Residential Building Permit (New Construction) in Thatcher, Arizona

Thatcher requires a residential building permit (new construction) for: Building permit required for new single-family dwelling construction within Thatcher town limits; Plans must comply with the 2015 IRC as adopted and amended by the Town of Thatcher (residential fire sprinklers are optional, not mandatory, per the Town's 'shall' to 'may' amendment; IRC Chapter 11 Energy Efficiency is deleted; sewer depth minimum 12 inches below grade regardless of freezing conditions; Arc-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection sections deleted); Maximum building height town-wide: 45 feet from grade to the highest point, or 30 feet from grade to the top of the highest outside wall; Automatic fire sprinklers become mandatory only if new construction (or an addition/alteration) results in total floor area exceeding 7,500 sq ft; Submitted via the iWorq Citizen Portal (thatcherpermitting.portal.iworq.net) — requires uploaded PDF plans plus contractor documentation/licenses; Site Plan Review Checklist: two D-size (24"x36") copies of a site plan submitted to the Building Inspector with the building plans and permit application, showing property lines/dimensions, adjacent streets/easements, existing/proposed fences or walls, an on-site benchmark, existing/proposed utilities, grading/drainage concept, elevations (benchmark, finished floor, driveway, crown of road), building setback lines, and all proposed structures with dimensions; Must conform to the Town's Zoning Ordinance in addition to Chapter 150 building codes (Code of Ordinances § 150.14). If your project isn't listed, confirm with Town of Thatcher Community Development/Engineering (Building Department) — administered jointly with Planning & Zoning under the Office of the Town Manager at 928-428-2290 before starting work.

In Thatcher, the published Building Permit Fee is: Set by Town Council resolution — no fixed dollar figure is published in the Code of Ordinances or Zoning Ordinance. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

The Town of Thatcher does not publish a formal, trade-specific plan-review-timeframe document. The only town-sourced published turnaround figure — from Thatcher Economic Development, an official program in the Office of the Town Manager — states that decisions can often be secured within hours and many permits are obtained in less than 10 working days from application. Call the Building Inspector at 928-428-2290 to confirm an exact timeframe for a specific project.

You'll need: iWorq Citizen Portal Building Permit Application; Site Plan Review Checklist – Single Residence; Construction Drawings; Contractor Documentation and Licenses. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Thatcher requires 3 inspection(s) for a residential building permit (new construction), in order: Foundation/Footing, Framing, Final. Schedule each through Town of Thatcher Community Development/Engineering (Building Department) — administered jointly with Planning & Zoning under the Office of the Town Manager (928-428-2290).

Apply through Town of Thatcher Community Development/Engineering (Building Department) — administered jointly with Planning & Zoning under the Office of the Town Manager at 3700 W. Main St., PO Box 670, Thatcher, AZ 85552. Phone: 928-428-2290, email: mpayne@thatcher.az.gov. Office hours: Monday - Thursday, 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (Town Hall 4/10 schedule, closed Fridays). Building Inspector: Mike Payne. All residential and commercial building, addition, remodel, outbuilding, pool, solar, electrical, gas, plumbing, sign, infrastructure, and underground-work permit applications are submitted online through the Town's iWorq Citizen Portal (thatcherpermitting.portal.iworq.net), which requires uploaded PDF plans and contractor licensing documentation; a Site Plan Review Checklist (2 copies, D-size 24"x36") must accompany building plans and the permit application to the Building Inspector.. Official information: https://www.thatcher.az.gov/departments/community-development-engineering.

Thatcher, 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 Town of Thatcher independently recognizes and administers its own construction codes through the Community Development/Engineering Department (Building Inspector), under Chapter 150 of the Town of Thatcher Code of Ordinances. Source: Town of Thatcher Code of Ordinances, Chapter 150 (amlegal.com/codes/thatcheraz); Town of Thatcher Planning & Zoning page.; International Building Code (IBC), 2015 Edition, as amended, adopted by reference (§ 150.01). Local amendments: automatic fire sprinkler systems required for all new structures (or additions/alterations resulting in) total floor area exceeding 7,500 sq ft; maximum building height of 45 feet from grade to the highest point, or 30 feet from grade to the top of the highest outside wall; § 101.1 retitled 'Building Code of the Town of Thatcher'; § 110.3.7 (Energy Efficiency Inspections) deleted; Table 2304.10.1 amended to add a story-to-story tie fastening schedule item. Source: Town of Thatcher Code of Ordinances § 150.01 (Ord. 157-2009, Ord. 158-2009, Ord. 181-2017).; International Plumbing Code (IPC), 2015 Edition, as amended, adopted by reference (§ 150.02). Amendments: § 101.1 retitled 'Plumbing Code of the Town of Thatcher'; § 903.1 amended to insert '12' (inches). Source: Town of Thatcher Code of Ordinances § 150.02 (Ord. 157-2009, Ord. 158-2009, Ord. 181-2017).; National Electrical Code (NEC), 2014 Edition, published by the National Fire Protection Association, adopted by reference with no local amendments noted in the code text (§ 150.03). Source: Town of Thatcher Code of Ordinances § 150.03 (Ord. 157-2009, Ord. 158-2009, Ord. 181-2017).; International Mechanical Code (IMC), 2015 Edition, as amended, adopted by reference (§ 150.04). Amendments: § 101.1 retitled 'Mechanical Code of the Town of Thatcher'; § 504.8.2 (clothes dryer exhaust ducts) amended to prohibit screws/fasteners extending into the duct. Source: Town of Thatcher Code of Ordinances § 150.04 (Ord. 157-2009, Ord. 158-2009, Ord. 181-2017).; International Fire Code (IFC) and International Fire Code Standards, 2015 Edition, as amended, adopted by reference (§ 150.05), administered by the Building Official acting as Fire Marshal. Amendments: no new building permits for shake/wood shingle roofing except repair/replace of existing shake/shingle roofs or additions under 20% of existing floor area; violation-abatement lien procedure; § 101.1 amended to insert 'Town of Thatcher'. Source: Town of Thatcher Code of Ordinances § 150.05 (Ord. 157-2009, Ord. 158-2009, Ord. 181-2017).; International Residential Code (IRC), 2015 Edition, as amended, adopted by reference (§ 150.06). Amendments: § R101.1 amended to insert 'Town of Thatcher'; § 303.4 (Mechanical Ventilation) deleted; § 309.5, § R313.1, § R313.2 (fire sprinklers) changed from 'shall' to 'may' (i.e., NOT mandatory in Thatcher, unlike many other AZ jurisdictions); Chapter 11 (Energy Efficiency) deleted; § P2603.5.1 (Sewer Depth) revised to a flat 12-inch minimum below grade regardless of freezing conditions; §§ 3902.16 and 3902.17 (Arc-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection) deleted. Source: Town of Thatcher Code of Ordinances § 150.06 (Ord. 157-2009, Ord. 158-2009, Ord. 181-2017).; International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), 2015 Edition, as amended, adopted by reference (§ 150.07). Amendments: § 101.1 retitled 'Fuel Gas Code of the Town of Thatcher'; § 614.8.2 (clothes dryer exhaust ducts) amended identically to the IMC § 504.8.2 amendment. Source: Town of Thatcher Code of Ordinances § 150.07 (Ord. 157-2009, Ord. 158-2009, Ord. 181-2017).; International Existing Building Code (IEBC), 2015 Edition, adopted by reference with no amendments noted (§ 150.08). Source: Town of Thatcher Code of Ordinances § 150.08 (Ord. 157-2009, Ord. 158-2009, Ord. 181-2017).; International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), 2009 Edition — explicitly RESCINDED by the Town ('is hereby rescinded, as it is no longer needed') (§ 150.09), consistent with the Town's deletion of IRC Chapter 11 (Energy Efficiency) and IBC § 110.3.7 (Energy Efficiency Inspections). Thatcher does not appear to enforce a distinct energy code beyond whatever baseline requirements remain embedded in the adopted 2015 IRC/IBC after those chapter deletions. Source: Town of Thatcher Code of Ordinances § 150.09 (Ord. 157-2009, Ord. 158-2009, Ord. 181-2017).; International Property Maintenance Code, 2015 Edition, as amended, adopted by reference (§ 150.10) — the only Chapter 150 code section carved out of the Class 1 misdemeanor penalty provision in § 150.99(B). Source: Town of Thatcher Code of Ordinances § 150.10 (Ord. 167-2011, Ord. 181-2017).; International Private Sewage Disposal Code, 2009 Edition — explicitly RESCINDED ('is hereby rescinded, as it is no longer needed') (§ 150.11). Source: Town of Thatcher Code of Ordinances § 150.11 (Ord. 133-2005, Ord. 181-2017).; International Urban-Wildland Interface Code, 2009 Edition (ICC/IAPMO) — explicitly RESCINDED ('is hereby rescinded, as it is no longer needed') (§ 150.12). Source: Town of Thatcher Code of Ordinances § 150.12 (Ord. 133-2005, Ord. 181-2017).; ICC A117.1-equivalent accessibility standards are incorporated via § 150.13 (effective June 1, 2005, per A.R.S. § 41-1492.03): standards/specifications applicable to public entities and to public accommodations/commercial facilities under Arizona's disability-access statute are incorporated into any building code adopted by the Town, applying to new construction and post-effective-date alterations. Source: Town of Thatcher Code of Ordinances § 150.13 (Ord. 133-2005).; Swimming Pool Safety Code, A.R.S. § 36-1681 (Arizona state statute governing residential swimming pool enclosures/barriers), cross-referenced directly by the Town's Zoning Ordinance § 13.10 rather than a separate local pool-barrier ordinance; where a conflict exists, the Zoning Ordinance states the state statute controls. Source: Town of Thatcher Zoning Ordinance (June 2013, as amended through Ord. 195-2024), Section 13.10.; Manufactured homes, mobile homes, and Recreational Vehicles (RVs) are explicitly barred from use as an accessory building/accessory dwelling unit in any zoning district (Zoning Ordinance § 13.8.B.11); ADUs must be affixed to a permanent foundation and meet all applicable residential building codes — mobile homes and RVs are not acceptable as ADUs (§ 13.8.A.2). Source: Town of Thatcher Zoning Ordinance, Section 13.8.. Local amendments apply — see the Thatcher overview page for the full list.

The 2015 International Residential Code and 2015 International Building Code (for non-residential portions), plus the 2014 National Electrical Code, as adopted and amended by the Town of Thatcher under Code of Ordinances Chapter 150. Notably, the Town deleted IRC Chapter 11 (Energy Efficiency) and rescinded the 2009 IECC outright, and made residential fire sprinklers optional rather than mandatory.