Colorado City building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Colorado City, Arizona.
Last verified 2026-07-06 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 25 S Central Street, Colorado City, AZ 86021
- Phone
- 928-875-9165
- building@tocc.us
- Office hours
- Building Official: Andrew J. Barlow (928-875-9165, fax 928-875-2778, building@tocc.us). General Town phone (928) 875-9160, clerk@tocc.us. ALL building permit applications and building inspections are processed through the CITY INSPECT online portal (tocc.cityinspect.com) — the Town's Building Department page directs applicants to log in or register there rather than submit paper applications in person, though the physical Building Department office is at 25 S Central Street. Addressing/address-verification requests go to Lucille Barlow at addressing@tocc.us. The Building Department works closely with Planning & Zoning (planning@tocc.us) on development review. Source: Town of Colorado City Building Department page (tocc.us/building).
- Website
- Official site
- Permit portal
- Apply online at Colorado City's portal
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Colorado City — 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 (A.R.S. Title 9). The Town of Colorado City independently adopted its own construction codes by ordinance (Ord. 2007-4, passed 7-16-2007) and runs its own Building Department; it does not defer permitting to Mohave County. Colorado City straddles the Arizona/Utah state line with its twin town Hildale, UT, but the Town of Colorado City, AZ Building Department independently administers building permitting for the Arizona side specifically — confirmed via the Town's own Chapter 150 Building Code ordinance and Building Department page, both of which describe a self-contained Town Building Official and permitting process with no reference to Hildale or a joint administration arrangement. Source: Town of Colorado City Code of Ordinances, Chapter 150: Building Code (amlegal code library), and tocc.us/building.
- International Building Code, 2006 Edition, along with Appendix H, adopted as the Building Code of the Town of Colorado City (Town Code § 150.01), with local amendments including: all references to the International Electrical Code deleted and replaced with the National Electrical Code; Section 105.2 Work Exempt From a Permit revised (Item 1: 120 sq ft threshold replaced with 200 sq ft; Item 2: 6 ft replaced with 8 ft); Section 110.1 Use and Occupancy amended to add an exception for R-3 and U occupancies; Section 305.2 Day Care amended to apply only to state-licensed facilities; Section 308.5.2 Child Care Facility amended ("five" replaced with "100"); Section 310.1 Residential Group R-3 amended (deletes "for less than 24 hours" and "with 16 or fewer persons"); Section 312.1 General amended ("6 feet" replaced with "8 feet"; adds "over 4 feet" after "Retaining walls"); Section 1608.1 Snow Loads amended (roof snow load 20 psf, ground snow load 30 psf for Colorado City); Section 1609.1 Wind Loads amended (wind load 80 mph, Exposure C); Section 1805 Foundation Walls amended to add Section 1805.5.8 permitting empirical concrete foundations per Utah DOPL Table 1805.5(6) for R-3/U occupancies three stories or less; Section 2902 Plumbing Systems / Table 2902.1 amended (fixture-count footnotes, drinking fountain ratio changed from 1-per-100 to 1-per-150, separate-facilities exemption for 15 or fewer employees); Section H112.1 General amended (deletes "constructed entirely of metal or other noncombustible material"). Source: Town of Colorado City Town Code § 150.01, Ord. 2007-4, passed 7-16-2007 (amlegal code library, Chapter 150: Building Code).
- International Residential Code, 2006 Edition, along with Appendices A, B, C, D, E, and L, adopted as the Residential Building Code (Town Code § 150.02), with all amendments applicable to 1- and 2-family/multiple single-family dwellings elsewhere in the adopted code suite cross-applied to the IRC, and Table R301.2(1) Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria revised per the Town's local amendments (see Local Amendments). Source: Town of Colorado City Town Code § 150.02, Ord. 2007-4, passed 7-16-2007.
- International Plumbing Code, 2006 Edition, along with Appendices E and F, adopted as the Plumbing Code (Town Code § 150.03), with local amendments: Section 603.1 Size of Water Service Pipe amended to allow Uniform Plumbing Code water-service sizing tables as an acceptable alternate method; Section 311.1 Toilet Facilities deleted in its entirety; Section 412.5 Public Toilet Rooms added (requires at least one floor drain); Section 606.2 Location of Shutoff Valves amended (item #2 deleted); Section 701.2 Sewer Required amended to add "within 300 feet of the property line"; Section 715.1 Sewage Backflow deleted and replaced with a requirement for an approved backwater valve on all structures connected to a public sewer; Section 904.6 Extension Through the Wall amended (vent termination detail); Section 905.4 Vertical Rise of Vent Exception amended (adds floor drains and floor sink installations); Section 1108 Combined Sanitary and Storm System deleted and replaced with an outright prohibition on combining sanitary and storm drainage. Source: Town of Colorado City Town Code § 150.03, Ord. 2007-4, passed 7-16-2007.
- International Mechanical Code, 2006 Edition, along with Appendix A, adopted as the Mechanical Code with no additional local amendments noted (Town Code § 150.04). Source: Town of Colorado City Town Code § 150.04, Ord. 2007-4, passed 7-16-2007.
- National Electrical Code, 2008 Edition, adopted as the Electrical Code (Town Code § 150.05), with a local amendment to Article 110.2 Approval adding: "Electric meters shall not be energized unless approved. Approval may be conditioned upon required permits and inspections." Source: Town of Colorado City Town Code § 150.05, Ord. 2007-4, passed 7-16-2007.
- International Fuel Gas Code, 2008 Edition, along with Appendices A, B, C, and D, adopted as the Fuel Gas Code (Town Code § 150.06), with a local amendment to Section 402.1 General Considerations requiring all new-construction gas piping be sized for a natural gas system, and residential gas service lines be no less than 1 inch in diameter. Source: Town of Colorado City Town Code § 150.06, Ord. 2007-4, passed 7-16-2007.
- International Energy Conservation Code, 2006 Edition, adopted as the Energy Conservation Code (Town Code § 150.07), with a local amendment to § 504.7 Heat Traps (prohibits heat traps other than piping/fitting arrangements unless thermal-expansion control is ensured per IPC § 607.3). Source: Town of Colorado City Town Code § 150.07, Ord. 2007-4, passed 7-16-2007.
- International Fire Code, 2006 Edition, along with Appendices B, C, and D, adopted as the Fire Code with no additional local amendments noted (Town Code § 150.08). Source: Town of Colorado City Town Code § 150.08, Ord. 2007-4, passed 7-16-2007.
- No dedicated International Existing Building Code, ICC A117.1 Accessibility Code, or International Swimming Pool and Spa Code adoption section was found in Chapter 150 of the Town Code — Chapter 150's own table of contents (Codes Adopted: §§ 150.01-150.08) lists only the IBC, IRC, IPC, IMC, NEC, IFGC, IECC, and IFC; swimming-pool/spa barrier requirements are instead addressed directly in the Town's Fence and Setback Requirements sections (§ 150.37, fencing/wall of at least 5 feet around permanent pools/Jacuzzis) rather than via a separately adopted ISPSC. Confirmed via direct retrieval of the full Chapter 150 table of contents and section text (amlegal code library); this is treated as a confirmed gap (no ICC A117.1/IEBC/ISPSC adoption exists) rather than an omission.
- 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, consistent with statewide practice; no Colorado City-specific manufactured-housing permit provision beyond the general Town permitting process (CityInspect portal) was found in Chapter 150 or on the Town's Building Department page after exhaustive search of the Town Code and tocc.us.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction)
Required for new single-family and two-family dwelling construction in the Town of Colorado City. Reviewed against the 2006 IRC and Town of Colorado City amendments (Town Code § 150.02), including the Town's Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria. Applications are submitted through the CITY INSPECT online portal.
Residential Addition / Remodel / Accessory Structure Permit
Required for room additions, remodels, and accessory structures on existing one- and two-family dwellings in Colorado City, except for the Town's 200-sq-ft-or-less detached accessory structure exemption. Reviewed against the 2006 IRC/IBC as adopted and amended by the Town.
Electrical Permit
Required for electrical installation, alteration, or repair work in Colorado City, governed by the 2008 National Electrical Code (NEC) as adopted by the Town (Town Code § 150.05), with a local amendment requiring approval before electric meters may be energized.
Plumbing Permit
Required for plumbing installation, alteration, or repair work in Colorado City, governed by the 2006 International Plumbing Code (IPC) as adopted and amended by the Town (Town Code § 150.03), including a Town-specific backwater-valve requirement and a 300-foot sewer-connection rule.
Mechanical / HVAC Permit
Required for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning installations in Colorado City, governed by the 2006 International Mechanical Code (IMC) as adopted by the Town (Town Code § 150.04), with no additional Town-specific amendments found.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit
The Town of Colorado City has no dedicated solar PV permit type -- confirmed directly against Chapter 150's own table of contents (§§ 150.01-150.08 list only IBC/IRC/IPC/IMC/NEC/IFGC/IECC/IFC adoptions) and the Town's Building Department/Applications pages, none of which reference a solar-specific permit, checklist, or fee. A rooftop or ground-mount solar PV installation in Colorado City would be processed across two of the Town's existing permit types, both submitted through the CITY INSPECT online portal: a Residential Building Permit for the racking/structural mounting (reviewed under the 2006 IBC/IRC as locally amended) and an Electrical Permit for the interconnection, governed by the 2008 NEC (Town Code § 150.05) -- which carries the Town's own local amendment requiring Town approval before an electric meter may be energized, a real, verified requirement that would directly apply to a grid-tied solar system.
Fence Permit
Required for fence construction in Colorado City under the Town's own Fence and Setback Requirements sections (Town Code §§ 150.35-150.39), which impose specific pool-barrier, utility-clearance, corner-lot, and right-of-way rules in addition to the Building Code's general fence-height permit exemption.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger / EVSE Permit
The Town of Colorado City has no dedicated EV charger/EVSE permit type -- confirmed directly against Chapter 150's own table of contents (§§ 150.01-150.08 list only IBC/IRC/IPC/IMC/NEC/IFGC/IECC/IFC adoptions) and the Town's Building Department/Applications pages, none of which reference an EV/EVSE-specific permit or fee, mirroring the same gap already documented for the solar-pv-permit entry in this file. An EVSE circuit installation is required to be permitted as standard electrical work, governed by the 2008 National Electrical Code (NEC) as adopted by the Town (Town Code § 150.05), including the Town's local amendment requiring approval before electric meters may be energized.
Sign Permit
Required for most permanent and many temporary commercial/business sign types in Colorado City under the Town's Zoning Code (Town Code Chapter 152, Ord. 2020-02, passed 4-13-2020), specifically § 152.058 (Signage -- substantive standards) and § 152.094 (Sign Permit, Comprehensive Sign Plan and Master Sign Program -- application procedure). This is a distinct, separately adopted Zoning Code permit administered by the Zoning Administrator/Community Development Department, independent of the older 2006-2008-vintage Chapter 150 Building Code permits documented elsewhere in this file.
Fire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm Permit
The Town of Colorado City has no distinct, separately named fire sprinkler or fire alarm permit product, application, checklist, or fee -- confirmed directly against the Town's Building Department page, Applications page, and Resources page (none reference fire sprinkler/alarm permitting), and against the Town Code, which adopts the 2006 International Fire Code (Town Code § 150.08) with no local amendments. The Town's Building Department describes its own review scope as covering 'building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, fuel gas, energy, and accessibility' -- fire is notably absent from that list, and no Fire Prevention Bureau or fire marshal function is described anywhere on tocc.us. The local fire authority is the Hildale-Colorado City Fire Department (HCCFD), an all-volunteer combined AZ/UT fire district, but HCCFD's own website (hccfd.org) likewise publishes no fire-prevention, plan-review, or sprinkler/alarm permit-and-fee information -- its FAQ addresses only a burn-permit process for open burning. Which office (if either) actually reviews fire sprinkler/alarm plans, and what fee applies, could not be determined from any published source after an exhaustive chase.
Certificate of Occupancy / Change of Use
Colorado City has no separately named 'change of use permit' or 'certificate of occupancy permit' product, application, checklist, or fee distinct from its general Building Permit (CITY INSPECT) process. However, the Town has genuinely adopted a Certificate of Occupancy requirement: the 2006 International Building Code as adopted by the Town (Town Code § 150.01) includes IBC § 110 (Certificate of Occupancy), and the Town specifically amended IBC § 110.1 (Use and Occupancy) to add 'Exception: R-3 and U Occupancies' (Town Code § 150.01(C)) -- meaning the Town's own ordinance text confirms that occupancy classifications OTHER than R-3 (residential) and U (utility/miscellaneous) require the Building Official to issue a Certificate of Occupancy before use, occupancy, or a change in occupancy classification. Where a proposed change of use involves no construction, the Town's general Land Use Application offers a 'Land Use Verification/Other' category (paired with a published $50 Zoning Verification Letter Fee) that appears to be the applicable zoning-compliance route.
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)
- No data reported
- Trailing 12 months
- No data reported
- Year to date (2026 YTD)
- No data reported
- Full year 2025
- 19units
19 buildings · $4.4M 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 Colorado City independently adopted its own construction codes via a single 2007 ordinance (Ord. 2007-4, passed 7-16-2007) and runs its own Building Department; it does not defer to Mohave County for permitting within town limits.
- Colorado City's adopted code suite is unusually old among currently-surveyed Arizona jurisdictions: 2006-edition IBC, IRC, IPC, and IECC, plus 2008-edition NEC and IFGC, and a 2006-edition IFC — all adopted in the same 2007 ordinance with no discoverable subsequent code-update ordinance found on the Town's site or the amlegal code library as of this review.
- Colorado City straddles the Arizona/Utah state line with its twin town Hildale, UT (both formerly part of the Short Creek community). This jurisdiction file covers ONLY the Town of Colorado City, Arizona side; the Town's own Building Department, Building Official (Andrew J. Barlow), and CityInspect portal independently administer Arizona-side permitting with no indication of joint administration with Hildale, UT found in the Town Code or Building Department page.
- ALL building permit applications and inspections in Colorado City are processed through the CITY INSPECT online portal (tocc.cityinspect.com) — no separate paper-application-in-person process is described on the Town's Building Department page.
- Climatic/geographic design criteria (Town Code § 150.02(B)): 80 mph wind speed (Exposure C), 30 psf ground snow load / 20 psf roof snow load, Seismic Design Category C (or engineering), Class D soil (or engineering), 16-inch frost line depth, moderate-to-heavy termite potential.
- A building site must pass a town-service-vehicle accessibility determination by the Building Official (Town Code § 150.20) before a building permit can be issued at all — a distinctive precondition not seen in the same form in other surveyed AZ jurisdictions.
- Permit-exempt thresholds are Town-specific: detached one-story accessory structures up to 200 sq ft (vs. the unamended IBC's 120 sq ft) and fences up to 8 feet (vs. 6 feet) do not need a general building permit — but a separate fence permit is still required under the Town's dedicated Fence and Setback Requirements (§§ 150.35-150.39), and retaining walls over 4 feet do require a permit.
- BUILDING PERMIT FEES ARE A CONFIRMED GAP: Town Code text states fees are set 'as established by Town Council resolution,' but despite an exhaustive chase (Town Building Department page, Applications page, Resources page, Planning & Zoning fee-schedule Google Drive link — which resolves only to Resolution 2026-08 Exhibit A covering Planning/Zoning and Solid Waste fees, not building permits — the CityInspect portal, Wayback Machine, and the full text of Chapter 150 itself), no building/electrical/plumbing/mechanical permit fee dollar figures were found published anywhere by the Town as of this review.
- REVIEW TIMELINE IS A CONFIRMED GAP: A.R.S. § 9-835 requires Arizona municipalities to establish AND post an overall permit review time frame (administrative completeness + substantive review, split out separately) on their own website, but sets no statewide default figure if a town fails to comply. No such posted time frame document was found for Colorado City after exhaustively checking the Town's Building Department page, Applications page, Resources page, and the full Town Code — unlike Buckeye and Bullhead City (both of which publish dedicated A.R.S. § 9-835 timeline guides), Colorado City has no discoverable published review-timeline document.
- The amlegal-hosted Town Code (codelibrary.amlegal.com) blocks standard fetch tools with a 403 and serves only a client-side-rendered JS shell to header-spoofed curl requests — actual section text was retrieved via the r.jina.ai read-proxy service rather than direct fetch or WebFetch, both of which failed on every amlegal deep-link URL attempted.
- No dedicated solar PV, re-roofing, demolition, or swimming-pool-construction permit type (as distinct named categories with their own checklists/fees, as seen in some other AZ cities) was found published by the Town as of this review; swimming pool/spa barrier rules exist only within the general Fence and Setback Requirements sections (§ 150.37), and no separate ICC A117.1, IEBC, or ISPSC adoption was found in Chapter 150's own table of contents (§§ 150.01-150.08 list only IBC/IRC/IPC/IMC/NEC/IFGC/IECC/IFC).