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Solar PV Permit — Unincorporated Graham County, Arizona · Requirements sheet
Verified 2026-07-20 · Source: https://www.graham.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/569/Fee-Schedule-PDF
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Solar PV Permit in Unincorporated Graham County, Arizona
Graham County has no dedicated solar/photovoltaic fee line in its published Fee Schedule (rev. 08/02/2022); a rooftop or ground-mounted residential PV installation is processed as a combination of a valuation-based Building Permit (for the racking/mounting/structural work) and an Electrical Permit (for the wiring and interconnection, billed at the County's flat $50 'Building Permit — Electrical Upgrade' fee). Arizona counties are separately bound by A.R.S. § 11-323 ('Solar construction permits; standards'), a statewide statute setting mandatory minimum standards for how counties must process residential solar permits — simplified plan-submittal content, no mandatory professional-engineer stamp, and permit fees that must be cost-justified and publicly documented.
Verified 2026-07-20 · Source
When you need this permit
- Building Permit required for the array's structural/mounting work, valued under the County's standard Total Valuation fee-bracket formula (Planning and Zoning Ordinance Section 5.15) — same formula used for other residential construction, not a solar-specific rate
- Electrical Permit required for the PV wiring, inverter, and point of interconnection — billed at the County's flat $50.00 'Electrical Upgrade' fee per the Fee Schedule (the one trade Graham County itemizes separately rather than folding into the general building permit fee)
- Per A.R.S. § 11-323(A)(1), the county's required plan submittal for a photovoltaic system is limited to: system location on the construction plans (roof plan and elevation), panel mounting details, and a one-line or three-line electrical diagram (a diagram is not required if a qualified online automated permitting platform is used)
- Per A.R.S. § 11-323(B), Graham County may not require a professional engineer's stamp on a residential solar PV permit application unless it provides a written explanation of why the stamp is necessary for that specific project
- Per A.R.S. § 11-323(C)-(D), any building/permit fee the County assesses for solar construction must be attributable to and not exceed the actual cost of issuing the permit, and the County's fee-calculation methodology must be publicly published, with a written itemized cost breakdown available on request
- Apply through the County's iWorQ online permit portal (https://grahamcounty.portal.iworq.net/portalhome/grahamcounty)
Required documents
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Fee schedule
Building Permit (structural/mounting) — valuation-basedGraham County Planning and Zoning Ordinance Section 5.15; Fee Schedule (PDF, rev. 08/02/2022). No solar-specific valuation rate is published; solar is not listed as an exception to the standard construction-valuation formula.
Same Total Valuation fee-bracket table as other residential construction: e.g. $1-$500: $20; $2,001-$25,000: $20 for the first $2,000 plus $4.00 per additional $1,000; scaling to $887 for the first $500,000 plus $1.00 per additional $1,000 above $500,001
Building Permit — Electrical Upgrade (interconnection/wiring)Graham County Fee Schedule (PDF, rev. 08/02/2022) — the same flat fee documented for other electrical work in this jurisdiction's electrical-permit entry; no distinct solar rate exists.
$50.00 flat
Administrative feeGraham County Fee Schedule (PDF, rev. 08/02/2022) — added to the building permit fee for the project.
$100.00 flat
Review timeline
Plan review
Not published — contact the department
Inspection process
- 1
Rough Electrical
PV wiring, combiner, and disconnect inspected before wall/roof cover, combined with the mechanical/plumbing top-out inspection stage per the County's standard inspection sequence
- 2
Final
Array mounting, bonding/grounding, and point of interconnection complete and operational
See the full Unincorporated Graham County inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →
Tips
- Graham County has no dedicated 'Solar Permit' fee — budget for both a valuation-based Building Permit (structural/mounting) and the flat $50 Electrical Upgrade fee, plus the $100 administrative fee.
- Arizona's A.R.S. § 11-323 caps what a county can charge for a solar permit to the actual cost of issuing it and requires the fee methodology to be publicly documented — if Graham County cannot produce a written cost breakdown on request, that is a statutory compliance question worth raising with the Planning and Zoning Department.
- The statute also limits what the County can require on your plan set (roof plan/elevation, mounting details, one-line/three-line diagram) and bars a mandatory PE stamp absent a written justification — useful leverage if a reviewer asks for more than that baseline.
Frequently asked questions
Unincorporated Graham County requires a solar pv permit for: Building Permit required for the array's structural/mounting work, valued under the County's standard Total Valuation fee-bracket formula (Planning and Zoning Ordinance Section 5.15) — same formula used for other residential construction, not a solar-specific rate; Electrical Permit required for the PV wiring, inverter, and point of interconnection — billed at the County's flat $50.00 'Electrical Upgrade' fee per the Fee Schedule (the one trade Graham County itemizes separately rather than folding into the general building permit fee); Per A.R.S. § 11-323(A)(1), the county's required plan submittal for a photovoltaic system is limited to: system location on the construction plans (roof plan and elevation), panel mounting details, and a one-line or three-line electrical diagram (a diagram is not required if a qualified online automated permitting platform is used); Per A.R.S. § 11-323(B), Graham County may not require a professional engineer's stamp on a residential solar PV permit application unless it provides a written explanation of why the stamp is necessary for that specific project; Per A.R.S. § 11-323(C)-(D), any building/permit fee the County assesses for solar construction must be attributable to and not exceed the actual cost of issuing the permit, and the County's fee-calculation methodology must be publicly published, with a written itemized cost breakdown available on request; Apply through the County's iWorQ online permit portal (https://grahamcounty.portal.iworq.net/portalhome/grahamcounty). If your project isn't listed, confirm with Graham County Planning and Zoning Department at 928-428-0410 before starting work.
No distinct 'Solar Permit' fee line exists in the County's Fee Schedule (rev. 08/02/2022). A residential PV installation is processed as a standard valuation-based Building Permit (mounting/structural work) plus the County's flat $50 Electrical Upgrade fee (wiring/interconnection), subject to the content and fee limits set by Arizona's statewide A.R.S. § 11-323. Source: Graham County Fee Schedule (PDF, rev. 08/02/2022).
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); Construction Plans (roof plan/elevation + mounting details) and One-Line or Three-Line Electrical Diagram. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.
Unincorporated Graham County requires 2 inspection(s) for a solar pv permit, in order: Rough Electrical, 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.
Only if the County provides a written explanation of why the stamp is necessary for that specific project — A.R.S. § 11-323(B) bars a blanket PE-stamp requirement for residential solar photovoltaic permits statewide.
Sources & verification
Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-20.
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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