Unincorporated Navajo County building permits

Building department

Address

1100 E. Thornton Rd., Show Low, AZ 85901 (Show Low/White Mountains area office); additional area offices at 100 W. Public Works Dr., Holbrook, AZ 86025 (928-524-4100) and 2188 W. Country Club Dr., Overgaard, AZ 85933 (928-535-7110)

Phone

928-532-6040

Email

Office hours

Monday–Thursday, 6:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Planning & Development Services main office and Show Low Building Division, per the department's Planning & Development Services page). The Permit Application Instructions document (revised January 2, 2025) lists slightly different hours for the Show Low office: Monday–Thursday, 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Both figures are current published County sources; the department observes a 4-day (Mon–Thu) work week at all locations.

Website

Official site

Permit portal

Apply online at Unincorporated Navajo County's portal

Inspection guide

See how inspections work in Unincorporated Navajo County — 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 11). Navajo County independently adopts and administers its own construction codes for unincorporated areas through Planning & Development Services / Building & Safety; it does NOT extend onto Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, or other tribal trust land, which has its own separate tribal permitting authority outside county jurisdiction. Source: Navajo County Addenda & Additions to the International Building Codes (amended 3-15-22).
• 2018 International Residential Code (IRC) and 2018 International Building Code (IBC), adopted by Navajo County, EXCEPT: IRC Chapter 11 (Energy Efficiency); IRC Appendix E (Manufactured Housing Used as Dwellings); IRC § E3902; and IRC Appendices A, D, I, J, K, M, O, Q, R, S are all excluded from adoption. Source: Navajo County Addenda & Additions to the International Building Codes (amended 3-15-22), p.5 'Adopted Codes'.
• 2018 International Plumbing Code — inspections are based on the 2017 IPC and cross-referenced with the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code per the Addenda's Plumbing section. Source: Navajo County Addenda & Additions (amended 3-15-22), p.17.
• 2018 International Mechanical Code, adopted alongside the 2018 IRC/IBC electrical, plumbing, and mechanical code family. Source: Navajo County Addenda & Additions (amended 3-15-22), p.5.
• 2017 National Electrical Code (NEC) — electrical inspections are based on the 2018 IRC/IBC and referenced with the 2017 NEC. Source: Navajo County Addenda & Additions (amended 3-15-22), pp.5, 17.
• Prior code baseline: Navajo County adopted the 2015 IBC/IRC effective June 11, 2019 (replacing a 2006 IBC edition, after the county's ISO Public Protection Classification rating was threatened with a downgrade for an out-of-date code); the county subsequently updated to the current 2018 IRC/IBC family reflected in the March 2022 Addenda & Additions. Source: White Mountain Independent, 'Navajo County updates building code' (wmicentral.com).
• Building official has discretion to require an Arizona-registered architect/engineer stamp for any commercial-use structure, and for steel, log, or post/pole-and-beam construction, at the discretion of the Technical Advisory Board and Board of Supervisors. Source: Navajo County Addenda & Additions (amended 3-15-22), p.6.
• Commercial buildings exceeding 3,000 sq ft of floor area intended for continuous occupancy of more than 20 persons must be designed and stamped by an engineer registered by the Arizona Board of Technical Registration, per A.R.S. § 32-144. Source: Navajo County Construction Permit Application Instructions (revised January 2, 2025).
• Where a conflict exists between codes adopted by Navajo County or the State of Arizona and the Addenda and Additions, the more restrictive provision governs; the Navajo County Technical Advisory Board acts as the Board of Appeals. Source: Navajo County Addenda & Additions (amended 3-15-22), p.5.

Permit types & fees

• Residential Building Permit (New Construction, Addition, Accessory Structure)

  Required for new single-family dwellings, townhouses, additions, remodels, garages, and accessory structures in the unincorporated areas of Navajo County (outside the incorporated cities/towns of Show Low, Winslow, Holbrook, Pinetop-Lakeside, Snowflake, and Taylor, and outside Navajo Nation/Hopi tribal trust land). Reviewed against the 2018 IRC/IBC (with local exclusions) and the county's Addenda & Additions by Navajo County Planning & Development Services / Building & Safety.

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• Manufactured / Mobile Home Installation Permit

  Required for the placement and installation of manufactured/mobile homes in unincorporated Navajo County. Older mobile homes (built before June 15, 1976) must be brought up to current code and safety requirements before an installation permit is issued.

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• Septic System Permit (Conventional and Alternative)

  Required for on-site wastewater disposal systems in unincorporated Navajo County. Conventional systems are reviewed directly by the county; alternative systems (composting toilet, pressure distribution, engineered pad, aerobic, and others) are administered by Navajo County under a delegation agreement with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ).

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• Commercial Building Permit

  Required for new commercial construction in unincorporated Navajo County. Buildings exceeding 3,000 sq ft intended for continuous occupancy of more than 20 persons must be engineer-stamped per A.R.S. § 32-144. Reviewed against the 2018 IBC and the county's Addenda & Additions.

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• Guest House Permit

  A dedicated permit type for guest houses (secondary dwelling units) in unincorporated Navajo County, carrying its own flat fee separate from the standard valuation-based Building Permit fee.

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• Sign Permit

  Required for erecting or affixing signs in unincorporated Navajo County, reviewed by the County Engineering Department alongside Planning & Development Services.

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• Solar System Permit

  Navajo County publishes a distinct flat 'Solar System' fee for residential PV installation, separate from its general valuation-based Building Permit fee table — directly confirmed by reading the county's own Planning and Development Fee Schedule (updated 7/15/2025). Utility-scale/commercial solar (renewable energy generation facilities) is a completely separate, much more expensive Special Use Permit process, not to be confused with a standard residential rooftop or ground-mount PV installation.

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• EV Charger / Electric Vehicle Charging Station Permit

  Navajo County publishes no distinct fee line item for EV charger / EVSE installation on its Planning and Development Fee Schedule (updated 7/15/2025) — directly confirmed by reading the county's own published fee schedule PDF, which lists only a single 'Building Permit' line covering 'New Dwelling, Remodel, Commercial, Addition, Garage, Accessory Buildings, Towers, Tower Additions' at a valuation-based rate; the county's Building Information page likewise lists no separate electrical permit category. A residential or commercial EV charging station installation (new circuit/panel work) is therefore permitted as ordinary electrical construction work under the county's general valuation-based Building Permit — there is no county-published confirmation specifically naming EV chargers, so this is an inference from the absence of any other applicable permit type, not an explicit county statement.

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