Historic District / Landmark Certificate of Appropriateness in Clifton, Arizona

Clifton requires a historic district / landmark certificate of appropriateness permit for: Certificate of Appropriateness required before any exterior alteration, restoration, reconstruction, demolition, new construction, or moving of a landmark or property within a Historic District, or any material change to its light fixtures, signs, sidewalks, fences, steps, paving, or other exterior elements visible from a public street or alley (§ 152.06); Owner must file an application with the Historic Preservation Commission prior to commencing any work requiring a certificate; Application must include applicant name/address/phone, location and photographs of the property, elevation drawings of proposed changes (if available), perspective drawings showing relationship to adjacent properties (if available), and — for signage — a scale drawing of lettering, dimensions, colors, materials, illumination method, and sign location; No building permit shall be issued for the proposed work until the Certificate of Appropriateness has first been issued by the Historic Preservation Commission; The Commission may hold a public hearing on the application, giving proponents and opponents an opportunity to present their views; All Commission decisions are in writing, sent to the applicant by registered mail, and filed with the Town Clerk's Office for public inspection, stating reasons for any denial or modification. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Town of Clifton Building Department (Code Enforcement/Building) at 928-865-4146 before starting work.

No — Code of Ordinances § 152.13 states no fees are required for a Certificate of Appropriateness.

The Historic Preservation Commission must approve, deny, or approve the application with modifications within 21 days of receiving a completed application, per Code of Ordinances § 152.08 (Ord. 01-96, passed 3-14-1996).

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

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.