Fountain Hills building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Fountain Hills, Arizona.
Last verified 2026-07-06 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- Town Hall, 16705 E. Avenue of the Fountains, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268
- Phone
- 480-816-5123
- Office hours
- Building Safety office hours for plan review, phone calls, front counter assistance and building code questions: Monday - Thursday, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Inspections are conducted 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Town of Fountain Hills only accepts permit applications online through T.O.P.P.S. (Town's Online Permitting and Planning System), a Citizenserve-hosted portal; there is no walk-in/paper submittal option. Source: Town of Fountain Hills Building Safety page (fountainhillsaz.gov/204/Building-Safety) and Building Permit Forms & Checklists page (fountainhillsaz.gov/502/Building-Permit-Forms-Checklists).
- Website
- Official site
- Permit portal
- Apply online at Fountain Hills's portal
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Fountain Hills — 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-municipality authority under state enabling statutes (A.R.S. Title 9). The Town of Fountain Hills independently adopts and administers its own construction codes through its Building Safety Division, a work unit within the Planning and Zoning Department; it does not defer permitting to Maricopa County. Source: Town of Fountain Hills Building Safety page (fountainhillsaz.gov/204/Building-Safety).
- 2024 International Building Code (IBC), as published by the International Code Council, adopted by reference with Town of Fountain Hills amendments (Ordinance No. 25-06, repealing and replacing Town Code Chapter 7, Buildings and Building Regulations). Effective for all building permit applications received on or after September 1, 2025. Source: Town of Fountain Hills Adopted Codes page (fountainhillsaz.gov/208/Adopted-Codes); Ordinance No. 25-06 (fountainhillsaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/12020).
- 2024 International Residential Code (IRC) for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, with Appendix G, adopted by reference with Town amendments, effective September 1, 2025. Source: Adopted Codes page; Ordinance No. 25-06.
- 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC), adopted by reference, effective September 1, 2025. Source: Adopted Codes page; Ordinance No. 25-06.
- 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC), adopted by reference, effective September 1, 2025. Source: Adopted Codes page; Ordinance No. 25-06.
- 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), adopted by reference, effective September 1, 2025. Source: Adopted Codes page.
- 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC), as published by the National Fire Protection Association, adopted by reference (one edition behind the 2024 ICC set, consistent with the statewide pattern of NEC lagging one cycle). Effective September 1, 2025. Source: Adopted Codes page; Ordinance No. 25-06.
- 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), adopted by reference with Town amendments (IRC Section N1103.10.3 / R403.10.3 'Covers' deleted). Effective September 1, 2025. Source: Adopted Codes page; Ordinance No. 25-06.
- 2024 International Fire Code (IFC), adopted by reference as the Town of Fountain Hills Fire Code, with extensive Town amendments including Appendix P (Control and Suppression of Hazardous Fire Areas) and Appendix Q (Fountain Hills Fire-Related Incidents Citation Program) added; administered by the Fire Marshal / Fire Code Official. Note: the Town's residential fire-sprinkler requirement is preserved from the 2006 IFC as amended and adopted April 17, 2008, regardless of which edition of the Fire Code is otherwise in force. Effective September 1, 2025. Source: Adopted Codes page; Ordinance No. 25-06.
- 2024 International Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code (ISPSC), adopted by reference with Town amendments (barrier height/clearance provisions amended). Effective September 1, 2025. Source: Adopted Codes page; Ordinance No. 25-06.
- 1997 Uniform Administrative Code, amended to adopt in part only — Section 304 and the referenced Tables 3-A through 3-H — solely for the purpose of determining fees. Source: Adopted Codes page.
- 1997 Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, as published by the International Conference of Building Officials, adopted by reference with a Town amendment adding a definition for structures with construction cessation exceeding one year. Source: Adopted Codes page; Ordinance No. 25-06.
- Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Standard Specifications and Uniform Details for Public Works Construction, adopted by reference for engineering/public-works construction. Source: Adopted Codes page; Ordinance No. 25-06.
- Removing Solar Equipment procedure/amendment, published separately by Building Safety. Source: fountainhillsaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/12635.
- NOTE: A prior 2018 I-Codes / 2017 NEC adoption cycle (as reflected in older third-party directories) has been superseded — the Town Council adopted the 2024 code suite effective September 1, 2025 per Ordinance No. 25-06. Plans submitted on or after that date must use the 2024-cycle codes. Source: Adopted Codes page (fountainhillsaz.gov/208/Adopted-Codes), which explicitly states this notice.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Additions)
Required for new single-family and two-family dwelling construction and building additions in the Town of Fountain Hills. Reviewed against the 2024 IRC and Town of Fountain Hills amendments (Ordinance No. 25-06), effective for submittals on/after September 1, 2025. Applications are submitted exclusively through T.O.P.P.S., the Town's Citizenserve-hosted online permitting portal.
Residential Remodel Permit
Required for remodels and alterations to existing one- and two-family dwellings in Fountain Hills that are not full additions with new foundation. Reviewed against the 2024 IRC as adopted and amended by the Town (Ordinance No. 25-06).
Electrical Permit (Minor / One-Discipline)
Required for standalone electrical work such as panel repair, in the Town of Fountain Hills, governed by the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) as adopted and amended by the Town (Ordinance No. 25-06). Larger electrical scope tied to new construction or remodels is billed under those permit types instead.
Plumbing Permit (Water Heater / Minor)
Required for plumbing installation, alteration, or repair such as water heater replacement/solar minor work in the Town of Fountain Hills, governed by the 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) as adopted and amended by the Town (Ordinance No. 25-06).
Mechanical / HVAC Permit (Minor Replacement)
Required for HVAC replacement in the Town of Fountain Hills, governed by the 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) as adopted and amended by the Town (Ordinance No. 25-06).
Solar Photovoltaic & Energy Storage Permit
Required for installation of rooftop or ground-mounted residential solar photovoltaic systems and battery energy storage systems (ESS) in the Town of Fountain Hills. Governed by the Town's dedicated Solar Photovoltaic & Energy Storage Submittal Checklist (NEC 2023) and IRC R330 (energy storage).
EV Charger / EVSE Permit
Required for installation of a residential or commercial electric vehicle charging station (EVSE) in the Town of Fountain Hills, governed by the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) as adopted and amended by the Town (Ordinance No. 25-06). The Town's Comprehensive Fee Schedule has no distinct EV-charger/EVSE fee line item — a standalone EVSE circuit is billed under the same 'One Discipline Permit' minor-electrical category used for other standalone electrical work (see this jurisdiction's electrical-permit entry). Note the Town's fee schedule does list a separate, unrelated 'Electric Vehicle Charging — Charging Station Fee' of $4.00/hour (2-hour maximum) under Public Works, but that is a usage/parking fee for a Town-owned public charging station, not a building-permit fee for installing a charger.
Swimming Pool & Spa Permit
Required for construction of swimming pools and spas in the Town of Fountain Hills. Reviewed against the 2024 International Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code (ISPSC) as adopted and amended by the Town (Ordinance No. 25-06), including barrier/VGBA anti-entrapment requirements.
Fence and Retaining Wall Permit
Fences and retaining walls in Fountain Hills are regulated with a limited no-permit exception for very short fences and low retaining walls, and full permit/engineering requirements above those thresholds.
Sign Permit
Required to erect, install, or modify any permanent commercial/business sign in the Town of Fountain Hills, per Zoning Ordinance Chapter 6 (Sign Regulations), Section 6.03 (Permits). Issued by the Development Services/Building Safety Division via T.O.P.P.S., with substantive size/height/placement standards set by Section 6.08 (Specific Requirements and Allowances) and reviewed for zoning compliance by the Planning Division. A separate Comprehensive (Master) Sign Plan and fee applies to multi-tenant commercial developments, and a distinct Administrative Use Permit covers most temporary signage.
Fire Sprinkler and Fire Alarm System Permit
Required for installation, modification, or extension of automatic fire sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, and commercial kitchen hood suppression systems in the Town of Fountain Hills. Unlike some neighboring Maricopa County jurisdictions, Fountain Hills is served by its OWN municipal Fire Department (Fire Chief Dave Ott) rather than a contracted provider or independent fire district — the Town operated under a Rural/Metro Corporation services contract through the end of 2023, then re-staffed and transitioned to running its own department starting in 2024. Fire prevention plan review and permitting is administered in-house by Assistant Fire Chief/Fire Marshal Mike Winters, applying the Town-amended 2024 International Fire Code (Ordinance No. 25-06) and the Town's own 'Interpretations and Applications of NFPA 13D' (2022 ed.), effective September 1, 2025, for one- and two-family dwelling sprinkler systems.
Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy
Fountain Hills has NO distinctly branded 'Change of Use Permit' process, dedicated Change-of-Occupancy fee, or published Change-of-Use checklist — unlike some neighboring Arizona municipalities (e.g., Apache Junction's Town Code §§ 7-1-6(A)/7-1-8 with its own dedicated fee schedule). The Town instead applies the 2024 International Building Code as adopted by Ordinance No. 25-06 without a local amendment to the IBC's standard Certificate of Occupancy provisions (Chapter 1, Section 111), and relies on its own Town-amended Fire Code § 903.2.13 ('Change of occupancy') to trigger fire-sprinkler compliance when an existing building's occupancy classification changes to a higher hazard level. A change of use involving construction work is processed as a standard Commercial Remodel/Tenant Improvement building permit through T.O.P.P.S.; a Zoning Verification Letter is available separately to confirm zoning/use compliance where no construction permit is otherwise required.
New residential construction activity
New privately-owned residential construction onlyHousing units authorized by building permits for new privately-owned residential construction — this is not total permit volume (no commercial permits or remodels).
- Latest month (2026-05)
- 3units
3 buildings · $1.9M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 86units
12 of 12 months reported · #45 in Arizona coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-05)
- 41units
29 buildings · $24.5M valuation
5 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 67units
45 buildings · $42M valuation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-05 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Arizona building activity
Tips & gotchas
- Arizona has no statewide mandatory building code — the Town of Fountain Hills independently adopts and amends its own construction codes through its Building Safety Division (a work unit within the Planning and Zoning Department) and does not defer to Maricopa County for permitting within Town limits.
- The Town adopted the full 2024 ICC code suite (IBC, IRC, IMC, IPC, IFGC, IECC, IFC, ISPSC) effective September 1, 2025 per Ordinance No. 25-06 — this is a NEWER cycle than the 2018 I-Codes/2017 NEC reflected in older third-party directories, and supersedes them. The NEC remains one edition behind at 2023.
- Fountain Hills requires automatic fire sprinklers throughout ALL new occupancies without a general size threshold (including garages and carports) per its Town-amended Fire Code (Ordinance No. 25-06, Section 903.2) — a stricter local amendment than the base 2024 IFC, with the underlying sprinkler requirement itself dating to a 2008-adopted 2006 IFC amendment that survives any subsequent Fire Code edition change.
- The Town of Fountain Hills accepts building/development permit applications ONLY through T.O.P.P.S. (Town's Online Permitting and Planning System), a Citizenserve-hosted portal — there is no walk-in or paper submittal path for any permit type.
- Building permit and plan-review fees are set on a straightforward PER-SQUARE-FOOT basis (e.g., $0.73/sq ft livable A/C area for new single-family construction) rather than the ICC valuation tables — the governing document is the Town of Fountain Hills Comprehensive Fee Schedule, currently Fiscal Year 2026-2027 (effective/dated 4/1/2026), adopted by Council resolution per Town Code Chapter 7, Section 7-1-3(A).
- Climatic/geographic design criteria: 105 mph wind (3-second gust), Seismic Design Category B, 34°F winter design temperature, 0 psf ground snow load, moderate-to-heavy termite potential, 12-inch frost line depth.
- Fountain Hills' no-permit thresholds for fences (30 inches) and retaining walls (2 feet, absent a surcharge) and detached accessory structures (120 sq ft) are notably SMALLER than several neighboring Maricopa County cities — do not assume a threshold from another city's permit rules applies here.
- Swimming pools/spas must meet both the Town-amended International Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code barrier rules (60 in. minimum / 72 in. maximum barrier height per the Town's own Pool Checklist) AND VGBA (Virginia Graeme Baker Act) federal anti-entrapment standards for all pumps, drains, and suction fittings.
- Solar PV and battery energy storage share a single combined Town submittal checklist (NEC 2023) — battery ESS units are capped at 20 kWh individually and 40-80 kWh in aggregate depending on installation location (IRC R330), and are banned from sleeping rooms.
- The Town's own published Arizona Revised Statutes §9-835 licensing-timeframe compliance policy (Resolution No. 2013-48, ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/183 — the current standing version on file, no newer resolution found superseding it) sets a 90/180/270 Town-working-day (administrative-completeness/substantive/overall) statutory ceiling, but ONLY for the application types its own tables actually name: Commercial Building Permit, Site Plan/Design Review/Amendment, Site Plan Extension, Special Use Permit, Encroachment Permits, Commercial Plan Reviews, Revision of Existing Permits, New Commercial Construction, Civil Engineering Plans & Reports, Non-conforming uses, Seasonal Sales, Tenant Improvements, Wireless Communication Uses, and Landscape Plans (plus separate tables for Public Hearings/Town Council items at 90/180/270 days, Sign/Animal License at 10/10/20 days, Temporary/Administrative Use Permits at 30/30/60 days, and Business/Liquor License at 20/50/70 days). It does NOT name Residential Building Permit, Residential Remodel, Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical/HVAC, Fence/Retaining Wall, Solar PV, or Pool/Spa permits — no published Town review-timeframe was found for any of those permit types, so their reviewTimelineDays are correctly recorded as null/unverified rather than borrowing the commercial-permit figure.
- No dedicated published fee line item for roofing/re-roofing permits was found on the Town's Comprehensive Fee Schedule or Building Permit Forms & Checklists page as of this review — re-roof work in Fountain Hills is understood to fall under the general Residential Remodel per-square-foot fee ($0.24/$0.15 per sq ft) rather than a distinct flat re-roof fee; no separate re-roof checklist was located, so this permit type was omitted rather than assigning it an unverified standalone fee.
- No dedicated published fee line item for demolition specific to residential single-family structures (distinct from the Commercial 'Demolition (minor)' $60 line) was located with certainty as applying to residential-only scope — Fountain Hills' Comprehensive Fee Schedule lists 'Demolition (minor)' at $60 under both the Single Family Residential and Commercial Building Fees sections of the FY2026-2027 schedule, but no separate demolition checklist, asbestos/NESHAP coordination requirement, or utility-termination procedure specific to Fountain Hills was found published on the Town's own site (Buckeye, by contrast, publishes a dedicated Demolition Checklist) — this permit type was therefore omitted from the file rather than asserting unverified procedural detail; the $60 fee itself is confirmed but procedural/document requirements were not.