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Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit in Unincorporated Navajo County, Arizona

Navajo County expressly requires a permit to change the occupancy of a building or structure in the unincorporated county, and the Building Official must issue a Certificate of Occupancy before any change in the existing occupancy classification takes effect. The county publishes no distinct change-of-occupancy fee line; the work is priced as a Building Permit on the IBC/UBC Building Valuation Data and IRC 2018 charts adopted by Board of Supervisors Resolution 9-2022, plus Plan Review/Check at 35% of the total building permit fee. Fire and life-safety review for the new occupancy is performed by the fire district serving the parcel, not by Navajo County, which adopts no fire code.

Reviewed 2026-08-15 · Source

When you need this permit

  • 'Any owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, alter, repair, move, convert, enlarge or change the occupancy of a building or structure... shall first make application and obtain the required permit' — Navajo County Addenda & Additions to the International Building Codes (amended 3-15-22), 'Permits Required IRC 105.1', printed page 8
  • 'No building or structure shall be used or occupied, and no change in the existing occupancy classification of a building or structure or portion thereof shall be made until the Building Official has issued a Certificate of Occupancy' — same document, 'Certificate of Occupancy', printed page 6
  • All required inspections must be performed, and the work approved, before issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy — same document, 'Required Inspections', printed page 8
  • Where a conflict exists between codes adopted by Navajo County or the State of Arizona and the Addenda and Additions, the more restrictive provision prevails; the Navajo County Technical Advisory Board acts as the Board of Appeals — same document, printed page 5
  • Fire and life-safety review of the new occupancy is performed by the fire district serving the parcel under that district's own adopted International Fire Code — Navajo County adopts no fire code and publishes no fire fee (see localAmendments)
  • No building, manufactured home, or meter-loop permit will be issued unless hook-up to an approved sanitary system is available and documented — same document, 'Issuance of Permit', printed page 6
  • Submit through Navajo County Planning & Development Services; area offices at Show Low (1100 E. Thornton Rd., 928-532-6040), Holbrook (100 W. Public Works Dr., 928-524-4100) and Overgaard (2188 W. Country Club Dr., 928-535-7110). The department works a four-day week, Monday through Thursday.

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit (a change of occupancy is permitted as a building permit; no distinct change-of-occupancy line is published)Navajo County Planning and Development Services fee schedule, Updated 7/15/2025, page 1 of 4, row 'Building Permit — New Dwelling, Remodel, Commercial, Addition, Garage, Accessory Buildings, Towers, Tower Additions'. Read visually from a 160 dpi render of https://www.navajocountyaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/500/Planning-and-Development-Fees-PDF.
Fees will vary in accordance with IBC/UBC Building Valuation Data — IRC 2018 Charts and Formulas adopted by Resolution 9-2022
Plan Review/CheckSame fee schedule, page 1 of 4, row 'Plan Review/Check — Plans review'. Read from the same 160 dpi render.
35% of the total building permit fee
Inspection fee where no fee is specifically indicatedSame fee schedule, page 1 of 4, row 'Inspection Fee - If no fee is specifically indicated — One (1) hour minimum charge'. The Re-inspection Fee row on the same page is $75.00 per hour with a two (2) hour minimum charge.
$75.00 per hour, one (1) hour minimum charge
Greater than two plan reviewsSame fee schedule, page 3 of 4, row 'Greater than Two Plan Reviews'. Read from the same 160 dpi render.
$150.00 per sheet per review

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit permit actually take in Unincorporated Navajo County?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Required inspections per the Addenda & Additions

    The county's published inspection list (Addenda & Additions, 'Required Inspections', printed page 8) covers septic systems, foundation piers/trenches, rough plumbing/mechanical/gas/electrical prior to covering, floodplain, fire resistance where required, footing steel, stem steel, under-slab, under-floor framing, roof sheathing and shear panel nail-off, rough-in framing/electrical/plumbing/venting/heating, drywall nailing and final; which of these apply depends on the scope of the occupancy change. Additional inspections may be required for specialized projects.

  2. 2

    Final — Certificate of Occupancy

    'All inspections must be performed, and work approved before issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy' (Addenda & Additions, printed page 8). No change in the existing occupancy classification is effective until the Building Official has issued the Certificate of Occupancy (printed page 6).

See the full Unincorporated Navajo County inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • Navajo County does not review fire and life safety for your new occupancy — it adopts no fire code. The fire district serving your parcel (for example Timber Mesa Fire and Medical District or Pinetop Fire District) runs its own plan review, issues its own construction permit and bills you directly. Start that conversation before you submit to the county.
  • There is no published change-of-occupancy fee. The county prices the work as a building permit on the adopted valuation charts plus 35% plan review, so a change of use with little or no construction value has no published price — call Planning & Development Services at 928-532-6040 for a project-specific quote.
  • Planning & Development Services works Monday through Thursday only. Emergency inspections are offered Fridays at $75.00 per hour with a Thursday 3:00 p.m. scheduling cutoff.
  • An approved septic system or a Letter of Release from a Sanitary District is a hard prerequisite to permit issuance — if the new occupancy increases fixture load, resolve wastewater capacity first.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. The Navajo County Addenda & Additions to the International Building Codes (amended 3-15-22) states under 'Permits Required IRC 105.1' that any owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, alter, repair, move, convert, enlarge or change the occupancy of a building or structure shall first make application and obtain the required permit. The same document provides that no change in the existing occupancy classification may be made until the Building Official has issued a Certificate of Occupancy. Source: https://public.destinyhosted.com/navajdocs/2022/BOS/20220322_185/2658_2022_Addenda_and_additions_3-15-22BOS3222022.pdf

Navajo County publishes no change-of-occupancy fee line. All four pages of the Planning and Development Services fee schedule updated 7/15/2025 were read and contain no such row. The work is billed as a Building Permit, which varies in accordance with IBC/UBC Building Valuation Data and IRC 2018 charts and formulas adopted by Resolution 9-2022, plus Plan Review/Check at 35% of the total building permit fee. Where no fee is specifically indicated, inspections are $75.00 per hour with a one hour minimum. Source: https://www.navajocountyaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/500/Planning-and-Development-Fees-PDF

Unincorporated Navajo County does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Navajo County Planning & Development Services — Building & Safety Division at 928-532-6040 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Construction Permit Application; Plans and construction documents. Depending on your project, Unincorporated Navajo County may also ask for: Fire district approval for the new occupancy. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Navajo County requires 2 inspection(s) for a change of use / change of occupancy permit, in order: Required inspections per the Addenda & Additions, Final — Certificate of Occupancy. Schedule each through Navajo County Planning & Development Services — Building & Safety Division (928-532-6040).

Apply through Navajo County Planning & Development Services — Building & Safety Division at 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. 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.. Official information: https://www.navajocountyaz.gov/289/Building-Information.

Unincorporated Navajo County, 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 (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.. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated Navajo County overview page for the full list.

The fire district serving the parcel, not the county. Navajo County adopts no fire code and its fee schedule carries no fire line. Timber Mesa Fire and Medical District states that it conducts plan reviews and requires permits on construction projects and occupancy operations, works in conjunction with the Navajo County Building and Planning Department, and that fees for a district permit must be submitted directly to its own office as a separate process from the jurisdictions it serves. Pinetop Fire District issues construction permits based on the International Fire Code and publishes its own fire sprinkler permit form. Sources: https://www.timbermesafire.org/plan-review-procedures-permit-application-s and https://www.pinetopfire.com/prevention/permits/

Sources & verification

Key facts verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-15.

Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Unincorporated Navajo County building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit in other cities

Apache Junction, ArizonaBuckeye, ArizonaCamp Verde, ArizonaCocopah Indian Tribe, ArizonaDewey-Humboldt, ArizonaDuncan, ArizonaEagar, ArizonaFort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Arizona

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