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Sign Permit — Unincorporated Graham County, Arizona · Requirements sheet
Verified 2026-08-15 · Source: https://www.graham.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/569/Fee-Schedule-PDF
PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency. Requirements change and vary by project — confirm current details with the building department before you submit.
Sign Permit in Unincorporated Graham County, Arizona
Graham County issues sign permits through its Planning and Zoning Department, with three published flat fee tiers (billboard, small sign, and all other signs). The permit requirement comes from Zoning Ordinance Section 5.6.2, which makes it unlawful to erect, construct, reconstruct, alter, place or use any structure without first obtaining a Building Permit or appropriate Land Use designation — and the Ordinance treats signs as regulated structures.
Verified 2026-08-15 · Source
When you need this permit
- Zoning Ordinance Section 5.6.2 (Permit Required): 'It shall be unlawful to erect, construct, reconstruct, alter, place, or use any structure within a Land Use District covered by the Ordinance without first obtaining a Building Permit or appropriate Land Use designation from the Planning and Zoning Department.' The applicant must provide a sketch of the proposed construction with sufficient information to show compliance with the Land Use Ordinance.
- A permit is good for one year from the date of issuance in order to start construction; a renewal permit is handled as a new permit (Zoning Ordinance Section 5.6.2)
- Zoning Ordinance definition of OUTDOOR ADVERTISING SIGN: 'A sign of any kind or character whatsoever and of any material whatsoever placed for outdoor advertising purposes for the activities on the parcel of land on which the sign is located whether on the ground or on any structure or stationary, parked or mobile.' 'Placed' expressly includes erecting, constructing, posting, painting, printing, tacking, nailing, gluing, sticking, carving, or otherwise fastening, affixing or making visible in any manner whatsoever.
- Zoning Ordinance definition of BILLBOARD: 'A sign of any kind, or character whatsoever and of any material whatsoever' — billboards are separately fee-scheduled from other signs
- Signs permitted in the 'R' land use for sale of property or home occupations are limited to four (4) square feet (Zoning Ordinance, OUTDOOR ADVERTISING SIGN definition)
- Signs appurtenant to or identifying a permitted use of the property, and signs pertaining to the sale, lease or rental of the property on which the sign is located, are addressed use-district by use-district throughout Article 4 — check the specific district's sign allowance before applying
- Off-site signs (billboards) are expressly not permitted in some districts (e.g. the district-specific provision reading 'Off-site signs (billboards) are not permitted in this District') — confirm the district's rule for the parcel
- Apply through the County's iWorQ citizen portal or in person at Planning & Zoning, 921 Thatcher Boulevard, 2nd Floor, Safford
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Fee schedule
Billboard / sign permitGraham County Fees for Planning & Zoning Department, REV 08/02/2022, sign row group — read from a 200 dpi rendered image of the single-page PDF and re-verified on a 400 dpi crop of that row group. EXTRACTION WARNING: pdftotext -layout on this page scrambles the label/value pairing across the whole table (it reported this fee against 'Street/Road Naming' and reported '$12,500 plus $5,000 increments' against 'Sign Permit <150sq. ft.'); only the rendered page is reliable.
$150.00
Sign permit under 150 sq. ft.Graham County Fees for Planning & Zoning Department, REV 08/02/2022 — read from a 200 dpi render and re-verified on a 400 dpi crop. DISCLOSED CONFLICT: the Planning and Zoning Ordinance's own reference fee table at Section 3.8 (ordinance page 43, also read from a 200 dpi render) states the threshold as 'Sign Permit < 15 sq. ft.' — fifteen, not one hundred fifty — at the same $50 figure. Section 3.8 states the ordinance table is 'listed below for reference only as of August, 2020 and may be adjusted by the Board of Supervisors by resolution from time to time,' so the standalone REV 08/02/2022 Fee Schedule is the operative document and its threshold is recorded here; the ordinance's differing threshold is disclosed rather than silently dropped. Confirm the threshold with Planning & Zoning (928-428-0410) before relying on it.
$50.00
All other signsGraham County Fees for Planning & Zoning Department, REV 08/02/2022 — read from a 200 dpi render and re-verified on a 400 dpi crop. Same figure in the Ordinance Section 3.8 reference table.
$100.00
Review timeline
Plan review
Not published — contact the department
Inspection process
- 1
Final
Sign as installed inspected for conformity with the approved permit and the applicable land use district's sign provisions; Graham County employs its own building inspectors (Planning & Zoning, 928-428-0410)
See the full Unincorporated Graham County inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →
Tips
- Graham County prices signs in three flat tiers rather than by valuation — $150 billboard, $50 small sign, $100 all other signs — so a sign permit is one of the few Graham permits where you can know the fee before you apply.
- WATCH THE THRESHOLD: the County's current standalone Fee Schedule (REV 08/02/2022) reads 'Sign Permit <150sq. ft.' while the Zoning Ordinance's own reference fee table (Section 3.8, as of August 2020) reads 'Sign Permit < 15 sq. ft.' at the same $50. Both are Graham County documents. The 2022 standalone schedule is the operative one, but confirm with Planning & Zoning at 928-428-0410 before budgeting a sign between 15 and 150 square feet.
- The iWorQ citizen portal has no dedicated sign application — its five application types are Building/Addition/Remodel, Solar/Electrical/Gas Only, Temporary RV, Manufactured Home, and Outbuilding. Call Planning & Zoning at 928-428-0410 to find out which intake path to use for a sign.
- The fee schedule lists a $100.00 'Administrative fee (added to permit fee)' immediately below the Building Permit row. The schedule does not state whether that administrative fee attaches to a sign permit — confirm with Planning & Zoning before budgeting.
- A Graham County permit is good for one year from issuance in order to START construction, and a renewal is handled as a brand new permit (Zoning Ordinance Section 5.6.2) — do not let a sign permit lapse expecting a cheap extension.
- The Zoning Ordinance's sign provisions contain an internal cross-reference defect: the OUTDOOR ADVERTISING SIGN definition sends outdoor signs in commercial zones and A-zone use-permit signs to 'the limits established for billboards in Chapter 5.8,' but Chapter 5.8 of the Ordinance is House Numbering and Road Naming Regulations. Ask Planning & Zoning which provision actually governs your sign's size and height limits.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Zoning Ordinance Section 5.6.2 makes it unlawful to erect, construct, reconstruct, alter, place or use any structure in a Land Use District without first obtaining a Building Permit or appropriate Land Use designation from the Planning and Zoning Department, and the County publishes dedicated sign permit fees. Source: https://www.graham.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/574/County-Zoning-Ordinance-PDF
Graham County's Fee Schedule (REV 08/02/2022) sets three flat tiers: $150.00 for a billboard/sign permit, $50.00 for a sign permit under 150 sq. ft., and $100.00 for all other signs. Source: https://www.graham.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/569/Fee-Schedule-PDF
One year from the date of issuance in order to start construction. A renewal permit is handled as a new permit, per Zoning Ordinance Section 5.6.2. Source: https://www.graham.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/574/County-Zoning-Ordinance-PDF
You'll need: Plot Plan Sketch. Depending on your project, Unincorporated Graham County may also ask for: Special Power of Attorney form. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.
Unincorporated Graham County requires 1 inspection(s) for a sign permit, in order: 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.
Sources & verification
Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-15.
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 Unincorporated Graham County building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.
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