Duncan building permits

Building department

Address

506 SE Old West Highway, P.O. Box 916, Duncan, AZ 85534

Phone

928-359-2791

Email

Office hours

Monday - Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. (excluding federal holidays); fax 928-359-9146, TTY 800-367-8939. No online permitting portal or email intake address is published — applications are submitted in person or by mail to Town Hall using the paper 'Application for Building Permit and Inspection' form and, where zoning/historic-district/floodplain review also applies, the combined 'Zoning Use, Building, Historic District and Floodplain Permit' form.

Website

Official site

Inspection guide

See how inspections work in Duncan — sequence, scheduling & re-inspection fees.

Codes adopted

Arizona has no statewide building code for non-state buildings; codes are adopted locally. According to the International Code Council, codes are adopted locally in Arizona and are predominantly the I-codes, with different cities and counties choosing their own editions and local amendments. The Arizona State Fire Code (adopting the 2018 IFC) applies only to state and county buildings, public and private schools, and non-residential occupancies in areas without a locally adopted fire code — it does not establish a statewide residential or commercial building code floor. Each city and county adopts its own code editions independently, resulting in different I-Code years and amendment sets across jurisdictions. There is no state-mandated minimum edition; enforcement is entirely local. Always confirm the adopted edition and any local amendments with the specific jurisdiction before submitting plans.

• 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 Duncan is a small incorporated town that runs its own building-permit program directly out of Town Hall (the Town Manager's office functions as Building Official) rather than deferring to Greenlee County; this is confirmed by the Town's own Building Permits & Fees page, its Chapter 7 (Building) town code chapter, its Schedule of Fees and Charges, and its paper 'Application for Building Permit and Inspection' form, all of which are Duncan's own documents (not county documents). Source: Town of Duncan Building Permits & Fees page (duncanaz.us/home/services/building-permits-fees/) and Town of Duncan Town Code Chapter 7 — Building (Rev. 6/06).
• 2006 International Building Code (IBC), adopted by reference as the Town's building code (Town Code § 7-1-1, Rev. 6/06). This is the only building-code edition Duncan's published town code identifies by year; the Town has not published any subsequent code-update ordinance superseding the 2006 IBC adoption. Source: Town of Duncan Town Code Chapter 7 — Building, Article 7-1, Section 7-1-1.
• 'Adobe Code' adopted by reference as a supplement to the (Uniform) Building Code (Town Code § 7-1-3, Rev. 6/06) — reflecting the region's traditional adobe construction. Source: Town of Duncan Town Code Chapter 7 — Building, Article 7-1, Section 7-1-3.
• Uniform Plumbing Code, 'current edition' as published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), adopted by reference (Town Code Article 7-2, Rev. 6/06). The ordinance text itself does not pin a specific year/edition — it self-updates to whichever edition IAPMO currently publishes, which is a town-code drafting convention rather than a fixed-year adoption. Source: Town of Duncan Town Code Chapter 7 — Building, Article 7-2.
• National Electrical Code (NEC), 'current edition' as published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), adopted by reference (Town Code Article 7-3, Rev. 6/06). Same self-updating drafting convention as the plumbing code — no fixed year is specified in the ordinance text. Source: Town of Duncan Town Code Chapter 7 — Building, Article 7-3.
• Uniform Mechanical Code, 'current edition' as published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), adopted by reference (Town Code Article 7-4, Rev. 6/06). Source: Town of Duncan Town Code Chapter 7 — Building, Article 7-4.
• Uniform Solar Energy Code and Uniform Sound Transmission Control Code, both adopted by reference as additional codes (Town Code Article 7-5, Rev. 6/06). Source: Town of Duncan Town Code Chapter 7 — Building, Article 7-5.
• The Building Official/administrative authority function for all building, plumbing, electrical, and other inspections under Chapter 7 is vested in the office of the Town Manager, who may authorize deputies to perform inspection work (Town Code Article 7-6, Rev. 6/06). Source: Town of Duncan Town Code Chapter 7 — Building, Article 7-6.
• Asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in older commercial buildings: any renovation, demolition, or removal of a commercial building must first obtain a Building Permit, contingent on proof of compliance with State/Federal ACM laws, including an asbestos survey and handling/removal by an Arizona State Licensed ACM Contractor, coordination with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, and disposal at a State-approved ACM landfill (Town Code Article 7-7, effective 6/11/2001). Source: Town of Duncan Town Code Chapter 7 — Building, Article 7-7.
• Floodplain/flood-damage-prevention regulations are adopted separately under Chapter 8 (Rev. 11/05), enacted under authority of A.R.S. § 48-3610, and administered by the Town Manager (or designee) acting as Floodplain Administrator, with the Floodplain Board being either the Flood Control District of Greenlee County or the Duncan Town Council depending on which body is engaged in enforcement at a given time (A.R.S. § 48-3601 definition). A separate Development Permit (the Floodplain Permit line on the combined Zoning/Building/Historic District/Floodplain Permit form) is required before construction or development begins within any area of special flood hazard. Source: Town of Duncan Town Code Chapter 8 — Floodplain Management, Articles 8-1-1, 8-1-7.2.
• A separate Historic District permit track exists on the Town's combined permit form ('Zoning Use, Building, Historic District and Floodplain Permit'), implying a locally designated historic district with its own review layer, but no standalone Historic District ordinance chapter or design-guideline document was found published on the Town's website to independently verify its scope or criteria. Source: Town of Duncan Zoning Use, Building, Historic District and Floodplain Permit form (Rev. 4/2006).

Permit types & fees

• Building Permit (Construction / Alteration / Repair / Moving / Demolition)

  The Town of Duncan's single, general-purpose building permit, required for construction, alteration, repair, moving, or demolition of a structure within Town limits. Reviewed against the 2006 International Building Code and Adobe Code (Town Code Chapter 7) by the Building Official function housed in the Town Manager's office. Applied for using the one-page 'Application for Building Permit and Inspection' form at Town Hall.

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• Mobile Home Permit

  A separately fee-scheduled permit for placement of a mobile/manufactured home within the Town of Duncan, distinct from the general Building Permit fee line on the Town's Schedule of Fees and Charges.

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• Zoning Use Permit

  Required whenever a proposed use or structure must be confirmed against the Town's Zoning Ordinance (Town Code Chapter 15), administered through the combined Zoning Use, Building, Historic District and Floodplain Permit form and, where the requested use is not permitted outright, routed to the Planning & Zoning Commission or, on appeal/variance, the Board of Adjustment.

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• Floodplain Development Permit (NFIP)

  Required before construction or development begins within any area of special flood hazard in Duncan, per Town Code Chapter 8 (Flood Damage Prevention), enacted under A.R.S. § 48-3610. Administered by the Town Manager (or designee) as Floodplain Administrator, and represented as its own 'Floodplain Permit (NFIP)' line on the Town's combined permit form.

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• Solar PV Permit (via General Building Permit)

  Required for installation of rooftop or ground-mounted solar photovoltaic systems in Duncan. The Town of Duncan does not maintain a separate electrical or solar-specific permit — a single unified Building Permit, billed on the Town's standard valuation-based fee formula, covers all construction work including electrical/interconnection work for a solar installation. Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 9-468 (Solar construction permits; standards), the Town must accept standardized plan content for solar photovoltaic systems (roof plan/elevation, panel mounting details, one-line or three-line electrical diagrams unless a qualified automated permitting platform is used, and inverter cut sheets for DC-to-AC conversion), may not require a professional engineer's stamp unless deemed necessary, and any permit fee charged must be attributable to and may not exceed the actual cost of issuing the permit.

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• EV Charger / EVSE Permit (via General Building Permit)

  Required for installation of an electric vehicle charging station in Duncan. As with solar PV (see this file's solar-pv-permit entry), the Town of Duncan does not maintain a separate electrical permit at all — its permitTypes are limited to a single general-purpose Building Permit, a Mobile Home Permit, a Zoning Use Permit, and a Floodplain Development Permit. An EV charger circuit or wall-mounted charging unit is therefore filed as a standard Building Permit on the Town's one-page 'Application for Building Permit and Inspection' form (checking 'Alteration' or 'Repair' as appropriate), billed on the Town's standard valuation-based fee formula — there is no distinct EV-charger/EVSE line anywhere in the Town's Schedule of Fees and Charges.

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• Sign Permit (No Distinct Product — Regulated Directly Under the Zoning Ordinance)

  The Town of Duncan does not issue a separate, freestanding 'sign permit' with its own application or fee line. Signage is instead regulated directly by the Zoning Ordinance's district-specific 'Accessory Signs' provisions (Town Code Chapter 15, §§ 15-4-2(I) Commercial Zone and 15-5-2(K) Industrial Zone, Rev. 03/20). Most small commercial signage (a single wall/painted sign, one overhanging sign up to 8 sq ft, or a parking-lot sign up to 6 sq ft) requires no permit or fee at all. The one sign type that does require formal approval — a free-standing sign — is routed through the same Planning & Zoning Commission recommendation / Board of Adjustment approval process already used for the Town's Zoning Use Permit (documented separately in this file's zoning-use-permit entry), not through a distinct sign-specific application or fee.

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• Fire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm Permit (Duncan Valley Rural Fire District)

  Fire protection within the Town of Duncan is provided not by the Town itself but by the Duncan Valley Rural Fire District (DVRFD), an independent special taxing district headquartered at 903 SE Old West Highway, Duncan, AZ (separate from Town Hall), confirmed on the Town's own Services & Fees page ('Duncan Valley Rural Fire District — Call 911 for emergencies'). DVRFD's own website (duncanfireaz.org) states that permits are required for building fire life safety features, fire hydrant systems, fire sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, and commercial hood systems, and that all plans/specifications for new commercial construction, remodeling, alterations, or Operational Permits must be submitted to DVRFD for review and approval prior to construction or operation, per the 2018 International Fire Code (I.F.C.) plus DVRFD code amendments. This is a genuine, separate permit product from the Town's Building Permit — it is issued and reviewed by the fire district, not the Town Manager's Building Official function.

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• Change of Use (No Distinct Certificate-of-Occupancy Process — Routed Through the Zoning Use Permit's Amendment Track)

  The Town of Duncan does not issue a Certificate of Occupancy and has no standalone 'change of use permit.' Town Code Chapter 7 (Building) contains no occupancy-certificate or final-occupancy-sign-off provision of any kind, and no such document appears on the Town's Building Permits & Fees page, the Application for Building Permit and Inspection form, or the combined Zoning Use, Building, Historic District and Floodplain Permit form. Instead, a change in use is handled as the 'Amendment (changed use)' line already present on that combined permit form — the same Board of Adjustment hearing track documented in this file's zoning-use-permit entry — and, in at least the Public Zone (Town Code § 15-7-3(D)-(E), Rev. 03/20), an explicit 'change of use variance' can trigger added off-street parking and loading-space requirements once a specific use classification changes.

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