Skip to main content
PermitBase

Certificate of Occupancy / Change of Occupancy Permit in Avondale, Arizona

Avondale's mechanism for both (a) the final Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) required before any new-construction or tenant-improvement space may be occupied, and (b) a genuine change of tenant, business, or use in an existing commercial building with no construction work proposed — what many Arizona jurisdictions and this corpus label a stand-alone 'change of use' permit. Avondale does not have a separately named 'Change of Use Permit'; instead, both scenarios are processed as Building Division permit applications under the City's amended 2024 IBC Section 111 / IRC R110 (Certificate of Occupancy) and 2024 IEBC Chapter 6 (classification of work for existing buildings, including change of occupancy), with a dedicated 'no-work' Certificate of Occupancy valuation category for the no-construction case.

Verified 2026-07-23 · Source

When you need this permit

  • A building or tenant space shall not be occupied until a Certificate of Occupancy is issued by the Chief Building Official (CBO), per amended 2024 IBC Section 111 / IRC Section R110 and all applicable City codes, ordinances, and approved plans
  • Issuance is at the sole discretion of the CBO; a Certificate of Occupancy indicates the building is safe, complete, and code-compliant but does not constitute final approval/acceptance of the work and does not create a vested right or guarantee against future code enforcement — the CBO may suspend or revoke it at any time, with or without notice, for noncompliance
  • Required sign-offs before a Certificate of Occupancy will be issued: Planning, Engineering (on-site/off-site), and Fire & Medical (final for site and occupiable area, (623) 333-6020) approvals, followed last by Building Services Division's final inspection sign-off
  • For a straight change of tenant, business, or use with no physical construction work proposed (a 'no-work' Certificate of Occupancy request), Avondale still requires a permit application; the permit valuation is calculated under the City's amended AMR (Alterations/Modifications/Remodels) formula — Project Square Footage x BVD Base Rate x Alteration Multiplier — using the Minor-alteration multiplier of 0.20 that the ordinance specifically extends to 'no-work' Certificate of Occupancy requests, per amended IBC/IRC Section 109.3.1
  • That AMR valuation is then billed using the same Building Permit Fee Tiers A-H used for any other building permit, plus the standard 65% Building Plan Review Fee and $102.00 Application Processing Fee
  • If the change of use/tenant involves reconfiguring space, adding or removing a door or window, or extending/adding building systems, the City may instead apply the Moderate (0.50) or Major (0.70) alteration multiplier rather than the Minor (0.20) 'no-work' rate, per the same Section 109.3.1 table
  • Existing-building scope of work, including a change of occupancy classification, must be evaluated against 2024 IEBC Chapter 6 per the City's Commercial Submittal Checklist
  • The standard Building Permit Application captures the change directly: a 'BUILDING USE/OCCUPANCY (COMMERCIAL)' field set requires stating both the EXISTING and NEW use/occupancy and the occupant load
  • A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) may be issued for substantially-but-not-fully-complete work, with escalating fees the longer it remains open before a final C of O issues

Required documents

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

Not ready yet — 0 of 3 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

Certificate of OccupancyCity of Avondale FY2026 Rates and Fees Schedule, Certificate of Occupancy Fees, Resolution 1045-0725, effective 9/1/2025
$158.00
Certificate of Occupancy ReprintCity of Avondale FY2026 Rates and Fees Schedule, Certificate of Occupancy Fees, Resolution 1045-0725
$181.00
Certificate of Completion for Commercial Shell BuildingsCity of Avondale FY2026 Rates and Fees Schedule, Certificate of Occupancy Fees, Resolution 1045-0725; a Certificate of Completion verifies permitted shell work is code-compliant but, per amended IBC Section 111.2.1, does not itself authorize occupancy or substitute for a Certificate of Occupancy
$225.00
Temporary Certificate of OccupancyCity of Avondale FY2026 Rates and Fees Schedule, Certificate of Occupancy Fees, Resolution 1045-0725
$150.00
Temporary Certificate of Occupancy - Initial Issuance (1-180 days)City of Avondale FY2026 Rates and Fees Schedule, Certificate of Occupancy Fees, Resolution 1045-0725
3% of the building permit fee
Temporary Certificate of Occupancy - Second Issuance (181-360 days)City of Avondale FY2026 Rates and Fees Schedule, Certificate of Occupancy Fees, Resolution 1045-0725
6% of the building permit fee
Temporary Certificate of Occupancy - Third Issuance (361-540 days)City of Avondale FY2026 Rates and Fees Schedule, Certificate of Occupancy Fees, Resolution 1045-0725
9% of the building permit fee
'No-Work' Certificate of Occupancy / Change-of-Use Building Permit FeeCity of Avondale Building Code Adoption ordinance document, amended IBC/IRC Section 109.3.1 (AMR valuations); City of Avondale FY2026 Rates and Fees Schedule, Building Permit Fees and Building Plan Review Fees, Resolution 3050-612/1045-0725
Building Permit Fee Tiers A-H (see Residential Building Permit entry), applied to an AMR valuation of Project SF x BVD Base Rate x 0.20 (Minor alteration multiplier), plus 65% Building Plan Review Fee and $102.00 Application Processing Fee

Review timeline

Plan reviewAvondale’s published plan-review target
16–24 business days

How long did your Certificate of Occupancy / Change of Occupancy Permit permit actually take in Avondale?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Final Building / Final Combination

    Verifies any permitted work (if applicable) against approved plans; SELECTXT code 630/640 per this record's other Building Division entries

  2. 2

    Engineering Final (On-Site/Off-Site)

    Engineering Division sign-off on the Certificate of Occupancy Sign-Off Sheet; approval provided is limited to C of O processing and does not release separate Engineering permit/subdivision-improvement obligations

  3. 3

    Fire & Medical Final (Site and Occupiable Area)

    Coordinated at (623) 333-6020 per the Certificate of Occupancy Sign-Off Sheet

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

Tips

  • Avondale has no free or purely administrative path to change a tenant/business/use in an existing commercial space — even a genuine 'no-work' change of use still requires a Building Division permit application, sign-offs from Planning/Engineering/Fire & Medical, the flat $158 Certificate of Occupancy fee, the $102 Application Processing Fee, and a valuation-based Building Permit Fee (using the Minor/0.20 AMR multiplier carved out specifically for no-work CO requests).
  • Confirm with the Building Services Division whether a specific tenant/use change is genuinely 'no-work' (Minor, 0.20 multiplier) or actually involves space reconfiguration, door/window changes, or system extensions that would push it into the Moderate (0.50) or Major (0.70) AMR multiplier tiers — the City's own ordinance table places these on the same page and it is easy to under-scope a change-of-use application.
  • Building Services Division signs off last on the Certificate of Occupancy Sign-Off Sheet, after Planning, Engineering, and Fire & Medical — budget for all three other sign-offs to be in hand before scheduling the final Building inspection; the City's own sign-off sheet recommends contacting Planning, Engineering, and Fire 3 weeks in advance of scheduling final inspections.
  • A Certificate of Completion for Commercial Shell Buildings ($225) is a distinct, earlier-stage product that verifies a completed shell building is code-compliant but explicitly does not authorize occupancy or substitute for a Certificate of Occupancy — a tenant build-out inside an already-shelled building will still need its own separate Certificate of Occupancy.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Avondale processes this as a 'no-work' Certificate of Occupancy request under its amended Building Code — it is not a free administrative change. It still requires a Building Division permit application, Planning/Engineering/Fire & Medical sign-off, the $158 Certificate of Occupancy fee, the $102 Application Processing Fee, and a valuation-based Building Permit Fee calculated using the Minor (0.20) AMR alteration multiplier.

$158.00 flat for a standard Certificate of Occupancy, $150.00 for a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (plus 3%/6%/9% of the building permit fee for each successive TCO renewal period), $181.00 for a reprint, and $225.00 for a Certificate of Completion for a commercial shell building, per the City of Avondale FY2026 Rates and Fees Schedule.

Avondale's published plan-review target for a certificate of occupancy / change of occupancy permit is 16–24 business days.

You'll need: Building Permit Application; Certificate of Occupancy Sign-Off Sheet; Commercial Submittal Checklist. Depending on your project, Avondale may also ask for: Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Sign-Off Sheet. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Avondale requires 3 inspection(s) for a certificate of occupancy / change of occupancy permit, in order: Final Building / Final Combination, Engineering Final (On-Site/Off-Site), Fire & Medical Final (Site and Occupiable Area). Schedule each through City of Avondale Development Services Department — Building Services Division (623-333-4000).

Apply through City of Avondale Development Services Department — Building Services Division at 11465 W. Civic Center Drive, Avondale, AZ 85323. Phone: 623-333-4000, email: buildingservices@avondaleaz.gov. Office hours: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Building Services Division, per the City's Building Services Division page); City Hall / Development Services counter hours are Monday–Thursday 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM per the City's Contact Us footer (City Hall operates a compressed 4-day, 10-hour workweek). Applications are submitted electronically via the Avondale Citizen Portal (Accela Citizen Access). Building Official: Benjamin Carr (bcarr@avondaleaz.gov), per the 2025 Arizona Building Officials (AZBO) Directory.. Official information: https://avondaleaz.gov/government/departments/development-services/building-division/.

Avondale, 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 (e.g., A.R.S. Title 9 for municipalities). The City of Avondale independently adopts and administers its own construction codes through its Development Services Department / Building Services Division; it does not defer permitting to Maricopa County. Source: City of Avondale Building Services Division page (avondaleaz.gov/government/departments/development-services/building-division/).; 2024 International Building Code (IBC), as published by the International Code Council, adopted by reference with City of Avondale amendments. Effective January 1, 2026 (per the City's 'Current Adopted Building Codes (effective January 1, 2026)' list). Source: City of Avondale Building Services Division page; City of Avondale Building Code Adoption ordinance document ('Building-Code-Adoption-Final.pdf').; 2024 International Residential Code (IRC), adopted by reference with City of Avondale amendments, effective January 1, 2026. Source: City of Avondale Building Services Division page; City of Avondale Building Code Adoption ordinance document.; 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), adopted by reference with City of Avondale amendments, effective January 1, 2026. Source: City of Avondale Building Services Division page.; 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC), as published by the National Fire Protection Association, adopted with City of Avondale amendments (note: electrical code cycle is one edition behind the 2024 ICC set), effective January 1, 2026. Source: City of Avondale Building Services Division page; City of Avondale Building Code Adoption ordinance document (Avondale Amendments to the 2023 National Electrical Code).; 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC), adopted by reference with City of Avondale amendments, effective January 1, 2026. Source: City of Avondale Building Services Division page.; 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC), adopted by reference with City of Avondale amendments, effective January 1, 2026, including a burial-depth amendment to G2415.12/IFGC 404.12 and added stub-out/push-to-connect-valve provisions (P2605.1.1, P2605.1.2). Source: City of Avondale Building Code Adoption ordinance document.; 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), adopted by reference with City of Avondale amendments, effective January 1, 2026. Source: City of Avondale Building Services Division page.; 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), adopted by reference with City of Avondale amendments, effective January 1, 2026 (Manual J design criteria: elevation 1,101 ft, latitude 34°, outdoor summer design dry-bulb 108°F, outdoor winter design dry-bulb 33°F). Source: City of Avondale Building Services Division page; City of Avondale Building Code Adoption ordinance document.; 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), adopted by reference, effective January 1, 2026. Source: City of Avondale Building Services Division page.; 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), adopted by reference with City of Avondale amendments (including an amended barrier-height provision requiring a minimum 60-inch/5-foot barrier height, up from the model code's 48 inches), effective January 1, 2026. Source: City of Avondale Building Services Division page; City of Avondale Building Code Adoption ordinance document (Avondale Amendments to the 2024 ISPSC, Section 305.2.1); City of Avondale Swimming Pool Requirements handout (rev. 10.26.2023).; All work must be performed by a contractor licensed with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC), unless the property owner qualifies as an owner-builder under A.R.S. § 32-1121 (Building Permit Application, Standard Conditions and Applicant Certification, rev. 05.06.2026). Source: City of Avondale Building Permit Application.. Local amendments apply — see the Avondale overview page for the full list.

Other permits in Avondale

Residential Building Permit (New Construction)Residential Addition / Remodel / ADU PermitElectrical PermitPlumbing PermitMechanical / HVAC PermitRe-Roofing PermitResidential Solar Photovoltaic (PV) PermitEV Charger / EVSE Installation PermitDemolition PermitSwimming Pool / Spa PermitSign Permit (Permanent / Temporary)Automatic Fire Sprinkler System PermitFire Alarm, Detection & Notification System Permit

Certificate of Occupancy / Change of Occupancy Permit in other cities

Benson, ArizonaBisbee, ArizonaBullhead City, ArizonaCarefree, ArizonaCasa Grande, ArizonaCave Creek, ArizonaChandler, ArizonaChino Valley, Arizona

Compare certificate of occupancy / change of occupancy permit fees across Arizona →

Look up this fee in a different city →

Embed this data card →

Now live

Build your Avondale project checklist

Describe your project once and get every permit, document, and fee it triggers in Avondale — in one checklist. Sign up and pay once to generate it, or go unlimited with Pro.

Get started →