Commercial Building Permit in Unincorporated Navajo County, Arizona

Unincorporated Navajo County requires a commercial building permit for: Required for new commercial buildings in unincorporated Navajo County; Per A.R.S. § 32-144: any building/structure exceeding 3,000 sq ft of floor area, intended for continuous occupancy of more than 20 persons, must be approved and stamped by an engineer registered by the Arizona Board of Technical Registration; Three (3) sets of building plans required at minimum: floor plan, building cross-section, roof plan, foundation plan, electrical plan, plumbing plan, two (2) elevations, plus engineering specifications; Grading and/or drainage plans may also be required; Fire sprinkler design required where applicable; Detailed site plan required showing setbacks, utilities, septic, driveways, and existing buildings; Proof of ownership (Assessor's Parcel Number) required; Building official may 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. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Navajo County Planning & Development Services — Building & Safety Division at 928-532-6040 before starting work.

In Unincorporated Navajo County, the published Building Permit fee is: Fees vary in accordance with IBC/UBC Building Valuation Data and IRC 2018 Charts and Formulas, as adopted by Navajo County Board of Supervisors Resolution 9-2022. Additional published fees: Plan Review/Check fee — 35% of the total building permit fee; Plan Revision, Minor (Non-Residential) — $300.00; Expedited / Outside Review — $500.00 plus cost of consultant. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

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; Building Plans (3 sets); Detailed Site Plan. Depending on your project, Unincorporated Navajo County may also ask for: Fire Sprinkler Design. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Navajo County requires 3 inspection(s) for a commercial building permit, in order: Foundation, Rough-In Framing, Electrical, Plumbing, Venting, Heating, Final Inspection. 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.

Per A.R.S. § 32-144, any building or structure exceeding 3,000 square feet of floor area, intended for continuous occupancy of more than 20 persons, must be approved and stamped by an engineer registered by the Arizona Board of Technical Registration. Source: Navajo County Construction Permit Application Instructions (revised January 2, 2025).