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Residential Building Permit (New Construction, Addition, Accessory Structure) in Unincorporated Navajo County, Arizona

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.

Reviewed 2026-07-07 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Required for new single-family/townhouse construction, additions, remodels, garages, and accessory structures exceeding 200 sq ft (or any size if it has utilities or sleeping quarters) in unincorporated Navajo County
  • Proof of a Navajo County Assessor's Parcel Number required to process any permit application
  • Two (2) sets of building plans required at minimum: floor plan, building cross-section, roof plan, foundation plan, electrical plan, two (2) elevations, plus any required engineering specifications
  • Detailed, accurate site plan required showing setbacks, utilities, septic system (including reserve area), well(s), driveways, and existing buildings on all four sides, with driving directions to the parcel
  • Proof of ownership (property parcel number) required
  • Proof of an approved septic system, OR a Letter of Release from a Sanitary District, required before a building permit is issued
  • All permits must first pass a flood hazard evaluation before permission to build is granted
  • Submit application and required documents at any Navajo County Building Department location (Show Low, Holbrook, or Heber/Overgaard); applications are reviewed by both Flood Control and the Building Department
  • Payment for issued permits must be made by check or money order only

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit feeNavajo County Planning and Development Fee Schedule (updated 7/15/2025). No flat published table; valuation-based per adopted ICC/UBC data — contact 928-532-6040 for a project-specific calculation.
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
Plan Review/Check feeNavajo County Planning and Development Fee Schedule (updated 7/15/2025)
35% of the total building permit fee
Plan Revision, Minor (Residential)Navajo County Planning and Development Fee Schedule (updated 7/15/2025)
$200.00
Plan Revision, Major (all permits)Navajo County Planning and Development Fee Schedule (updated 7/15/2025)
35% of total building permit fee
Reactivation of Expired PermitNavajo County Planning and Development Fee Schedule (updated 7/15/2025); applies once a permit is administratively closed after 6 months of no inspection activity
10% of original permit fee
Inspection fee (no fee specifically indicated elsewhere)Navajo County Planning and Development Fee Schedule (updated 7/15/2025)
$75.00 per hour, 1-hour or 2-hour minimum depending on category
Greater than Two Plan ReviewsNavajo County Planning and Development Fee Schedule (updated 7/15/2025)
$150.00 per sheet, per review

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Residential Building Permit (New Construction, Addition, Accessory Structure) 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

    Footing / Foundation Steel

    Foundation piers, trenches, or basement excavation and erected forms; footing rebar placed 6 inches below the surface of poured concrete and 3 inches minimum from soil. No footing/foundation inspection given without property lines and required yard setbacks clearly marked.

  2. 2

    Stem Wall Steel

    CMU stem wall reinforcement per the Addenda's foundation/pier tables (rebar sizing and spacing vary by wall height)

  3. 3

    Under-Slab / Under-Floor

    Under-slab copper, sewer, and electrical before concrete placement; under-floor framing before floor sheathing

  4. 4

    Rough-In Framing, Electrical, Plumbing, Venting, Heating

    Combined rough-in inspection; house must be weather-sealed prior to this inspection

  5. 5

    Roof Sheathing / Shear Panel Nail-Off

    Roof sheathing nail spacing (6 inches on edges, 12 inches in field) inspected before roofing material placement

  6. 6

    Drywall Nailing

    Fastener spacing and type per the Addenda's drywall fastener schedule, before taping/finishing

  7. 7

    Final Inspection

    Full Final Inspection Checklist per the Addenda (septic/plumbing operable, electrical panels labeled, GFCI protection verified, smoke detectors, 911 address posted, and more); all utilities must be on and working. A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy may be issued for a single-family dwelling pending minor corrections, contingent on completion within 60 days.

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

Tips

  • Inspections can generally be scheduled with 24-hour notice, Monday through Friday, by calling the Building Department number on the permit; have the permit number, name on the permit, inspection type, address, and a contact phone number ready.
  • No footing, foundation, or septic system inspection will be given without property lines and required yard setbacks clearly marked on-site.
  • Once a building is fully enclosed, someone must be on the premises to receive further inspections.
  • Deed restrictions and HOA CC&Rs are explicitly NOT enforced by Navajo County — check separately with your Homeowners Association or Architectural Committee.
  • Design/climatic criteria (wind, seismic, snow load) vary significantly by area within the unincorporated county — confirm the correct design table for your specific location (Heber/Overgaard, Pinetop/Lakeside, Show Low/Linden, White Mountain Lake, Clay Springs, Pinedale, Snowflake/East, Taylor/Shumway, or the Holbrook/Joseph City/Winslow/Woodruff area) before finalizing structural plans.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Any construction, alteration, or change of occupancy — or any structure over 200 square feet, with utilities, or with sleeping quarters — requires a permit from Navajo County Planning & Development Services / Building & Safety. Source: Navajo County Addenda & Additions to the International Building Codes (amended 3-15-22), p.8.

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 (Residential) — $200.00; Plan Revision, Major (all permits) — 35% of total building permit fee; Reactivation of Expired Permit — 10% of original permit fee; Inspection fee (no fee specifically indicated elsewhere) — $75.00 per hour, 1-hour or 2-hour minimum depending on category; Greater than Two Plan Reviews — $150.00 per sheet, per review. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Navajo County has not published a specific numeric review-timeframe determination. Its Building Information FAQ states only that review 'is dependent upon many factors, but staff will work to get your permit reviewed and issued in a timely manner' once a complete submittal is received. Source: https://www.navajocountyaz.gov/faq.aspx?TID=23

You'll need: Construction Permit Application; Building Plans (2 sets); Detailed Site Plan; Proof of Ownership (Assessor's Parcel Number); Septic System Approval or Sanitary District Letter of Release. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Navajo County requires 7 inspection(s) for a residential building permit (new construction, addition, accessory structure), in order: Footing / Foundation Steel, Stem Wall Steel, Under-Slab / Under-Floor, Rough-In Framing, Electrical, Plumbing, Venting, Heating, Roof Sheathing / Shear Panel Nail-Off, Drywall Nailing, 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.

Sources & verification

Key facts verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-07.

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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