Residential Building Permit (Single-Family Dwelling / New Construction) in Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Lake Havasu City requires a residential building permit (single-family dwelling / new construction) for: Building permit required for new single-family dwelling and duplex construction within Lake Havasu City limits; Plans must comply with the 2024 IRC and City amendments, including the replaced Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria (99 mph ultimate wind design speed / 78 mph ASD, no topographic effects; negligible weathering/frost/termite; 39°F winter design temperature) and Seismic Design Category D per ASCE 7-22 as identified in the City's 2024 Code Letter to Contractors; Site plan required showing house location, setbacks, accessory structures, septic tank/leach line locations (if applicable), retaining/block walls, driveway location and dimensions, finish floor elevations, and utility easements; Full plan set required per the Residential Single Family Dwelling Unit checklist: foundation plan, floor plan, typical wall cross-section, electrical plan, roof framing plan (with Arizona-registrant-sealed truss calculations, seal dated within 1 year of submittal), and a minimum of 4 exterior elevation views; Completeness review (verifying the submittal is complete before plan review begins) takes 7-10 business days; the formal plan-review clock does not start until the submittal is verified complete; Submittal via the MaintStar Customer Self Service online portal (h2.maintstar.co/lakehavasu/Portal) or at the Development Services Department front counter, 2330 McCulloch Blvd N. 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 (new single-family dwelling/duplex) — Based on Valuation is: Valuation-based per the fee schedule referenced in the Uniform Building Code (standard ICC/Building Standards construction-cost valuation table); no separate City-specific flat dollar table is published. Additional published fees: Building Plan Check/Retainer Fee (deposit) — Deposit of 5% of valuation, applied toward the actual plan-check cost; Single Family Dwelling Plan-Review Retainer, by dwelling area — $450 (up to 1,200 sq ft); $500 (1,201-1,400 sq ft); $550 (1,401-1,600 sq ft); $650 or as determined by the Building Official (over 1,600 sq ft); Subsequent Standard Plan Submittal (Single Family Dwelling) — $100; Duplex Plan-Review Retainer — $750 (all duplexes); $200 for subsequent standard plan submittal. 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, single-family dwellings and duplexes are reviewed in 30 business days (25 for tenant improvements, 35 for multi-family/commercial, 20 for single-family additions, 10 for miscellaneous permits). Resubmissions take 5 business days for residential projects. Note that a 7-10 business day completeness review happens first, before this clock starts.

You'll need: Building/Driveway/Grading/Fire/Water Meter Permit Application; Residential Single Family Dwelling Unit Plan Requirements Checklist (rev. 01-14-2021); Site/Plot Plan; Truss Calculations. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Lake Havasu City requires 3 inspection(s) for a residential building permit (single-family dwelling / new construction), in order: Foundation/Footing, Framing, Final. 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.

The 2024 IRC and 2024 IBC (for non-residential portions), plus the 2023 NEC, as adopted and amended by Lake Havasu City via Ordinance No. 25-1370, apply to all applications submitted on or after February 1, 2026. Standard Plans approved under the prior 2018 Codes remain valid through August 1, 2026.