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Sign Permit in Fountain Hills, Arizona

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.

Verified 2026-07-23 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Unlawful to erect, install, and/or modify any permanent sign within the Town without first applying for and obtaining a building permit from the Development Services Department (Zoning Ordinance § 6.03); 'modify' includes any change to a sign's size/shape, electrical components, design, or supporting structure
  • No building permit required for: address numbers required by the Fire Code; any sign 4 square feet or less in area (not otherwise prohibited); repainting; minor nonstructural repairs to a sign or its supports; temporary signs; window signs; and changes to sign panel/copy on an existing sign — all remain subject to the chapter's other provisions, including Zoning Administrator approval where required (§ 6.03)
  • A sign permit does NOT include electrical work — illuminated signs require a separate electrical permit application (§ 6.03)
  • Building Wall Sign: 1.5 sq ft of sign area per lineal foot of occupancy frontage along a street (minimum 24 sq ft per occupancy with an exterior wall; maximum 100 sq ft per individual sign); corner buildings between 45° and 90° may transfer up to 25% of sign area from one frontage to the other; one sign per 50 ft of occupancy street frontage; signs may project no more than 12 inches from the wall (§ 6.08(A)(5))
  • Monument Sign: maximum size/height by zoning district — Single Residential 32 sq ft/6 ft, Multiresidential 32 sq ft/8 ft, Commercial/Industrial 50 sq ft (individual sign)/12 ft; one monument sign per lot/parcel for each full 300 ft of street frontage, separated from any other monument sign on the same property by at least 150 ft (§ 6.08(A)(10))
  • Banner signs require their own permit from Development Services (separate from a permanent-sign building permit): maximum 32 sq ft, one per occupancy, maximum 30 days per permit up to 150 days per calendar year (new businesses may qualify for up to 1 year via business-license documentation) (§ 6.08(A)(4))
  • Multi-tenant commercial developments typically require a Comprehensive (Master) Sign Plan reviewed by the Planning Division, a separate fee product from the Building Safety sign-installation permit
  • Apply via T.O.P.P.S. online portal only — the Town accepts no walk-in/paper submittal

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Sign Permit, less than 32 square feet (New/Modified)Town of Fountain Hills Comprehensive Fee Schedule FY2026-2027, Building Fees — Commercial section. Verified by visual inspection of the fee-schedule PDF table (pdftotext column extraction of this row was misaligned/scrambled and is NOT reliable — confirmed correct figure via rendered-page review).
$85.00 per permit
Sign Permit, 32 or greater square feet (New/Modified)Town of Fountain Hills Comprehensive Fee Schedule FY2026-2027. Verified by visual inspection of the fee-schedule PDF table (pdftotext column extraction of this row was misaligned/scrambled and is NOT reliable — confirmed correct figure via rendered-page review).
$105.00 per permit
Administrative Use Permit / Temporary Sign PermitTown of Fountain Hills Comprehensive Fee Schedule FY2026-2027, Development Services — Planning Fees section; covers most temporary-sign/administrative-use scenarios, including the banner-sign permit.
$50.00 per request
Comprehensive Sign Plans and amendmentsTown of Fountain Hills Comprehensive Fee Schedule FY2026-2027, Development Services — Planning Fees section.
$280.00 per request
Reinspection FeeTown of Fountain Hills Comprehensive Fee Schedule FY2026-2027, Building Fees — Commercial section (general reinspection fee applied to commercial permit types including signs).
$170.00 per inspection

Review timeline

Plan reviewFountain Hills’s published plan-review target
20–20 business days

How long did your Sign Permit permit actually take in Fountain Hills?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Final Inspection

    Verifies the installed sign matches the approved plan (location, dimensions, height, structural attachment) and, for illuminated signs, that electrical connections were completed under the required separate electrical permit. The Town's published 2024 Required Inspections list does not itemize a sign-specific inspection separate from this general final.

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

Tips

  • A sign permit fee ($85 or $105, by size) covers only the Building Safety sign-installation permit — a Comprehensive Sign Plan ($280) is a separate Planning Division product typically required for multi-tenant commercial developments, and illuminated signs need a separate electrical permit since a sign permit does not include electrical work.
  • Several common sign types are exempt from the building-permit requirement entirely: address numbers, signs 4 sq ft or smaller, repainting, minor nonstructural repairs, temporary signs, window signs, and copy/panel changes on an existing sign — but all remain subject to the Zoning Ordinance's placement/design rules and may still need Zoning Administrator sign-off.
  • Sign Permits carry one of the only two verified, published review timelines in this jurisdiction's permit set (the other being Sign Permits' own grouping with Animal License Tags): 10 Town working days to determine administrative completeness, then 10 more Town working days for substantive review, for a 20-Town-working-day overall ceiling under the Town's A.R.S. § 9-835 compliance policy (Resolution 2013-48).
  • Monument sign allowances scale with zoning district (32 sq ft/6 ft residential, 32 sq ft/8 ft multiresidential, 50 sq ft/12 ft commercial/industrial) and are capped at one per 300 ft of street frontage per lot, with a mandatory 150-ft separation from any other monument sign on the same property.
  • A pdftotext -layout extraction of the Comprehensive Fee Schedule PDF scrambles the Sign Permit fee row (misreading $85/$105 as $170/$140, values that actually belong to unrelated rows) — the figures in this entry were confirmed by rendering the PDF page to an image and reading it visually.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, for any permanent sign. Per Zoning Ordinance § 6.03, it is unlawful to erect, install, or modify a permanent sign without a building permit from Development Services, at a published fee of $85 (under 32 sq ft) or $105 (32 sq ft or more), per the Comprehensive Fee Schedule FY2026-2027. Small signs (4 sq ft or less), temporary signs, window signs, repainting, and copy changes are exempt from the permit requirement.

In Fountain Hills, the published Sign Permit, less than 32 square feet (New/Modified) is: $85.00 per permit. Additional published fees: Sign Permit, 32 or greater square feet (New/Modified) — $105.00 per permit; Administrative Use Permit / Temporary Sign Permit — $50.00 per request; Comprehensive Sign Plans and amendments — $280.00 per request; Reinspection Fee — $170.00 per inspection. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

The Town's published A.R.S. § 9-835 compliance policy (Resolution 2013-48) sets Sign Permits at 10 Town working days for administrative completeness plus 10 Town working days for substantive review, for a 20-Town-working-day overall ceiling — one of the few permit types in Fountain Hills with a specifically published review timeframe.

You'll need: T.O.P.P.S. Application; Sign Plan / Elevation Drawing. Depending on your project, Fountain Hills may also ask for: Comprehensive (Master) Sign Plan. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Fountain Hills requires 1 inspection(s) for a sign permit, in order: Final Inspection. Schedule each through Town of Fountain Hills Building Safety Division (Planning and Zoning / Development Services Department) (480-816-5123).

Apply through Town of Fountain Hills Building Safety Division (Planning and Zoning / Development Services Department) at Town Hall, 16705 E. Avenue of the Fountains, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268. Phone: 480-816-5123, email: pjohnson@fountainhillsaz.gov. 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).. Official information: https://www.fountainhillsaz.gov/204/Building-Safety.

Fountain Hills, Arizona has adopted: 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.. Local amendments apply — see the Fountain Hills overview page for the full list.

It depends on zoning district: 32 sq ft (6 ft height) in single-residential districts, 32 sq ft (8 ft height) in multiresidential districts, and 50 sq ft per individual sign (12 ft height) in commercial/industrial districts, per Zoning Ordinance § 6.08(A)(10). Only one monument sign is allowed per lot for each full 300 feet of street frontage, and monument signs on the same property must be at least 150 feet apart.

Other permits in Fountain Hills

Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Additions)Residential Remodel PermitElectrical Permit (Minor / One-Discipline)Plumbing Permit (Water Heater / Minor)Mechanical / HVAC Permit (Minor Replacement)Solar Photovoltaic & Energy Storage PermitEV Charger / EVSE PermitSwimming Pool & Spa PermitFence and Retaining Wall PermitFire Sprinkler and Fire Alarm System PermitChange of Use / Certificate of Occupancy

Sign Permit in other cities

Apache Junction, ArizonaAvondale, ArizonaBenson, ArizonaBisbee, ArizonaBuckeye, ArizonaBullhead City, ArizonaCamp Verde, ArizonaCarefree, Arizona

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