Pool / Spa Permit in Unincorporated Graham County, Arizona

Yes. The County's own FAQ explicitly lists pools among the structures that require a building permit (along with sheds, fences, walls, conex boxes, and shops). All private and semi-public pools/spas must also meet the barrier/enclosure standards of A.R.S. § 36-1681 and Graham County Planning and Zoning Ordinance Section 5.10. Source: https://www.graham.az.gov/FAQ.aspx?QID=167 (question 168); https://www.graham.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/574/County-Zoning-Ordinance-PDF

In Unincorporated Graham County, the published Building Permit — Site permit (valuation-based, no separate pool-specific fee published) is: Priced from the same Total Valuation fee bracket table used for general building permits, plus the flat $100.00 Administrative fee. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Unincorporated Graham County does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Graham County Planning and Zoning Department at 928-428-0410 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building and Installation Permit Application (Online Portal); Plot Plan Sketch. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Graham County requires 2 inspection(s) for a pool / spa permit, in order: Footings / Steel (Pre-Gunite), Final. Schedule each through Graham County Planning and Zoning Department (928-428-0410).

Apply through Graham County Planning and Zoning Department at 921 Thatcher Boulevard, 2nd Floor, Safford, AZ 85546. Phone: 928-428-0410. Office hours: Monday - Thursday, 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (per the County's Department Directory listing for Planning & Zoning at 921 Thatcher Boulevard). No public-facing department email address was found published on the County's Planning & Zoning page, Permits & Hearing Forms page, or FAQ pages as of this review; contact by phone at 928-428-0410 or in person.. Official information: https://www.graham.az.gov/277/Planning-Zoning.

Unincorporated Graham County, 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 (A.R.S. Title 11 for counties). Graham County independently adopts and administers its own building code for the unincorporated areas of the County (areas outside the incorporated cities/towns of Safford, Thatcher, and Pima) through the Planning and Zoning Department, per Graham County Planning and Zoning Ordinance Section 5.14 (Building Codes). Source: Graham County Planning and Zoning Ordinance (County-Zoning-Ordinance-PDF), Section 5.14.2.; 2003 International Building Code (IBC), published by the International Code Council, Inc. Source: Graham County Planning and Zoning Ordinance Section 5.14.2(1); also independently listed on the County's 'Planning & Zoning' web page ('Codes Adopted by Graham County').; 1994 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), Twenty-First Edition, published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, copyright 1996. Source: Graham County Planning and Zoning Ordinance Section 5.14.2(2) and Section 5.14.16-5.14.19.; International Mechanical Code (IMC), 2003 edition, published by the International Code Council, Inc. — cross-referenced in Section 5.14.12-5.14.13 of the Ordinance, which cites '1997 Uniform Mechanical Code, published by the International Conference of Building Officials' as the specific adopted mechanical code text (copyright 1994-1997); the County's own web page lists '2003 International Mechanical Code' as the current adopted mechanical code. Both citations are reproduced here since the Ordinance itself is internally inconsistent between its Section 5.14.2 codes-adopted list and its Section 5.14.12 detail section — call the Planning and Zoning Department at 928-428-0410 to confirm which mechanical code edition governs a specific project.; 2002 National Electrical Code (NEC), published by the National Fire Protection Association, Inc., copyright 1998 — per Ordinance Section 5.14.2(4). Section 5.14.8-5.14.9 of the same Ordinance separately cites 'The 1999 National Electrical Code' superseding all previous editions; this is a second internal inconsistency in the Ordinance's own text between its codes-adopted list (2002 NEC) and its detail section (1999 NEC). Confirm the specific edition in effect for a given project with the Planning and Zoning Department (928-428-0410).; International Residential Code (IRC), 2003 edition, published by the International Code Council, Inc. Source: Graham County Planning and Zoning Ordinance Section 5.14.2(5).; International Existing Building Code (IEBC), 2003 edition, published by the International Code Council, Inc. Source: Graham County Planning and Zoning Ordinance Section 5.14.2(6).; International Fire Code (IFC), 2003 edition, published by the International Code Council, Inc., administered as the County's fire code. Source: Graham County Planning and Zoning Ordinance Section 5.14.2(7); also referenced in Section 5.13.7(4) regarding fire apparatus access requirements before Certificate of Occupancy issuance.; 2003 ICC Electrical Code — Administrative Provisions. Source: Graham County Planning and Zoning Ordinance Section 5.14.2(8).; International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), 2003 edition, published by the International Code Council — adopted by the Graham County Board of Supervisors, Resolution No. 2004-16, September 7, 2004, for Graham County Government Buildings ONLY (not applicable to private construction). Source: Graham County Planning and Zoning Ordinance Section 5.14.2(9).; Swimming Pool Safety Code, A.R.S. § 36-1681 (Arizona state statute governing residential swimming pool/spa enclosures and barriers) — cross-referenced directly by Graham County rather than a separate local pool-barrier ordinance. Source: Graham County Planning and Zoning Ordinance Section 5.10 (Swimming Pool Regulations).; As of this review (July 2026), the County's own published Planning & Zoning Ordinance and web page still show the 2003 ICC family (IBC/IRC/IEBC/IMC/IFC) plus a 1994 UPC and a 2002 (or, per a separate Ordinance section, 1999) NEC as the adopted codes, with no newer edition-update ordinance found published on the County's website, Forms/Fees pages, or DocumentCenter as of this review. This is materially older than many incorporated Arizona cities (which have since moved to 2018/2021/2024 ICC cycles). A copy of the Graham County Building Codes is available for public inspection at the Planning and Zoning Department, 2nd floor, 921 Thatcher Blvd., Safford, AZ, during regular working hours. Source: Graham County Planning and Zoning Ordinance Sections 5.14.3, 5.14.10, 5.14.14, 5.14.18.. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated Graham County overview page for the full list.