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Certificate of Occupancy / Change of Use in Clifton, Arizona

The Town of Clifton has no separate Certificate of Occupancy or Change of Use permit product distinct from this file's general 'building-permit' entry -- confirmed directly from the Town's own combined 'Building Permit/Certificate of Occupancy Application,' whose scope field includes a 'NOT APPLICABLE (application is for certificate of occupancy only)' option, showing a certificate-of-occupancy-only submission is processed on the identical form used for any other building permit, reviewed by the same Building Official/Building Inspector function. A change of occupancy is separately addressed as an adopted-code matter, not a distinct town permit type: Code of Ordinances Section 151.10 adopts the 2009 International Existing Building Code by reference to govern 'repair, alteration, change of occupancy, addition, and relocation of existing buildings including historic buildings' -- so a change-of-use/occupancy project is reviewed under 2009 IEBC provisions as part of the same Building Permit/Certificate of Occupancy Application already documented in this file, not through any separate application, checklist, or fee schedule.

Reviewed 2026-07-23 · Source

When you need this permit

  • No standalone change-of-use or certificate-of-occupancy application exists; both are processed on the Town's single 'Building Permit/Certificate of Occupancy Application,' which explicitly supports a certificate-of-occupancy-only submission (marking the permit-scope field 'NOT APPLICABLE')
  • A change of occupancy in an existing building is reviewed under the 2009 International Existing Building Code, adopted by reference at Code of Ordinances Section 151.10, governing repair, alteration, change of occupancy, addition, and relocation of existing buildings including historic buildings
  • The same sequential review blocks used for any other Clifton building permit apply: Planning and Zoning Administrator (zoning-district/use conformance), Flood Plain Administrator (if applicable), Town Manager (if within the Clifton Townsite Historic District, requiring a prior Certificate of Appropriateness), and Code Enforcement Officer
  • Fee is determined the same way as any other Clifton building permit: applicant's own Contractor's Estimate or itemized Cost of Materials plus Estimated Labor Cost total -- no separately published change-of-use or certificate-of-occupancy-specific fee line item exists
  • Submitted by emailing codeenforcement@cliftonaz.gov or bringing the completed application to the Code Enforcement Officer at Clifton Town Hall; no online permitting portal is published

Required documents

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

Fee schedule

Building Permit / Certificate of Occupancy FeeConfirmed directly against the Town's current (8/10/2025) Rates and Fees schedule and FY2026 proposed misc-fee schedule on 2026-07-23 -- neither contains a change-of-use or certificate-of-occupancy-specific dollar line, mirroring the same governing fee mechanism (Section 151.03, 'set from time to time by resolution of the Council') already documented for this file's building-permit entry.
Determined by total project cost (Contractor's Estimate or itemized Cost of Materials plus Estimated Labor Cost, as entered on the application) -- no separately published change-of-use or certificate-of-occupancy-specific fee was located

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Certificate of Occupancy / Change of Use permit actually take in Clifton?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Building Official / Building Inspector Inspection(s)

    Same combined building/plumbing/electrical inspection authority (Section 151.04) used for any other Clifton building permit; no distinct change-of-use inspection sequence is published

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

Tips

  • Clifton does not have a separate Change of Use or Certificate of Occupancy permit -- both are processed through the identical 'Building Permit/Certificate of Occupancy Application' already documented in this file's building-permit entry, which has a built-in option to mark the submission 'certificate of occupancy only.'
  • A change of occupancy is governed by the 2009 International Existing Building Code (adopted at Section 151.10), which the Town adopted specifically to cover repair, alteration, change of occupancy, addition, and relocation of existing buildings.
  • If the property is in the Clifton Townsite Historic District, a Certificate of Appropriateness is required from the Historic Preservation Commission before any change-of-occupancy-related exterior work or new construction can be approved -- same cross-reference as the building-permit entry.

Frequently asked questions

Clifton requires a certificate of occupancy / change of use permit for: No standalone change-of-use or certificate-of-occupancy application exists; both are processed on the Town's single 'Building Permit/Certificate of Occupancy Application,' which explicitly supports a certificate-of-occupancy-only submission (marking the permit-scope field 'NOT APPLICABLE'); A change of occupancy in an existing building is reviewed under the 2009 International Existing Building Code, adopted by reference at Code of Ordinances Section 151.10, governing repair, alteration, change of occupancy, addition, and relocation of existing buildings including historic buildings; The same sequential review blocks used for any other Clifton building permit apply: Planning and Zoning Administrator (zoning-district/use conformance), Flood Plain Administrator (if applicable), Town Manager (if within the Clifton Townsite Historic District, requiring a prior Certificate of Appropriateness), and Code Enforcement Officer; Fee is determined the same way as any other Clifton building permit: applicant's own Contractor's Estimate or itemized Cost of Materials plus Estimated Labor Cost total -- no separately published change-of-use or certificate-of-occupancy-specific fee line item exists; Submitted by emailing codeenforcement@cliftonaz.gov or bringing the completed application to the Code Enforcement Officer at Clifton Town Hall; no online permitting portal is published. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Town of Clifton Building Department (Code Enforcement/Building) at 928-865-4146 before starting work.

In Clifton, the published Building Permit / Certificate of Occupancy Fee is: Determined by total project cost (Contractor's Estimate or itemized Cost of Materials plus Estimated Labor Cost, as entered on the application) -- no separately published change-of-use or certificate-of-occupancy-specific fee was located. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Clifton does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Town of Clifton Building Department (Code Enforcement/Building) at 928-865-4146 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building Permit/Certificate of Occupancy Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Clifton requires 1 inspection(s) for a certificate of occupancy / change of use permit, in order: Building Official / Building Inspector Inspection(s). Schedule each through Town of Clifton Building Department (Code Enforcement/Building) (928-865-4146).

Apply through Town of Clifton Building Department (Code Enforcement/Building) at 510 North Coronado Boulevard, P.O. Box 1415, Clifton, Arizona 85533. Phone: 928-865-4146, email: codeenforcement@cliftonaz.gov. Office hours: Town Hall hours: Monday - Thursday, 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (closed Friday - Sunday). Building permit and demolition permit applications are submitted by emailing codeenforcement@cliftonaz.gov or bringing them to the Code Enforcement Officer at Clifton Town Hall; no online permitting portal is published.. Official information: https://cliftonaz.com/code-enforcement%2Fbuilding.

Clifton, 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 9 for municipalities). The Town of Clifton is the county seat of Greenlee County and is a fully independent incorporated town that runs its own building-permit program directly out of Town Hall (Code Enforcement/Building Department, with a Building Official function and a Planning and Zoning Administrator) rather than deferring to Greenlee County. Greenlee County's own Planning and Zoning Department states its jurisdiction covers 'unincorporated areas of the County' only, and its Permit Application lists only Duncan and unincorporated county addresses as within its purview — Clifton, as an incorporated town, is expressly outside county permitting jurisdiction. Confirmed by the Town's own Code Enforcement/Building page, Town of Clifton Code of Ordinances Title XV, Chapter 151 (Building Provisions), its Building Permit Application and Residential Permit Checklist forms, and the Greenlee County Planning and Zoning page. Source: Town of Clifton Code Enforcement/Building page (cliftonaz.com/code-enforcement/building); Clifton, Arizona Code of Ordinances, Chapter 151 (codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/clifton); Greenlee County Planning and Zoning page (greenlee.az.gov/ova_dep/planning-and-zoning/).; International Building Code, 2009 Edition, together with all appendices, published by the International Code Council, Inc., adopted by reference as the Building Code of the Town (Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.01, enacted by Ord. 04-2010, passed 7-8-2010). The Town's own Residential Permit Checklist independently confirms: 'The Town of Clifton is currently using the 2009 ICB [IBC] Codes' — no later code-update ordinance was found published superseding this 2009 adoption, so Clifton (like sibling Greenlee County town Duncan) runs on an older ICC cycle than larger Arizona cities. Source: Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.01; Town of Clifton Building Permit Residential Checklist.; International Residential Code, 2009 Edition, adopted by reference as the Residential Code of the Town, governing all R-3 occupancies (Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.09, Ord. 04-2010, passed 7-8-2010). Source: Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.09.; International Plumbing Code, 2009 Edition, adopted by reference as the Plumbing Code of the Town (Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.05, Ord. 04-2010, passed 7-8-2010). Source: Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.05.; International Mechanical Code, 2009 Edition, adopted by reference as the Mechanical Code of the Town, governing heating, ventilating, cooling, refrigeration systems, incinerators, and other heat-producing appliances (Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.07, Ord. 04-2010, passed 7-8-2010). Source: Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.07.; International Existing Building Code, 2009 Edition, adopted by reference governing repair, alteration, change of occupancy, addition, and relocation of existing buildings including historic buildings (Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.10, Ord. 04-2010, passed 7-8-2010). Source: Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.10.; Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, 1997 Edition, published by the International Conference of Building Officials, adopted by reference for regulating buildings or structures that endanger life, health, or safety (Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.08, Ord. 04-2010, passed 7-8-2010). Source: Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.08.; Arizonans with Disabilities Act (A.R.S. Title 41, Chapter 9, Article 3, and implementing rules), together with the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 12101 et seq.) accessibility guidelines, adopted by reference (Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.06, Ord. 04-2010, passed 7-8-2010). Source: Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.06.; The Building Official/administrative authority for all matters pertaining to building, plumbing, electrical, or any other inspections under Chapter 151 is vested in the office of the Building Inspector, or such other person as the Town Manager may appoint (Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.04, carried from 1990 Code § 7-7). Source: Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.04.; Uniform Technical Standards for public-works construction are separately adopted (§ 151.11, Ord. 01-2019, passed 2-14-2018): the Maricopa Association of Governments Uniform Standard Specifications and Details for Public Works Construction (2018 Revision to the 2015 Edition); the Arizona Department of Water Resources Flood Mitigation Section State Standard for Stormwater Detention/Retention; the Pima County Wastewater Reclamation Engineering Design Standards (2016 Edition); the Pima County Wastewater Reclamation Standard Specifications and Details for Construction (2016 Edition); and the Tucson Water Standard Specifications and Details (2017 Edition). The Town Engineer may approve deviations that meet or exceed these standards. Source: Clifton Code of Ordinances § 151.11.; Zoning Code (Chapter 156) is adopted by reference; the Town's Planning and Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map are published separately as downloadable PDFs rather than fully reproduced in the amlegal-hosted Code of Ordinances (§ 156.01 directs the public to contact the Town Clerk to view a copy). Whenever a building permit is issued, the building must conform to the Zoning Ordinance in addition to Chapter 151 (§ 151.02). Source: Clifton Code of Ordinances §§ 151.02, 156.01; Town of Clifton Planning and Zoning Ordinance and Map (cliftonaz.com/code-enforcement/building downloads).; Flood Damage Prevention (Chapter 154, most recently amended by Ord. 02-2019, passed 3-14-2019, building on Ord. 01-2007, passed 9-13-2007) establishes a Floodplain Administrator (the Town Manager or designee) and requires a Development Permit before construction or development begins within any special flood hazard area. Source: Clifton Code of Ordinances §§ 154.035, 154.037.; Historic Preservation (Chapter 152, Ord. 01-96, passed 3-14-1996) establishes a Historic Preservation Commission and requires a Certificate of Appropriateness before any exterior alteration, demolition, new construction, or moving of a landmark or property within a designated Historic District (including the Historic Chase Creek district) — required in addition to, not in lieu of, any building permit. Source: Clifton Code of Ordinances §§ 152.04-152.08.. Local amendments apply — see the Clifton overview page for the full list.

No. Both are processed on the Town's single 'Building Permit/Certificate of Occupancy Application,' which has a built-in option for a certificate-of-occupancy-only submission. A change of occupancy in an existing building is reviewed under the 2009 International Existing Building Code (Code of Ordinances Section 151.10), not a distinct town permit type.

Sources & verification

Key facts verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-23.

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