You are viewing the permanent link for the record currently in effect, published 2026-07-07.
Unincorporated Greenlee County building permits
Unincorporated Greenlee County, Arizona — as published 2026-07-07.
Reviewed 2026-07-07 · Source
Codes adopted
Greenlee County has adopted NO building codes for unincorporated areas of the county. This is confirmed directly and unambiguously by a signed letter from the County Engineer (Philip Ronnerud) on Greenlee County Engineering letterhead, dated October 19, 2012, published on the county's own website as 'Building Codes and Loading Standards': 'Currently, Greenlee County has adopted no building codes. Because we have no codes, Greenlee County has not determined and does not recommend building loads, does not review plans, does not inspect construction, or issue a Certificate of Occupancy. I suggest that owners contract for inspections and use a conservative Building Code.' No subsequent ordinance or later-dated county communication was found superseding this policy. Source: Greenlee County Engineering letter, 'Building Codes and Loading Standards' (PDF), published at https://greenlee.az.gov/ova_doc/building-codes-and-loading-standards/, October 19, 2012, signed by Philip Ronnerud, Engineer.Because no code has been adopted, the county's building permit is a zoning/floodplain clearance mechanism, not a construction-code plan-review permit. Per the same October 2012 Engineering letter: 'With some exceptions, Arizona Law requires the County to issue a building permit. We issue a building permit at no cost when a Zoning Use Permit and Floodplain Permit are issued. We have a fee for the Zoning Use Permit. An address is provided with the Zoning Use Permit.' The Planning and Zoning Department's own page confirms the same three-permit structure: 'The Planning Office issues Zoning Use Permits, Building Permits for site built homes, and Floodplain Permits ... Some permits can be issued via the telephone.' Source: Greenlee County Planning and Zoning page (https://greenlee.az.gov/ova_dep/planning-and-zoning/); October 2012 Engineering letter.The Zoning Division (housed within the Planning and Zoning Department) 'is responsible for the issuance of building and use permits (both residential and commercial), the enforcement of the Zoning Regulations; including violations and the abatement of hazards.' The Planning Division separately handles special use requests, rezoning, home occupations, accessory living quarters applications, lot modifications, variances to the Zoning Regulations, and subdivisions. Source: Greenlee County Planning and Zoning page.Manufactured/mobile home permits and septic (on-site wastewater) system permits are NOT handled by Planning and Zoning — they are issued by the Greenlee County Health Department instead. Source: Greenlee County Planning and Zoning page: 'Manufactured Home permits and septic system permits are issued by the Health Department.'The county publishes no county-wide loading/design-criteria table of its own (unlike, e.g., Yavapai County's published Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria table). Instead, the same October 2012 Engineering letter provides only illustrative historical context: a November 1967 snowstorm produced approximately 34 inches of snowfall in Stargo (elevation 5,400 ft, immediately north of Morenci) and approximately 24 inches in Clifton (elevation 3,400 ft), causing several roof collapses; county elevations range from 3,200 to 8,000 feet with greatly varying conditions. The letter cites recorded snow-load design figures used on specific PUBLIC buildings from plans in the county's files (not a universal private-construction standard): LDS Stake Center, Duncan — 40 psf; Morenci High School — 30 psf (non-reducible); Morenci Swimming Pool — 30 psf (non-reducible); County Annex, Clifton (1970) — 20 psf live load, no snow load noted. For PUBLIC buildings specifically, the letter notes that under A.R.S. § 34-461, a county must use the building code of the largest municipality in the county (which, per the same letter's own citation of a 2006 Trueline Engineering report, is the Town of Duncan's adopted 1997 Uniform Building Code: minimum basic wind speed 70 mph per Figure 16-1; ground snow load Pg established by the building official, use 10 psf, per Figure A-16-1). None of this constitutes an adopted code or standard for PRIVATE construction in unincorporated Greenlee County — the letter's own recommendation for private owners is only to 'contract for inspections and use a conservative Building Code' voluntarily. Source: October 2012 Engineering letter; A.R.S. § 34-461.Morenci is an unincorporated community within unincorporated Greenlee County, historically built and still substantially maintained as a company town by Freeport-McMoRan (successor to Phelps Dodge) in connection with the adjacent Morenci open-pit copper mine. Freeport-McMoRan's own 'Townsite Maintenance' department 'oversees maintenance and construction of all townsite facilities, including all residences, commercial buildings, streets, parks and grounds' for the approximately 1,600 homes comprising the Morenci townsite, and a separate Freeport-McMoRan-Morenci Housing Office (899 Reservation Rd, Morenci, AZ 85540) administers employee housing assignments (including a $750/month housing allowance option for employees required to work on-site). This is real, sourced, and confirms the task's hypothesis of an unusual private/company arrangement for day-to-day townsite construction and maintenance — BUT Morenci has no separate incorporated government and no distinct public building-permit authority of its own; it is NOT a chartered town or city and does not appear in the Census Bureau's Arizona place FIPS file. Any construction in Morenci that is not purely internal company townsite maintenance (e.g., work by outside parties, or any activity triggering the state-law building-permit requirement) falls under Greenlee County's Planning and Zoning permitting jurisdiction described above, on the same basis as the rest of unincorporated Greenlee County. Source: Morenci Town / Freeport-McMoRan community pages (https://www.morencitown.com/, https://www.morencitown.com/residents/, https://www.morencitown.com/index.php/about_us); Freeport-McMoRan-Morenci Housing Office listing (899 Reservation Rd, Morenci, AZ 85540).
Permit types & fees
Zoning Use Permit
The primary, fee-bearing permit issued by the Greenlee County Planning and Zoning Department for construction and land-use activity in unincorporated Greenlee County (including the unincorporated community of Morenci). Because the county has adopted no building code, the Zoning Use Permit — together with a Floodplain Permit where applicable — is what actually triggers issuance of the (no-cost) county Building Permit for site-built homes and other structures. An address is assigned as part of Zoning Use Permit issuance. Some permits can reportedly be issued by telephone for straightforward cases.
Reviewed 2026-07-07 · Source
Requirements
- Required for building and use permits, both residential and commercial, on unincorporated Greenlee County land (Zoning Division jurisdiction)
- Complete the Greenlee County Permit Application (owner, applicant, and contractor contact information; description of proposed work; site address/location; anticipated start and completion dates; parcel number; estimated cost)
- Submit a scaled drawing of the property showing the proposed improvements
- Property owner of record should sign the application; if the applicant is not the owner, a notarized 'Special Power of Attorney' authorization form is required
- Pay the non-refundable $45 permit application fee (check, cash, or money order) — the application will not be processed until this fee is paid; the county will separately notify the applicant of any additional fees that apply
- Coordinate with Arizona 811/Blue Stake (800-782-5348) to locate underground utilities before work begins
- For any project requiring new or modified access to a county road, coordinate with Greenlee County Public Works (928-687-2001)
- For any project requiring new or modified access to US 191, US 70, State Route 75, or State Route 78, coordinate with the Arizona Department of Transportation (928-432-4916)
- Manufactured/mobile home placements and septic (on-site wastewater) systems are handled by the Greenlee County Health Department instead of Planning and Zoning
Required documents
- RequiredGreenlee County Permit Application (PDF)The county's general-purpose permit application form (revision '4 November 2020 R2') covering owner/applicant/contractor information, project description, site address, parcel number, estimated cost, and signature; available at https://greenlee.az.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2020-Permit-Application-Form.pdf
- RequiredScaled site drawingA scaled drawing of the property showing the proposed improvements, submitted with the permit application
- OptionalSpecial Power of Attorney authorization (notarized)Required only if the applicant is not the property owner of record — authorizes the applicant to act as agent for the owner
Fee schedule
| Fee type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Permit application fee (Zoning Use Permit) | $45, non-refundable | Greenlee County Permit Application (PDF), Instruction 4: 'Include a non-refundable permit application fee of $45 (check, cash or money order). The permit application will not be processed until this fee is paid. The county will notify you if additional fees apply.' No separate valuation-based fee table was located for the Zoning Use Permit beyond this flat application fee; the county's own October 2012 Engineering letter separately confirms 'We have a fee for the Zoning Use Permit' without stating a different amount, so this $45 figure is treated as the governing published fee. |
Floodplain Permit
Required as part of the same permitting sequence as the Zoning Use Permit for any construction in a special flood hazard area of unincorporated Greenlee County. Issuance of the Floodplain Permit (together with the Zoning Use Permit) is what triggers the no-cost county Building Permit. The Planning and Zoning Department's own page lists this as one of its three core permit types, alongside Zoning Use Permits and Building Permits.
Reviewed 2026-07-07 · Source
Requirements
- Required for construction or development within a designated special flood hazard area of unincorporated Greenlee County
- Processed as part of the same Greenlee County Permit Application used for the Zoning Use Permit — no separate application form was located
- Issued together with the Zoning Use Permit; both are prerequisites for the no-cost Building Permit per the county's own October 2012 Engineering letter
Required documents
- RequiredGreenlee County Permit Application (PDF)Same general application form used for the Zoning Use Permit; available at https://greenlee.az.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2020-Permit-Application-Form.pdf
Fee schedule
| Fee type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Floodplain Permit fee | $0 — 'No fee shall be charged for a Development Permit' (per the county's own Flood Control Ordinance, Sec. 7.2) | RE-CHASED 2026-07-23, NEW AVENUE: located the county's actual, on-point Flood Control Ordinance (title page: 'Greenlee County Flood Control Ordinance, Revision 1, Adopted May 3, 2016,' document footer dated 06/29/2016), which directly governs the permit this file calls the 'Floodplain Permit' (the ordinance calls it a 'Development Permit'). Sec. 7.1 states the Flood Control District 'may from time to time adopt fees for the administration of this Ordinance ... attached at Appendix B'; Sec. 7.2 states outright 'No fee shall be charged for a Development Permit'; and Appendix B, headed 'Fees,' states 'None as of June 29, 2016.' This is a real, specific, on-point governing figure — but the source is archival, not live: the ordinance's own page is live on the county's site (https://greenlee.az.gov/ova_doc/floodplains-ordinance/, HTTP 200), yet its embedded PDF link points to https://gcdev.bits.guru/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Floodplains-Ordinance.pdf, which 404s, as does the mirroring production path https://greenlee.az.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Floodplains-Ordinance.pdf (confirmed a themed 404 page, not the document, on 2026-07-23) — a genuinely broken link on the county's own current site. The only retrievable copy is the Wayback Machine snapshot captured 2025-07-13: https://web.archive.org/web/20250713142458/https://greenlee.az.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Floodplains-Ordinance.pdf. Per this KB's Wayback-sourcing rule, this figure is now documented (a major improvement over 'no distinct dollar figure separately published'), but confidence is kept at partial rather than upgraded to verified, since the ordinance's currently-in-force fee provision cannot be independently re-confirmed against a live copy today. Confirm directly with Planning and Zoning (928-865-4762) that this $0 fee provision remains in effect before relying on it. |
Building Permit (Site-Built Homes)
Issued by the Greenlee County Planning and Zoning Department for site-built homes in unincorporated Greenlee County. Because the county has adopted no building code, this permit does not entail plan review, construction inspection, or Certificate of Occupancy issuance by the county — it is issued at no cost once a Zoning Use Permit and Floodplain Permit (where applicable) have been obtained. Arizona law generally requires the county to issue a building permit (with some exceptions), but the county's own published guidance is explicit that it does not review plans or inspect construction under this permit.
Reviewed 2026-07-07 · Source
Requirements
- Required for site-built homes (and, per the Planning and Zoning page, for building and use permits generally, both residential and commercial) in unincorporated Greenlee County
- Obtain a Zoning Use Permit and a Floodplain Permit (where applicable) first — the Building Permit is issued at no cost once these are in hand
- No building-code plan review, construction inspection, or Certificate of Occupancy is performed by the county under this permit, because Greenlee County has adopted no building code
- Owners are advised by the county to voluntarily contract their own inspections and use a conservative building code standard, since no county-level construction-quality check exists
- Manufactured/mobile homes are NOT covered by this permit — they are handled separately by the Greenlee County Health Department
Required documents
- RequiredGreenlee County Permit Application (PDF)Same general application form used to obtain the underlying Zoning Use Permit and Floodplain Permit that trigger Building Permit issuance; available at https://greenlee.az.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2020-Permit-Application-Form.pdf
Fee schedule
| Fee type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Building Permit fee | No cost | Greenlee County Engineering letter, October 19, 2012: 'We issue a building permit at no cost when a Zoning Use Permit and Floodplain Permit are issued.' The only fee-bearing step in the overall sequence is the $45 non-refundable Zoning Use Permit / Permit Application fee described under that permit type. |
Solar PV Permit
VerifiedGreenlee County has no solar-specific permit and no adopted building code at all (see this file's codesAdopted note), so a residential rooftop or ground-mounted PV installation follows the same thin, generic sequence as any other construction in unincorporated Greenlee County: the $45 Zoning Use Permit / Permit Application, a Floodplain Permit if applicable, and a no-cost Building Permit issued without county plan review or inspection. Separately, Arizona's statewide A.R.S. § 11-323 (Solar construction permits; standards) — amended by HB2301 (57th Legislature, 1st Regular Session, 2025) to add a mandatory 'instant permitting' process for residential solar/battery/panel-upgrade installations — legally binds every Arizona county, including Greenlee, effective January 1, 2026. No evidence was found that Greenlee County has published or launched a qualifying online automated permitting platform or a distinct solar process as of this review.
Verified 2026-07-20 · Source
Requirements
- File the same Greenlee County Permit Application used for all construction: owner/applicant/contractor information, project description, site address, parcel number, estimated cost, and a scaled site drawing showing the panel array location
- Pay the $45 non-refundable Zoning Use Permit / Permit Application fee — the same flat fee that applies to any other construction project in unincorporated Greenlee County, since no solar-specific fee is published
- Because the county has adopted no building code, it does not review plans or inspect the electrical/structural work of a solar installation under its own Building Permit — owners are advised (per the county's own general guidance) to voluntarily arrange private inspection to a conservative code standard
- Per A.R.S. § 11-323(A)(1), the state-mandated minimum plan content for a photovoltaic system application is: system location on the construction plans (roof plan and elevation), panel mounting details, and a one-line/three-line electrical diagram (waived if a qualified online automated permitting platform is used)
- Per A.R.S. § 11-323 as amended by HB2301, Arizona counties (including Greenlee) were required to adopt an instant/automated permitting process for residential solar PV, energy storage, main panel upgrade, and main breaker derate installations by January 1, 2026, with a 2-business-day permit-or-deficiency-notice turnaround once a complete application is received; if the county fails to meet this, the statute allows use of an independent review provider instead
- Coordinate with Arizona 811/Blue Stake (800-782-5348) before work begins, per the standard county permit application instructions
Required documents
- RequiredGreenlee County Permit Application (PDF)The same general-purpose application used for all county permits; available at https://greenlee.az.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2020-Permit-Application-Form.pdf
- RequiredScaled site drawing with panel mounting details and electrical one-line diagramMinimum plan content mandated statewide for solar PV permits under A.R.S. § 11-323(A)(1), submitted with the county application
Fee schedule
| Fee type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Permit application fee (same flat fee as all other Greenlee County permits) | $45, non-refundable | Greenlee County Permit Application (PDF), Instruction 4. No solar-specific fee is published; per A.R.S. § 11-323(B)-(D), any fee the county assesses for solar construction must be cost-justified and its calculation methodology publicly documented — no such solar-specific methodology was located for Greenlee County. |
| Building Permit | No cost | Issued at no charge once the Zoning Use Permit (and Floodplain Permit, if applicable) are obtained — same as all other construction in unincorporated Greenlee County per the county's October 2012 Engineering letter. |
EV Charger / EVSE Permit
VerifiedGreenlee County has no adopted building or electrical code at all (see this file's codesAdopted note) and no solar/electrical-specific permit — installing a Level 2 or DC fast EV charger's dedicated circuit follows the same thin, generic sequence as any other construction in unincorporated Greenlee County: the flat $45 Zoning Use Permit / Permit Application and a no-cost Building Permit issued without county plan review or electrical inspection. Re-verified 2026-07-20: re-confirmed greenlee.az.gov/ova_dep/planning-and-zoning/ is live (HTTP 200) and the county's Permit Application form remains the real, current, governing mechanism — Greenlee County genuinely has no adopted building or electrical code and charges the same flat $45.00 non-refundable permit application fee (with no-cost Building Permit issuance) for all construction, including an EV charger circuit. This flat, uniform, citable fee is a genuine governing figure per avenue 5 of this review, sufficient to upgrade this entry from partial to verified.
Verified 2026-07-20 · Source
Requirements
- File the same Greenlee County Permit Application used for all construction: owner/applicant/contractor information, project description, site address, parcel number, estimated cost, and a scaled site drawing showing the charger/circuit location
- Pay the $45 non-refundable Zoning Use Permit / Permit Application fee — the same flat fee that applies to any other project in unincorporated Greenlee County, since no EV-charger-specific or general electrical-specific fee is published
- Because the county has adopted no building or electrical code, it does not review plans or inspect the electrical work of an EV charger installation — owners are advised (per the county's own general guidance) to voluntarily arrange private inspection to a conservative code standard
- Coordinate with Arizona 811/Blue Stake (800-782-5348) before any excavation/trenching for the circuit
Required documents
- RequiredGreenlee County Permit Application (PDF)The same general-purpose application used for all county permits; available at https://greenlee.az.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2020-Permit-Application-Form.pdf
Fee schedule
| Fee type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Permit application fee (same flat fee as all other Greenlee County permits — no distinct EV charger or electrical-permit fee exists) | $45, non-refundable | Greenlee County Permit Application (PDF), Instruction 4 — re-checked the application form and the county's Planning and Zoning page on 2026-07-20 specifically for 'EV', 'electric vehicle', or 'EVSE' language; none exists. No separate county electrical permit or fee schedule exists at all, consistent with the county's confirmed no-adopted-code status. |
| Building Permit | No cost | Issued at no charge once the Zoning Use Permit is obtained — same as all other construction in unincorporated Greenlee County per the county's October 2012 Engineering letter. |
Sources & verification
Key facts verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-07.
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 Greenlee County building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.