the project includes a commercial kitchen)
  • A registered design professional (architect/engineer) stamp is required, per A.R.S. § 32-144, if the building (not the tenant space alone) is 3,000 sq. ft. or more, is over two stories, or has 20 or more occupants — consistent with the same three-part threshold stated in the Building Division FAQs
  • Fire sprinklers are required for commercial buildings 4,800 sq. ft. or larger, per Town Ordinance #912 (distinct from the residential 4,800-sq.-ft. IRC sprinkler-installation exemption elsewhere in this record)
  • Commercial submittal package (per the Commercial Construction Checklist) includes, as applicable to the project: Permit Application, Site/Civil Plans, Landscape Plan, Building Occupancy Group designation, Type of Construction, Structural Engineering, Truss Calculations, Soils Report, Asbestos Report, Contractor Bonding Certificate, Sanitary District Approval, Fire Sprinkler Plans, Accessibility Provisions, Temporary Power Agreement, Contractor License Verification, and Business License Verification Contractor
  • If the Property Owner and Building Owner are different entities, both names must be reflected adjacent to each other in the Owner Box on all Building Permit copies, per the Commercial Construction Checklist
  • Building permit fee is valuation-based (Chapter 150 Table 3-A, same table used for residential 'New Home & Commercial' fee calculation); plan review fee is 65% of the calculated Building Permit fee

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Commercial Building Permit Fee — Valuation Table 3-A
Town of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. Show full citationTown of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. 2026-020, effective July 1, 2026), Exhibit B, Community Development Fees and Charges, Building Division — 'New Home & Commercial Permits' / 'New Home & Commercial Fee Calculation', Valuation Table 3-A, printed p.6; all eight valuation bands unchanged from the FY2021-2022 edition.
Same valuation-based schedule used for the 'New Home & Commercial Fee Calculation': $0 ($1-$1,000); $25 + $3/additional $100 to $2,000; $69 + $11/additional $1,000 to $40,000; $487 + $9/additional $1,000 to $100,000; $1,027 + $7/additional $1,000 to $500,000; $3,827 + $5/additional $1,000 to $1,000,000; $6,327 + $3/additional $1,000 to $5,000,000; $18,327 + $1/additional $1,000 above $5,000,000
Plan Review FeeTown of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. 2026-020, effective July 1, 2026), Exhibit B, 'New Home & Commercial Fee Calculation' step D, printed p.6 — read from a rendered page image; unchanged.
65% of the calculated Building Permit Fee
Investigation Fee (work commenced before permit issuance)
Payson Code of Ordinances § 150.21 IBC amendment (5), re-read on amlegal.com 2026-08-16 and still setting a $70 minimum; Show full citationPayson Code of Ordinances § 150.21 IBC amendment (5), re-read on amlegal.com 2026-08-16 and still setting a $70 minimum; applies identically to commercial work. The Town of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. 2026-020, effective July 1, 2026) states only 'Building Without a Permit... Investigation Fee Equal to Project Permit Fee' (Exhibit B, printed p.9) without restating the $70 floor — both sources are disclosed here.
Equal to the permit fee that would have applied; minimum $70
Temporary Certificate of Occupancy — Commercial, first six months
Town of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. Show full citationTown of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. 2026-020, effective July 1, 2026), Exhibit B, Building Division, 'Temporary Certificate of Occupancy', printed p.9: 'Commercial 1st six months... $500.00/month to double every 6 months.' A Residential Temporary Certificate of Occupancy is separately listed at $250.00/month on the same line block. This supersedes the $300.00/month figure from the FY2021-2022 schedule.
$500.00/month
Temporary Certificate of Occupancy — Commercial, after six months
Derived from the published doubling rule rather than from a separate printed line: the Town of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. Show full citationDerived from the published doubling rule rather than from a separate printed line: the Town of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. 2026-020, effective July 1, 2026), Exhibit B, printed p.9, prints 'Commercial 1st six months... $500.00/month to double every 6 months' with the footnote 'Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Fees double every six months.' The FY2021-2022 edition printed the two tiers as separate lines ($300.00/month and $600.00/month); the FY2026-2027 edition prints only the first tier plus the doubling rule, so $1,000.00/month is the doubled first-tier rate and not a directly printed figure.
$1,000.00/month
Engineering Division Plan Review — Commercial & Industrial Developments, 1st & 2nd Review
Town of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. Show full citationTown of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. 2026-020, effective July 1, 2026), Exhibit C, Engineering Division Fees and Charges, 'Plan Review Fees for Subdivisions, Multi Family Residential, Commercial & Industrial Developments', printed p.13. The FY2026-2027 edition no longer bundles a 1st-and-2nd review: it prints 'Construction Plans (Grading, Drainage, Paving, etc.) up to 24" x 36": Each Review... $265.00/Sheet', with Addenda to Permitted Drawings and As-Built Drawings also at $265.00/Sheet. This supersedes the FY2021-2022 schedule's '$300.00/sheet (both reviews included)' figure.
$265.00/Sheet, each review
Engineering Division Plan Review — Additional Reviews
Town of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. Show full citationTown of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. 2026-020, effective July 1, 2026), Exhibit C, printed p.13: every review is now charged at the same $265.00/Sheet rate, and the Final Subdivision Plat block prints '1st Review — Included in Comm Dev Fees; Additional Reviews (Each) — $265.00/Sheet.' The separate discounted additional-review rate no longer exists; under the prior FY2021-2022 schedule it was $150.00/sheet.
$265.00/Sheet
Non-Subdivision Commercial or Industrial Lot Development Permit Fee
This fee was $2,500.00/acre under the FY2021-2022 schedule. Show full citationThis fee was $2,500.00/acre under the FY2021-2022 schedule. The current figure comes from the Town of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. 2026-020, effective July 1, 2026), Exhibit C, Engineering Division Fees and Charges, 'Non-Subdivision Multi-Family, Commercial or Industrial Lot Developments — Project Administration and Field Observation Fee', printed p.14. The fee covers Town project administration and field observation and is calculated on the total lot area of the parcel(s) being developed; a Right-of-Way permit and Grading Permit are additionally required at the rates listed in the same exhibit.
$3,150/acre ($600.00 minimum)
Planning & Zoning Plan Review — Commercial/Multi-Family
Town of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. Show full citationTown of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. 2026-020, effective July 1, 2026), Exhibit B, Planning and Zoning, 'PLAN REVIEWS', printed p.11: 'Commercial/Multi-Family... $300.00 (Over 3 DU) (Plus $100.00/acre on development over 1 acre).' The base fee was $1,000.00 in the superseded FY2021-2022 schedule; the $100.00/acre component is unchanged, so only the base fee moved. Read this page as published — a copy-paste offsets its rows by one.
$300.00 (over 3 dwelling units), plus $100.00/acre on development over 1 acre
Design Review — New Projects
This fee was $150.00 under the FY2021-2022 schedule. Show full citationThis fee was $150.00 under the FY2021-2022 schedule. The current figure comes from the Town of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. 2026-020, effective July 1, 2026), Exhibit B, Planning and Zoning, 'ZONING APPLICATION SUBMITTALS', Design Review block, printed p.10. Caution when reading the published PDF: the Design Review block's rows are easily offset by one, which would wrongly pair 'New Projects' with $2,000.00 and 'Façade Changes' with $50.00; the correct rows read Façade Changes and Minor Additions $250.00, Paint Color Approval $50.00, New Projects $700.00. The Commercial Construction Checklist requires Design Review Approval before plans can be submitted for building permit review.
$700.00
Design Review — Facade changes and minor additions
Town of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. Show full citationTown of Payson Fees and Charges Schedule FY2026-2027 (Resolution No. 2026-020, effective July 1, 2026), Exhibit B, Planning and Zoning, Design Review block, printed p.10. The FY2021-2022 schedule's $50.00 figure is superseded; in the current schedule, $50.00 is the Paint Color Approval line immediately below Façade Changes — an adjacent row easily misread when working from the PDF's flowed text.
$250.00

Review timeline

Plan reviewTown of Payson’s published plan-review target
20–20 business days

How long did your Commercial Building Permit permit actually take in Town of Payson?

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Inspection process

  1. 1

    Rough-In (Structural / MEP)

    Structural framing, connections, and mechanical/electrical/plumbing rough-in verified before concealment, per 2018 IBC/IPC/IMC and 2017 NEC

  2. 2

    Final / Certificate of Occupancy

    Completed work verified against approved plans prior to Certificate of Occupancy

See the full Town of Payson inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • Payson does not have a separate tenant-improvement permit, application, or fee schedule — the same Commercial Construction Checklist and Building Permit Application cover both new commercial construction and tenant improvements, billed identically under Table 3-A valuation plus 65% plan review. The checklist's 'building (not tenant space)' language only affects the registered-design-professional-stamp threshold, not the permitting process itself.
  • Per the Town's Building Division FAQs, commercial projects take longer to review than residential: initial comments are typically delivered within 20 working days (versus 10 working days for single-family/duplex projects) — this is the Town's own published figure and is the only commercial-specific review-timeframe figure the Town publishes; no separate total-approval-time figure (e.g., for subsequent review rounds) was found in the Town's published materials.
  • Design Review Approval (a Planning & Zoning step, $700.00 for new projects or $250.00 for facade changes and minor additions per the FY2026-2027 Fee Schedule) is a prerequisite the Commercial Construction Checklist requires BEFORE plans can be submitted for Building Division review — budget for this as a separate up-front step. Both figures rose sharply from the FY2021-2022 schedule ($150.00 and $50.00 respectively).
  • Commercial projects 4,800 sq. ft. or larger require fire sprinklers under Town Ordinance #912, per the Commercial Construction Checklist — a distinct trigger from the residential 4,800-sq.-ft. IRC sprinkler-installation exemption used elsewhere in this record.
  • Multi-family, commercial, or industrial site/civil work carries its own Engineering Division and Planning & Zoning plan-review fees (per-sheet Engineering review, per-acre lot-development fee, and a Commercial/Multi-Family Planning & Zoning plan-review fee) in addition to the Building Division's valuation-based permit fee — budget for all three fee tracks on a ground-up commercial project.
  • The Commercial Construction Checklist's code citations (2018 IBC, 2018 IPC, 2018 IMC, 2017 NEC) corroborate — from a second, independent Town document — the codesAdopted note that the companion Mechanical/Plumbing code editions are very likely matched to the 2018 IBC/IRC cycle. Those editions remain recorded as an inference: the standalone Chapter 150 sections for those codes are not cited as confirmation.

Frequently asked questions

Town of Payson requires a commercial building permit for: Building permit required for new commercial building construction and for tenant improvements (interior/exterior alterations to an existing commercial building); both use the same Town of Payson Commercial Construction Checklist (Revised 7/20/20); Design Review Approval is required before plans can be submitted for building permit review, per the Commercial Construction Checklist; Reviewed against 2018 IBC, 2018 IPC, and 2018 IMC, plus 2017 NEC, per the Commercial Construction Checklist; Electronic submittal (email or thumb drive) is preferred; if paper copies are submitted, 9 full sets are required (10 sets if the project includes a commercial kitchen); A registered design professional (architect/engineer) stamp is required, per A.R.S. § 32-144, if the building (not the tenant space alone) is 3,000 sq. ft. or more, is over two stories, or has 20 or more occupants — consistent with the same three-part threshold stated in the Building Division FAQs; Fire sprinklers are required for commercial buildings 4,800 sq. ft. or larger, per Town Ordinance #912 (distinct from the residential 4,800-sq.-ft. IRC sprinkler-installation exemption elsewhere in this record); Commercial submittal package (per the Commercial Construction Checklist) includes, as applicable to the project: Permit Application, Site/Civil Plans, Landscape Plan, Building Occupancy Group designation, Type of Construction, Structural Engineering, Truss Calculations, Soils Report, Asbestos Report, Contractor Bonding Certificate, Sanitary District Approval, Fire Sprinkler Plans, Accessibility Provisions, Temporary Power Agreement, Contractor License Verification, and Business License Verification; If the Property Owner and Building Owner are different entities, both names must be reflected adjacent to each other in the Owner Box on all Building Permit copies, per the Commercial Construction Checklist; Building permit fee is valuation-based (Chapter 150 Table 3-A, same table used for residential 'New Home & Commercial' fee calculation); plan review fee is 65% of the calculated Building Permit fee. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Town of Payson Community Development Department — Building Division at 928-472-5030 before starting work.

In Town of Payson, the published Commercial Building Permit Fee — Valuation Table 3-A is: Same valuation-based schedule used for the 'New Home & Commercial Fee Calculation': $0 ($1-$1,000); $25 + $3/additional $100 to $2,000; $69 + $11/additional $1,000 to $40,000; $487 + $9/additional $1,000 to $100,000; $1,027 + $7/additional $1,000 to $500,000; $3,827 + $5/additional $1,000 to $1,000,000; $6,327 + $3/additional $1,000 to $5,000,000; $18,327 + $1/additional $1,000 above $5,000,000. Additional published fees: Plan Review Fee — 65% of the calculated Building Permit Fee; Investigation Fee (work commenced before permit issuance) — Equal to the permit fee that would have applied; minimum $70; Temporary Certificate of Occupancy — Commercial, first six months — $500.00/month; Temporary Certificate of Occupancy — Commercial, after six months — $1,000.00/month; Engineering Division Plan Review — Commercial & Industrial Developments, 1st & 2nd Review — $265.00/Sheet, each review; Engineering Division Plan Review — Additional Reviews — $265.00/Sheet; Non-Subdivision Commercial or Industrial Lot Development Permit Fee — $3,150/acre ($600.00 minimum); Planning & Zoning Plan Review — Commercial/Multi-Family — $300.00 (over 3 dwelling units), plus $100.00/acre on development over 1 acre; Design Review — New Projects — $700.00; Design Review — Facade changes and minor additions — $250.00. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Per the Town of Payson Building Division FAQs, commercial projects are more complicated to review than residential ones, with initial comments typically delivered within 20 working days (versus 10 working days for single-family/duplex projects). The Town does not publish a separate total-approval-time figure beyond this initial-comments timeframe.

You'll need: Commercial Construction Checklist; Building Permit Application; Site/Civil Plans; Structural Engineering / Truss Calculations; Contractor Bonding Certificate. Depending on your project, Town of Payson may also ask for: Asbestos Report; Fire Sprinkler Plans. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Town of Payson requires 2 inspection(s) for a commercial building permit, in order: Rough-In (Structural / MEP), Final / Certificate of Occupancy. Schedule each through Town of Payson Community Development Department — Building Division (928-472-5030).

Apply through Town of Payson Community Development Department — Building Division at 303C N. Beeline Highway, Payson, AZ 85541. Phone: 928-472-5030, email: building@paysonaz.us. Office hours: Monday - Thursday, 7:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. (closed Fridays and Holidays); TDD Phone 928-472-6449. Building permit applications may be submitted at the Building Division counter; electronic/digital submittals are preferred for solar and other checklist-based permits.. Official information: https://www.paysonaz.gov/departments/community-development/building-division.

No. Tenant improvement work uses the same Commercial Construction Checklist and Building Permit Application as new commercial construction, and is billed the same valuation-based Building Permit Fee (Chapter 150 Table 3-A) plus 65% plan review fee. The checklist distinguishes 'building (not tenant space)' only for purposes of the registered-design-professional-stamp threshold, not for a separate permit process or fee schedule.

Per the Commercial Construction Checklist (citing A.R.S. § 32-144) and the Building Division FAQs, a registered design professional stamp is required if the building (not the tenant space alone) is 3,000 sq. ft. or more, is over two stories, or has an occupant load of 20 or more.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-16.

Fee schedules

Checklists & handouts

Codes & ordinances

Department & other records

Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Town of Payson building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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