Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy Permit in Wickenburg, Arizona

You need a certificate of occupancy. Under the International Building Code § 111.1 as adopted by Town Code Chapter 8, a building or structure shall not be used or occupied, and a change of the occupancy classification shall not be made, until the building official has issued a certificate of occupancy. The Town also adopts the 2018 International Existing Building Code to govern change of occupancy in existing buildings.

The Town's adopted 2026-27 Consolidated Fee Schedule has no Certificate of Occupancy or change-of-use line item — a confirmed absence, checked page by page across the whole Community Development section. What it does carry are the zoning-side charges a change of use may trigger: Zoning Verification $150.00, Administrative Use Permit $50.00, Temporary Use Permit $50.00, Conditional Use Permit $1,000.00, and Amended Conditional Use Permit $300.00, all per submittal.

Wickenburg does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Town of Wickenburg Community Development & Neighborhood Services Department — Building Safety Division at 928-684-5451 ext. 1512 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Certificate of Occupancy Request; Use Classification, Construction Type and Zoning Information. Depending on your project, Wickenburg may also ask for: Building Permit Application (iworq portal) for any alteration work; Conditional Use Permit / Administrative Use Permit application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Wickenburg requires 2 inspection(s) for a change of use / certificate of occupancy permit, in order: Alteration Inspections (if construction is performed), Certificate of Occupancy. Schedule each through Town of Wickenburg Community Development & Neighborhood Services Department — Building Safety Division (928-684-5451 ext. 1512).

Apply through Town of Wickenburg Community Development & Neighborhood Services Department — Building Safety Division at 155 N. Tegner Street, Suite C, Wickenburg, AZ 85390. Phone: 928-684-5451 ext. 1512, email: buildingpermits@wickenburgaz.org. Office hours: Monday - Thursday, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. (closed Fridays; Town Hall operates a 4/10 workweek). All submittals are digital only via the iworq online portal (portal.iworq.net/WICKENBURG/new-request/700/2581) — the Town explicitly does not accept paper plans. Permit questions: 928-668-0575. Inspection scheduling (online only, same business hours): 928-668-0513. Community Development Director Steve Boyle: 928-668-0512, sboyle@wickenburgaz.gov.. Official information: https://www.wickenburgaz.gov/1427/Permits.

Wickenburg, 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 Town of Wickenburg independently adopts and administers its own construction codes through its Community Development & Neighborhood Services Department; it does not defer building permitting to Maricopa County or Yavapai County (the town spans parts of both counties). Septic systems, however, are NOT permitted by the Town — they are permitted by the applicable county's Environmental Services division (Maricopa County Environmental Services or Yavapai County Environmental Services, depending on parcel location). Source: Town of Wickenburg Building Permit Process Brochure (rev. 5/22/2023).; 2018 International Building Code (IBC), as adopted by the Wickenburg Town Council and administered by the Community Development Department. Source: Town of Wickenburg Building Permit Process Brochure (rev. 5/22/2023), 'Building Codes' section.; 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), as adopted by the Wickenburg Town Council. Source: Town of Wickenburg Building Permit Process Brochure (rev. 5/22/2023).; 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC), as adopted by the Wickenburg Town Council. Source: Town of Wickenburg Building Permit Process Brochure (rev. 5/22/2023).; 2018 International Plumbing Code (IPC), as adopted by the Wickenburg Town Council. Source: Town of Wickenburg Building Permit Process Brochure (rev. 5/22/2023).; 2018 International Fire Code (IFC), as adopted by the Wickenburg Town Council; administered in coordination with the fire district serving the town. Source: Town of Wickenburg Building Permit Process Brochure (rev. 5/22/2023).; 2017 National Electrical Code (NEC), as published by the National Fire Protection Association, adopted by the Wickenburg Town Council (one edition behind the town's 2018 ICC code suite). Source: Town of Wickenburg Building Permit Process Brochure (rev. 5/22/2023).; 2006 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), as adopted by the Wickenburg Town Council — notably an older energy-code edition than the town's 2018 ICC/2017 NEC suite; not updated in the same 2023 codes refresh. Source: Town of Wickenburg Building Permit Process Brochure (rev. 5/22/2023).; The Town's own Building Chapter of the Town Code (Chapter 8, Building) is the codifying ordinance for the above adoptions and any local amendments, hosted on the Town's Municipal Code Online portal (wickenburg.municipalcodeonline.com); the platform is a JavaScript-rendered application with no accessible plain-text or print export discovered during this research, so specific section-by-section amendment language beyond what is summarized in the Town's own permit brochure could not be independently verified. Source: wickenburg.municipalcodeonline.com Chapter 8 (Building) index, cross-referenced against the Town of Wickenburg Building Permit Process Brochure.; RE-CHASED 2026-07-23: Chapter 8 (Building), Article 8-1, Section 8-1-1 was read in full live via the Browser pane (the platform IS browser-readable, correcting the prior 'no accessible export' finding for reading purposes). It confirms Wickenburg's adopted suite remains the 2018 IBC (with Appendix C and Appendix I), 2018 IRC (with Appendices A, B, C, H, P, Q, T), 2018 IMC, 2018 IFC, 2018 IPC, 2017 NEC, and 2006 IECC — the same vintage already documented in this file — and that this suite was most recently reconfirmed/re-adopted by Ordinance 1244, approved 12/1/2025 ('Approved by Ord. 1244 on 12/1/2025'), i.e. the Town Council affirmatively kept the 2018/2017/2006 code years as of a Dec 2025 action rather than letting them go stale. The same live Section 8-1-1 also revealed three additional adopted codes/standards not previously captured in this file: the International Existing Building Code, 2018 edition (governs repair/alteration/change-of-occupancy/addition/relocation of existing buildings, per Section 101.4.7 as amended); the International Fuel Gas Code, 2018 edition (with Appendices A and B; governs gas piping from the point of delivery, per Section 101.4.1 as amended); and the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Uniform Standard Specifications and Details for Public Works Construction, 2018 edition. Source: Town Code Section 8-1-1, wickenburg.municipalcodeonline.com/book?type=ordinances#name=CHAPTER_8_BUILDING, live browser fetch 2026-07-23.; International Existing Building Code, 2018 edition, as adopted by the Wickenburg Town Council (Town Code Section 8-1-1; confirmed live 2026-07-23). Governs repair, alteration, change of occupancy, addition to, and relocation of existing buildings per Section 101.4.7 of the amended IBC.; International Fuel Gas Code, 2018 edition, including Appendix A (Sizing and Capacities of Gas Piping) and Appendix B (Sizing of Venting Systems), as adopted by the Wickenburg Town Council (Town Code Section 8-1-1; confirmed live 2026-07-23). Governs gas piping from the point of delivery, gas appliances, and related accessories per Section 101.4.1 of the amended IBC.; Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Uniform Standard Specifications and Details for Public Works Construction, 2018 edition, as adopted by the Wickenburg Town Council (Town Code Section 8-1-1; confirmed live 2026-07-23), applicable to public-works construction standards town-wide.; Manufactured/mobile home PLACEMENT (not construction) requires a Town permit for foundation, tie-down, and zoning compliance; manufactured home construction/installation standards themselves are regulated by the Arizona Department of Housing (housing.az.gov/manufactured-housing), not the Town. Source: Town of Wickenburg Building Permit Process Brochure (rev. 5/22/2023); Permits page (wickenburgaz.gov/1427/Permits).; Arizona's statewide accessory dwelling unit (ADU) mandate, A.R.S. § 9-461.18, applies only to municipalities with a population greater than 75,000; Wickenburg's population (approximately 7,600 per recent Census estimates) is well under that threshold, so the state ADU statute's setback/parking/owner-occupancy override provisions do NOT apply here — ADU construction in Wickenburg is governed solely by the Town's standard zoning (Chapter 14) and standard Residential Building Permit process, with no distinct state-mandated ADU track. Source: A.R.S. § 9-461.18 (azleg.gov/ars/9/00461-18.htm).. Local amendments apply — see the Wickenburg overview page for the full list.

Per the Town's Permits page, the Certificate of Occupancy is obtained at Town Hall through the Community Development Department at 155 North Tegner Street, or by emailing kbruce@wickenburgaz.gov. Have ready the use classification, type of construction, zoning, owner contact information and mailing address, legal description, building address, building location, and building value.