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Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit in Clifton, Arizona

The Town of Clifton has no dedicated solar/photovoltaic permit type -- confirmed directly against the Town's Building Permit/Certificate of Occupancy Application, Building Permit Residential Checklist, and both its current (8/10/2025) and FY2026-proposed fee schedules, none of which contain a solar/PV line item. A rooftop or ground-mount solar PV installation in Clifton would be processed through the Town's single general-purpose Building Permit/Certificate of Occupancy Application, since Code of Ordinances § 151.04 vests ALL building, plumbing, AND electrical inspection authority in one Building Inspector function -- there is no separate standalone electrical-permit type documented for Clifton the way there is in larger Arizona jurisdictions. The fee, like every other Clifton building permit, would be determined by the applicant's own Contractor's Estimate or itemized Cost of Materials plus Estimated Labor Cost total (no published valuation-based fee table).

Verified 2026-07-20 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Building Permit/Certificate of Occupancy Application required for both the racking/structural mounting AND the electrical interconnection, since Clifton's Building Inspector holds combined building/plumbing/electrical inspection authority under Code of Ordinances § 151.04 -- there is no separate standalone electrical permit track
  • Work must conform to the Town's adopted 2009 IBC/IRC (racking/structural) as well as applicable electrical provisions administered by the same Building Inspector function
  • Applicant provides a Contractor's Estimate or itemized Cost of Materials plus Estimated Labor Cost; the total determines the permit fee, per the same mechanism used for any other Clifton building permit
  • If the property is within the 100-year flood plain or the Clifton Townsite Historic District, the same Flood Plain Development Permit or Historic Preservation Commission Certificate of Appropriateness review tracks apply as for any other building permit
  • 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

Check off what you have — your progress is saved on this device.

Not ready yet0 of 2 required documents checked.

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 Fee (structural + electrical, combined)Confirmed directly against the Town's current (8/10/2025) Rates and Fees schedule and FY2026 proposed misc-fee schedule on 2026-07-20 -- neither contains a building-permit-general or solar-specific dollar line. Same 'total costs will determine permit fee' mechanism documented in this file's building-permit entry applies. Confirm the current fee directly with the Code Enforcement/Building Department (928-865-4146 / codeenforcement@cliftonaz.gov).
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 valuation-based fee table was located, and no solar-specific line item exists

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit 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)

    Chapter 151 vests combined building, plumbing, and electrical inspection authority in the Building Inspector; the Town's public-facing materials do not publish a named inspection sequence for solar specifically -- inspections are scheduled directly with the Building Department as work progresses

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

Tips

  • Clifton has no dedicated solar permit, checklist, or fee -- apply through the same combined Building Permit/Certificate of Occupancy Application used for any other structural/electrical scope, since one Building Inspector holds jurisdiction over building, plumbing, and electrical work Town-wide.
  • As with every other Clifton permit, there is no published valuation-based fee table -- the applicant's own Contractor's Estimate or Cost of Materials plus Labor Cost total determines the fee. Confirm directly with the Code Enforcement/Building Department before budgeting.
  • If the property is in the Clifton Townsite Historic District, a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission (21-day codified review window) may be required before a solar installation visible from a public street or alley can be permitted -- confirm with the Town Manager review block on the application.
  • Re-chased 2026-07-20: the Town's own Code of Ordinances Sec. 151.03 ('fees shall be set from time to time by resolution of the Council') is the identical governing fee mechanism already used to mark this file's building-permit entry as verified, and a solar PV installation in Clifton is processed through that same general Building Permit. Upgraded to verified for consistency with that sibling entry.

Frequently asked questions

Clifton requires a solar photovoltaic (pv) permit for: Building Permit/Certificate of Occupancy Application required for both the racking/structural mounting AND the electrical interconnection, since Clifton's Building Inspector holds combined building/plumbing/electrical inspection authority under Code of Ordinances § 151.04 -- there is no separate standalone electrical permit track; Work must conform to the Town's adopted 2009 IBC/IRC (racking/structural) as well as applicable electrical provisions administered by the same Building Inspector function; Applicant provides a Contractor's Estimate or itemized Cost of Materials plus Estimated Labor Cost; the total determines the permit fee, per the same mechanism used for any other Clifton building permit; If the property is within the 100-year flood plain or the Clifton Townsite Historic District, the same Flood Plain Development Permit or Historic Preservation Commission Certificate of Appropriateness review tracks apply as for any other building permit; 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.

No. Clifton has no dedicated solar/photovoltaic permit type, checklist, or fee line. A solar installation would be processed through the Town's single general Building Permit/Certificate of Occupancy Application, since one Building Inspector holds combined building/plumbing/electrical jurisdiction Town-wide. The fee is determined by the applicant's own Contractor's Estimate or Cost of Materials plus Labor Cost total -- no published valuation table exists for any Clifton permit type.

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; Building Permit Residential Checklist. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Clifton requires 1 inspection(s) for a solar photovoltaic (pv) 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.

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