Skip to main content
PermitBase

Fence Permit in Safford, Arizona

Fences are one of the explicit permit categories on the City of Safford's unified Building Permit Application, listed alongside Zoning-Plot/Site Plan and Manufactured Home as a checkbox option distinct from the Building/Mechanical/Plumbing/Electrical trade boxes.

Verified 2026-07-06 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Fence permit required — checked under 'Fence' on the Building Permit Application (separate checkbox from Building/Mechanical/Plumbing/Electrical)
  • Site plan showing property lines, setbacks, and fence location required per general submittal practice
  • Swimming pool barrier fences must additionally comply with the Swimming Pool Safety Code, A.R.S. § 36-1681, as cross-referenced on the City's Building/Development Permits & Codes page

Required documents

Check off what you have — your progress is saved on this device.

Not ready yet0 of 2 required documents checked.

This checker covers one permit. A full project usually triggers several — our paid checklist will assemble all of them, from $29

Fee schedule

Fence Permit — Based on Total ValuationCity of Safford Building Permit Fee Schedule PDF; no separate flat fence fee table was found published by the City — fence work is priced from the same Total Valuation table as all other building-permit work
Building Permit Fee Schedule valuation bracket for the work performed (minimum $15 bracket for low-valuation fence work)

Review timeline

Plan reviewSafford’s published plan-review target
10–20 business days

How long did your Fence Permit permit actually take in Safford?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Final

    Completed fence verified against approved site plan and, for pool barriers, against A.R.S. § 36-1681 barrier standards

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

Tips

  • As of July 2026, the City of Safford does not publish a separate fence-specific fee amount or a distinct exemption threshold (e.g., a maximum height below which no permit is required) on its public Building/Development Permits & Codes page or in its Building Permit Fee Schedule. There is no verifiable online source specifying a height-based fence permit exemption for Safford — call the Building Division at 928-432-4140 to confirm whether a specific fence height or type requires a permit before starting work.
  • Pool barrier fences are separately bound by the Arizona statewide Swimming Pool Safety Code (A.R.S. § 36-1681), which the City cross-references directly rather than adopting its own local pool-barrier ordinance language.

Frequently asked questions

Fence is listed as its own checkbox category on the City's Building Permit Application, separate from Building/Mechanical/Plumbing/Electrical. As of July 2026, the City has not published a height-based exemption threshold online — call the Building Division at 928-432-4140 to confirm whether your specific fence requires a permit.

In Safford, the published Fence Permit — Based on Total Valuation is: Building Permit Fee Schedule valuation bracket for the work performed (minimum $15 bracket for low-valuation fence work). These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Safford's published plan-review target for a fence permit is 10–20 business days.

You'll need: Building Permit Application (Residential or Commercial); Site/Plot Plan. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Safford requires 1 inspection(s) for a fence permit, in order: Final. Schedule each through City of Safford Planning & Community Development Department — Building Division (928-432-4140).

Apply through City of Safford Planning & Community Development Department — Building Division at 808 S. 8th Avenue, PO Box 272, Safford, AZ 85546. Phone: 928-432-4140, email: jholguin@saffordaz.gov. Office hours: Monday - Thursday, 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.; closed Fridays (City Hall 4/10 schedule). Building Permit Applications (Residential or Commercial) are submitted in person or by mail to the Planning & Community Development Department; a complete set of adopted building code books is available to view in the Building Inspector's office by appointment (call 928-432-4140 to schedule).. Official information: https://www.cityofsafford.us/148/Building-Development-Permits-Codes.

Safford, 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 (e.g., A.R.S. Title 9 for municipalities). The City of Safford independently recognizes and administers its own construction codes through the Planning & Community Development Department / Building Division. Source: City of Safford Building / Development Permits & Codes page (cityofsafford.us/148/Building-Development-Permits-Codes).; 2015 International Building Code (IBC), as published by the International Code Council. Source: City of Safford Building / Development Permits & Codes page; City of Safford Residential Building Inspection Checklist.; 2015 International Existing Building Code (IEBC). Source: City of Safford Building / Development Permits & Codes page.; 2015 International Residential Code (IRC). Source: City of Safford Building / Development Permits & Codes page; City of Safford Residential Building Inspection Checklist.; 2015 International Plumbing Code (IPC). Source: City of Safford Building / Development Permits & Codes page; City of Safford Residential Building Inspection Checklist.; 2015 International Mechanical Code (IMC). Source: City of Safford Building / Development Permits & Codes page; City of Safford Residential Building Inspection Checklist.; 2015 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC). Source: City of Safford Building / Development Permits & Codes page; City of Safford Residential Building Inspection Checklist.; 2015 International Fire Code (IFC), administered as the City's fire code. Source: City of Safford Building / Development Permits & Codes page.; 2014 National Electrical Code (NEC), as published by the National Fire Protection Association (one edition behind the 2015 ICC set; also referred to as the '2014 International Electrical Code' on the City's own Residential Building Inspection Checklist, though NEC is an NFPA, not ICC, publication). Source: City of Safford Building / Development Permits & Codes page; City of Safford Residential Building Inspection Checklist.; ADA Standards for Accessible Design (2010), Americans with Disabilities Act. Source: City of Safford Building / Development Permits & Codes page (links directly to ada.gov/regs2010/2010ADAStandards).; Swimming Pool Safety Code, A.R.S. § 36-1681 (Arizona state statute governing residential swimming pool enclosures/barriers), adopted/cross-referenced by the City. Source: City of Safford Building / Development Permits & Codes page (links directly to azleg.gov ARS 36-1681).; As of July 2026, the City of Safford's own public-facing codes page still lists the 2015 ICC family / 2014 NEC as current, with no published edition-update ordinance found on the City's website, Forms page, or Wayback Machine snapshots as of this review — unlike many Phoenix-metro cities that have since moved to 2018/2021/2024 ICC cycles, Safford's own published materials indicate the 2015/2014 cycle remains in effect. Call the Building Division at 928-432-4140 to confirm before relying on this for a specific project if code-cycle precision is critical.; Effective July 1, 2026, the City of Safford must offer a Standard Preapproved Housing Design Plan Program for single-family homes (800-2,000 sq ft, minimum 3 designs with minimum 3 elevation options each), reviewed through an administrative, non-discretionary process, per the statewide mandate A.R.S. § 9-461.20. This is a design-preapproval pathway layered on top of — not a replacement for — the standard Building Permit Application/review process described in this record. Source: City of Safford Press Release, 'State-Mandated Preapproved Housing Design Plan Program' (cityofsafford.us/m/newsflash/home/detail/780).. Local amendments apply — see the Safford overview page for the full list.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-06.

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 Safford building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.