Commercial Tenant Improvement (TI) Permit in Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Lake Havasu City requires a commercial tenant improvement (ti) permit for: Same 5-step Development Review / Permit Process as new commercial construction (Pre-Application Meeting, Completeness Verification, concurrent Plan Review by Planning/Building/Engineering/Fire/Stormwater, Corrections, Permit Issuance) -- there is no separate, stand-alone TI process or TI-specific application form; the applicant checks 'Tenant Improvement' rather than 'New Construction' on each discipline's Plan Acceptance Criteria checklist; The Pre-Application - Commercial & Multi-Family form's Site Specifics section captures 'Tenant Space Sq. Ft.' as a distinct field from 'Total Building Sq. Ft.', 'Proposed use', and 'Prior use'; Where the TI scope involves NO land disturbance, the Stormwater Plan Acceptance Criteria substitutes a dedicated, lighter requirements set in place of the full New Development stormwater package: a Solid Waste Management Plan (trash/debris/construction material management/storage), Storm Drain Inlet Protection (streets, alleys, parking lots, drainage grates, washes), a Spill Response Plan & Emergency Contact Information (oils, grease, fuels, chemicals), and a Slurry Containment plan (cement, tile/stone cutting, stucco, plaster, paint washout containment); Automatic fire sprinklers are required on all commercial occupancies, including TI scope; sprinkler and fire-alarm plans require a minimum NICET III (or Fire Protection Engineer) stamp, except a 13D system, which may be designed by a non-registrant; Mohave County Health Department approval is required if the tenant's proposed use trips a Health-regulated category (food establishment; public/semi-public pool or spa; pet shop/kennel/grooming except veterinary clinics; public accommodation; RV/mobile home park; school building); Registrant requirement: every plan sheet must be stamped by an Arizona registrant, except projects exempt under A.R.S. § 32-144; No permit is issued until the general contractor's City business license number and State contractor's license number are on file. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Lake Havasu City Development Services Department — Building Division at 928-453-4148 before starting work.

In Lake Havasu City, the published Building Permit Fee — Based on Valuation is: Valuation-based per the fee schedule referenced in the Uniform Building Code; the same mechanism applies whether the project is new commercial construction or a tenant improvement. Additional published fees: Building Plan Check/Retainer Fee (deposit) — Deposit of 5% of valuation, applied toward the actual plan-check cost. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Per the City's published plan-review timeframes, Tenant Improvements are reviewed in 25 business days, compared to 35 business days for new Multi-Family and Commercial construction, plus a 7-10 business day completeness-verification review before that clock starts.

You'll need: Pre-Application - Commercial & Multi-Family; Permit and Zoning Clearance Application; Plan Acceptance Criteria - Building (Tenant Improvement); Plan Acceptance Criteria - Planning (Tenant Improvement); Plan Acceptance Criteria - Fire (Tenant Improvement); Plan Acceptance Criteria - Stormwater (Tenant Improvements with No Land Disturbance). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Lake Havasu City requires 3 inspection(s) for a commercial tenant improvement (ti) permit, in order: Rough-In, Fire Alarm / Sprinkler Modification, Final / Certificate of Occupancy. Schedule each through Lake Havasu City Development Services Department — Building Division (928-453-4148).

Apply through Lake Havasu City Development Services Department — Building Division at 2330 McCulloch Boulevard N, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403. Phone: 928-453-4148, email: builderinfo@lhcaz.gov. Office hours: Building Official: Steve Blake (928-854-0716, blakesm@lhcaz.gov). Plans Examiners: Jerry Amann (928-854-0746, Amannj@lhcaz.gov) and Sylvia Butch. Combo Building Inspector/Plans Examiners: Chris Hayes, George Langley. Building Inspectors: Josh Boothe, Brian Drosselmeyer. Permit Technician Lead: Kristin Warren (buildingpermits@lhcaz.gov). Applications are submitted through the City's online MaintStar Customer Self Service portal (h2.maintstar.co/lakehavasu/Portal) or in person at the Development Services Department front counter, 2330 McCulloch Blvd N. Plan review does not begin until the City has verified the application submittal is complete; completeness review itself takes 7-10 business days before the formal plan-review clock starts. Source: City of Lake Havasu City Building Permits page (lhcaz.gov/229/Building-Permits and lhcaz.gov/development-permitting/building) and 2024 Code Letter to Contractors (Steven Blake, LHC Building Official, rev. 09-08-2025).. Official information: https://www.lhcaz.gov/229/Building-Permits.

Lake Havasu City, 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). Lake Havasu City independently adopts and administers its own construction codes through its Development Services Department / Building Division; it does not defer permitting to Mohave County. Source: Lake Havasu City Building Permits page (lhcaz.gov/229/Building-Permits) and Lake Havasu City Code Chapter 12.08 (Building Codes), codelibrary.amlegal.com.; 2024 International Building Code (IBC), adopted by Ordinance No. 25-1370 with Lake Havasu City local amendments (Exhibit A), effective February 1, 2026, replacing the prior 2018 edition. Source: Lake Havasu City Amendments to the 2024 Edition of the International Building Code (Exhibit A, Ordinance No. 25-1370).; 2024 International Residential Code (IRC), adopted by Ordinance No. 25-1370 with Lake Havasu City local amendments (Exhibit B), effective February 1, 2026. Source: Lake Havasu City Amendments to the 2024 Edition of the International Residential Code (Exhibit B, Ordinance No. 25-1370).; 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC), adopted by Ordinance No. 25-1370 with Lake Havasu City local amendments (Exhibit C), effective February 1, 2026. Source: Lake Havasu City Amendments to the 2024 Edition of the International Mechanical Code (Exhibit C, Ordinance No. 25-1370).; 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC), adopted by Ordinance No. 25-1370 with Lake Havasu City local amendments (Exhibit E), effective February 1, 2026. Source: Lake Havasu City Amendments to the 2024 Edition of the International Plumbing Code (Exhibit E, Ordinance No. 25-1370).; 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), adopted by Ordinance No. 25-1370 with Lake Havasu City local amendments, effective February 1, 2026. Source: 2024 Code Letter to Contractors (rev. 09-08-2025), which lists the IFGC among the codes adopted with the 2024 suite; document list on lhcaz.gov/development-permitting/building includes 'Amendments To 2024 Intl Fuel Gas Code'.; 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), adopted with the 2024 code suite effective February 1, 2026. Source: 2024 Code Letter to Contractors (rev. 09-08-2025); 'Amendments To 2024 Intl Property Maint Code' document on lhcaz.gov.; 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), adopted with Lake Havasu City local amendments. Source: 'Amendments To 2024 Intl Existing Building Code' document, lhcaz.gov/development-permitting/building, and Lake Havasu City Code § 12.08.085 (International Existing Building Code), codelibrary.amlegal.com.; 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC), adopted by Ordinance No. 25-1370 with Lake Havasu City local amendments (Exhibit F), effective February 1, 2026 (one edition behind the 2024 ICC suite, consistent with the NEC's own 3-year cycle). Source: Lake Havasu City Amendments to the 2023 Edition of the National Electrical Code (Exhibit F, Ordinance No. 25-1370).; 2024 International Fire Code (IFC), adopted by Ordinance No. 25-1371, amending City Code Chapter 12.12.010 (Adoption of International Fire Code); administered by the Lake Havasu City Fire Department / Fire Marshal's office. Source: Lake Havasu City Legistar record (File ID 25-4963/ordinance 25-1371) and Lake Havasu City Code Chapter 12.12 (International Fire Code), codelibrary.amlegal.com.; Transition/effective-date rule: the 2024 Codes and 2023 NEC took effect February 1, 2026 and apply to applications submitted on or after that date; they do NOT affect permits already submitted, in review, or under construction. Standard Plans previously approved under the 2018 Codes remain valid through August 1, 2026 (180 days from the new code effective date) and may be updated via an abbreviated cover-sheet process rather than a full plan resubmittal. Commercial/residential projects already in design under the 2018 Codes were allowed to submit under the 2018 Codes up to May 1, 2026 (90 days after the effective date). Source: Lake Havasu City 2024 Building Code Implementation Standards (rev. 09-23-2025).; Manufactured/mobile homes are addressed via a dedicated Mobile/Manufactured Home Building Permit Application, separate from the standard residential building permit track. Source: Lake Havasu City 'Mobile - Manufactured Home Building Permit Application' (lhcaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1153).; Building permit and plan-review fees are NOT set as flat dollar amounts within the adopted ICC codes themselves — the Master Fee Schedule (Development and Right-of-Way Services, Service Nos. S-033/S-034) states plan-check and permit fees for new buildings, additions, pools, and retaining walls are valuation-based, per 'Fee Schedule in Uniform Building Code' (i.e., the standard published ICC/Building Standards construction-cost valuation table), with a plan-check deposit/retainer of 5% of value collected up front and applied toward the actual cost. Separate itemized flat plan-review retainer fees by structure type are published in the Building Permit Retainers/Fees handout. Source: City of Lake Havasu City Master Fee Schedule (effective 02-01-2026, Rev. 12/10/2025) and Building Permit Retainers/Fees handout (Development Services Department, rev. 01/03/22).. Local amendments apply — see the Lake Havasu City overview page for the full list.

No. Tenant improvement projects use the same Permit and Zoning Clearance application and the same five discipline Plan Acceptance Criteria checklists (Building, Planning, Engineering, Fire, Stormwater) as new commercial construction -- you check 'Tenant Improvement' instead of 'New Construction' on each checklist.