Tolleson building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Tolleson, Arizona.
Last verified 2026-07-06 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- Tolleson Civic Center, 9055 W. Van Buren Street, Tolleson, AZ 85353
- Phone
- 623-936-7111
- Office hours
- Monday - Thursday, 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (closed Friday - Sunday). Fax 623-936-7117. Permit applications, plans, and licenses may also be submitted through the City's Civic Access online portal. Applications are submitted in person at the Civic Center front counter or via the Civic Access portal; three sets of plans are required for building permit submittal (per the City's Development Procedures handbook).
- Website
- Official site
- Permit portal
- Apply online at Tolleson's portal
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Tolleson — 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 (e.g., A.R.S. Title 9 for municipalities). The City of Tolleson independently adopts and administers its own construction codes through its Development Services Department / Building Division. Source: City of Tolleson Permits & Construction page (tolleson.az.gov/739/Permits-Construction).
- 2024 International Building Code (IBC), as published by the International Code Council. Source: City of Tolleson Permits & Construction page (tolleson.az.gov/739/Permits-Construction), directly fetched July 2026, listing currently adopted codes.
- 2024 International Residential Code (IRC), as published by the International Code Council. Source: City of Tolleson Permits & Construction page.
- 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC), as published by the International Code Council. Source: City of Tolleson Permits & Construction page.
- 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC), as published by the International Code Council. Source: City of Tolleson Permits & Construction page.
- 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC), as published by the National Fire Protection Association (one edition behind the 2024 ICC set, consistent with the standard NFPA/ICC publication cycle offset seen across Maricopa County cities). Source: City of Tolleson Permits & Construction page.
- 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC). Source: City of Tolleson Permits & Construction page.
- 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC). Source: City of Tolleson Permits & Construction page.
- 2024 International Fire Code (IFC). Source: City of Tolleson Permits & Construction page.
- 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Source: City of Tolleson Permits & Construction page.
- 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC). Source: City of Tolleson Permits & Construction page.
- 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Source: City of Tolleson Permits & Construction page.
- NOTE ON SUPERSEDED SOURCE: The City's own 'DEVELOPMENT PROCEDURES for Building Permits, Plan Review, Zoning Site Plan Review, Re-Zoning, Variances and Diminution of Value Waiver' handbook (rev. 01/22/24) states an older code set ('International Building Code 2018, International Residential Code 2018, International Plumbing Code 2018, International Mechanical Code 2018, National Electrical Code 2017, International Property Maintenance Code 2018, International Fire Code 2018, with no amendments'). This handbook predates the City's current live Permits & Construction webpage, which lists the full 2024 ICC suite (plus 2023 NEC) as currently adopted — the 2024-suite listing on the live official page is treated as authoritative/current since it is the most recently published statement of adopted codes. Source: City of Tolleson Development Handbook (rev. 01/22/24), tolleson.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2456/Development-Handbook, cross-referenced against the live Permits & Construction page.
- Manufactured homes, mobile homes, and factory-built buildings are regulated directly by the State of Arizona (A.R.S. § 41-4001 et seq., Arizona Department of Fire, Building and Life Safety / Office of Manufactured Housing) for construction/installation standards; cities issue a separate on-site permit for placement, foundation/tie-down, zoning compliance, and site improvements consistent with standard Arizona practice. Source: City of Tolleson Building Permit Flow description (Development Handbook, rev. 01/22/24) describing the City's general permitting authority over placement/site work.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction)
Required for new single-family dwelling construction in the City of Tolleson. Reviewed against the City's adopted 2024 IRC (per the City's current Permits & Construction page). Applications are submitted in person at the Tolleson Civic Center or via the Civic Access online portal, with three sets of plans required.
Residential Addition / Remodel Permit
Required for room additions, remodels, and alterations to existing one-family dwellings in Tolleson. Reviewed against the City's adopted 2024 IRC. Uses the same Building Permit Application and Site Plan submittal process as new construction, scoped to the addition/remodel area.
Electrical Permit
Required for installation, alteration, repair, or replacement of electrical systems in Tolleson, governed by the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) per the City's currently adopted codes. Billed under the City's general valuation-based Building Permit Fee, as no separate itemized electrical fee schedule is published.
Plumbing Permit
Required for installation, alteration, repair, or replacement of plumbing systems in Tolleson, governed by the 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) per the City's currently adopted codes. Billed under the City's general valuation-based Building Permit Fee.
Mechanical / HVAC Permit
Required for installation, replacement, or relocation of HVAC and mechanical systems in Tolleson, governed by the 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) per the City's currently adopted codes. Billed under the City's general valuation-based Building Permit Fee.
Re-Roofing Permit
Required for re-roofing work in Tolleson, reviewed against the City's currently adopted 2024 IBC/IRC roofing provisions. Billed under the City's general valuation-based Building Permit Fee, as no dedicated flat re-roofing fee is published.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit
Required for installation of solar photovoltaic systems in Tolleson. Building/electrical scope is billed under the general valuation-based Building Permit Fee (2023 NEC governs installation), while the Fire Department separately assesses a flat fee for new PV installations and modifications under its own Fire Code operational-permit schedule.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger / Charging Station Permit
The City of Tolleson's Citywide Fee Schedule has no dedicated EV charger/EVSE line item, unlike Solar Photovoltaic Power Systems, which does get its own separately itemized Fire Department fee. Installing an EV charging station is electrical work, governed by the 2023 NEC (including NEC Article 625) and billed under the City's general valuation-based Building Permit Fee, the same mechanism documented in this file's Electrical Permit entry.
Demolition Permit
Required for demolition of any structure in Tolleson. Requires coordination with Maricopa County Air Quality (asbestos/NESHAP) prior to City permit issuance, consistent with standard Maricopa County jurisdiction practice.
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)
- 2units
1 buildings · $350,000 valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 6units
12 of 12 months reported · #69 in Arizona coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-05)
- 3units
2 buildings · $650,247 valuation
5 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 7units
6 buildings · $1.9M 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 City of Tolleson independently adopts and amends its own construction codes and runs its own Development Services Department/Building Division; it does not defer to Maricopa County for permitting within city limits.
- The City's live Permits & Construction page (fetched July 2026) lists a full 2024 ICC code suite (IBC, IRC, IMC, IPC, IFC, IFGC, IECC, IEBC, IPMC) plus 2023 NEC and 2010 ADA Standards as currently adopted. However, the City's own downloadable 'Development Procedures' handbook (rev. 01/22/24) still describes an older 2018 code set adopted with NO amendments — this is a stale/superseded internal document relative to the live webpage, and the discrepancy is flagged in codesAdopted rather than silently resolved.
- Tolleson's Citywide Fee Schedule does NOT itemize separate flat fees for Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical, Roofing, or Demolition permits — all trade and alteration permits are billed under the same project-valuation-based Building Permit Fee table used for new construction, plus a 65% Building Plan Review Fee. This differs from larger West Valley cities like Buckeye, which publish separate flat fees for many trade-permit subtypes.
- Engineering (civil improvement) plans must be submitted as a SEPARATE package from building construction plans — the City's Development Handbook explicitly warns applicants not to combine them.
- Solar PV installations require TWO separate fees: the Building Division's valuation-based Building Permit Fee, AND a distinct flat Fire Department fee ($200 new installation / $100 modification) under the Fire Code's operational permit table — this is a two-department fee structure not seen as clearly itemized in some peer cities.
- Arizona's A.R.S. § 9-831 et seq. (Senate Bill 1598-era) statutory permit-timeframe transparency law applies to Tolleson as it does to all Arizona municipalities; applicants may elect to waive its strict timeframes to allow more flexibility resolving plan review comments back-and-forth.
- Major commercial, industrial, and multifamily apartment complex projects requiring Zoning Site Plan Review must clear a City Council public hearing (15-day mailed notice to property owners within 300 feet) before a building permit can be issued, and must obtain building/construction permits within 180 days of Site Plan approval (one 180-day extension available).
- No published category-specific plan review SLA (beyond the general Development Handbook's '1-2 weeks residential / 2-4 weeks major commercial' guidance) was found for Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical, Roofing, or Demolition permits specifically, despite exhausting the City's Permits & Construction page, Development Handbook, Citywide Fee Schedule, FAQ page, and JS-rendering/Wayback workarounds — these permit types' tips/faqs fields use the honest-gap framing to direct applicants to call Development Services directly for project-specific timing.
- Department address discrepancy resolved: the City's own live Permits & Construction and Development Services pages (fetched July 2026) both state 9055 W. Van Buren Street as the current Tolleson Civic Center address; the 2025 AZBO Directory's '9555 W. Van Buren' figure is treated as a stale/typo'd entry and NOT used in this file.