Change of Occupancy Permit in Florence, Arizona

Florence requires a change of occupancy permit for: Building permit required when a building or tenant space's use/occupancy classification changes (e.g., retail to restaurant, office to assembly), applied for by checking 'Change of Occupancy' on the Building Permit Application (Rev 9.11.25) — available under both the RESIDENTIAL and COMMERCIAL sections of the form; Application requires stating both the Existing Use and the New Use, plus whether the space has fire sprinklers, in the COMMERCIAL fields section; Reviewed against the 2018 IBC/IEBC (International Existing Building Code, adopted in its entirety without Town revision) and applicable Town of Florence amendments for the new occupancy classification; A new Certificate of Occupancy ($75) is issued once the change-of-occupancy review and any required inspections are complete; Distinct from a Tenant Improvement permit (physical build-out work) — a Change of Occupancy can be required even without physical construction, whenever the classified use of the space changes; Historic Preservation Design Guidelines separately flag 'Proposed occupancy or use of any commercial or industrial building or site that has been vacant for six (6) months or more' as requiring Historic District Design Review if the property is within the Florence Townsite Historic District. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Town of Florence Community Development Department — Building Safety Division at 520-868-7575 before starting work.

No dedicated flat fee line exists for it in the Town's Fee Schedule — it is billed as the standard Based-on-Valuation Building Permit Fee (Table 1-A) plus 65% plan review fee, with a separate $75 Certificate of Occupancy fee due once the new occupancy is approved and issued.

Florence's published plan-review target for a change of occupancy permit is 20–35 business days.

You'll need: Building Permit Application; Site Plan / Floor Plan; Owner Authorization Form / Owner Builder Affidavit. Depending on your project, Florence may also ask for: Historic District Design Review Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Florence requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of occupancy permit, in order: Final / Change of Occupancy Inspection. Schedule each through Town of Florence Community Development Department — Building Safety Division (520-868-7575).

Apply through Town of Florence Community Development Department — Building Safety Division at 224 W 20th Street, P.O. Box 2670, Florence, AZ 85132. Phone: 520-868-7575, email: TOFPermits@FlorenceAZ.gov. Office hours: Monday - Thursday, 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; closed Fridays (Town of Florence transitioned to a four-day workweek effective January 5, 2026). Inspection Line: 520-868-7601. Residential submittals go through the online Residential Permitting Portal (SmartGov, twn-florence-az.smartgovcommunity.com); commercial submittals are emailed to TOFPermits@FlorenceAZ.gov; in-person submittals accepted (no rolled plans; 1-sided 8.5x11 paper only). Building Official: Kevin Wall (520-868-7556, kevin.wall@florenceaz.gov). Permit Specialist: Susan Cisco (520-868-7665, susan.cisco@florenceaz.gov). Plans Examiner: Hillarey Luther (520-868-7540). Community Development Director: Albert 'AJ' Monroe (520-868-7542).. Official information: https://www.florenceaz.gov/community-development/.

Florence, 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 9). The Town of Florence Town Council adopted its own Technical Codes by reference (Town of Florence Code of Ordinances § 150.300, Exhibit A) and independently administers permitting through its Community Development Department / Building Safety Division; it does not defer to Pinal County for permitting within town limits. Source: Town of Florence Code of Ordinances, Technical Codes, Exhibit A (Adopted Building Codes Amendments PDF).; 2018 International Building Code (IBC), including Appendices B, C, and I, adopted by reference (§ 150.300(A)(1)), with Town of Florence amendments. Source: Town of Florence Adopted Building Codes Amendments (Exhibit A), effective per Town Council adoption (document created/effective 2022, current as of this review — no 2024 IBC/ICC-cycle adoption found in effect as of 2026-07-06).; 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), including Appendices G, H, and P (with Appendices E, H, J, P, and Q separately confirmed adopted at § R102.5 amendment), adopted by reference (§ 150.300(A)(2)), with Town of Florence amendments including amended Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria and a mandatory-cooling requirement. Source: Town of Florence Adopted Building Codes Amendments (Exhibit A).; 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC), adopted by reference (§ 150.300(A)(3)), with Town of Florence amendments (guards exception and mandatory cooling-system amendment for 1- and 2-family dwellings). Source: Town of Florence Adopted Building Codes Amendments (Exhibit A).; International Plumbing Code adopted by reference (§ 150.300(A)(4)); the Town's own codified adoption list states '2018 Edition' at the top-level adoption clause, but the itemized amendment section of the same official document (item 10) separately lists a '2012 Edition' with two specific section amendments (§ 410.3 Substitution; § 903.1 Roof extension) — this is an inconsistency within the Town's own published Exhibit A document, reproduced here verbatim rather than resolved by assumption. Source: Town of Florence Adopted Building Codes Amendments (Exhibit A), §150.300(A)(4) and item 10.; 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), adopted by reference (§ 150.300(A)(5)), with Town of Florence amendments (LPG appliance location restriction, minimum burial depth, test-pressure measurement procedure). Source: Town of Florence Adopted Building Codes Amendments (Exhibit A).; 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), adopted by reference (§ 150.300(A)(6)); the Town amended the code by deleting the entire Residential Section and Chapter 11 Energy Efficiency of the 2018 IRC. Source: Town of Florence Adopted Building Codes Amendments (Exhibit A).; 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), adopted by reference (§ 150.300(A)(7)) in its entirety without revision. Source: Town of Florence Adopted Building Codes Amendments (Exhibit A).; 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, adopted by reference (§ 150.300(A)(8)) in its entirety without revision. Source: Town of Florence Adopted Building Codes Amendments (Exhibit A).; 2018 International Fire Code (IFC), including Appendices B, C, D, E, F, G, and I, adopted by reference (§ 150.300(A)(9)) as the Town's uniform fire code, with extensive Town of Florence amendments (definitions, fire apparatus access roads, fire flow/water supply, alarm/suppression system requirements, open burning). Source: Town of Florence Adopted Building Codes Amendments (Exhibit A).; International Property Maintenance Code, 2018 Edition, adopted by reference (§ 150.300(A)(10)) in its entirety without revision. Source: Town of Florence Adopted Building Codes Amendments (Exhibit A).; National Electrical Code (NEC) — the Town's top-level codified adoption clause (§ 150.300(A)(11)) states '2017 Edition,' but the itemized amendment section of the same official document (item 17) separately states 'National Electrical Code, 2018 Edition' when adding a new performance-testing subsection (Article 230.11) for 1,000-amp-or-larger service equipment. This is an inconsistency within the Town's own published document, reproduced here verbatim rather than resolved by assumption; both editions are cited directly from the Town's Adopted Building Codes Amendments (Exhibit A) as published.; ICC A117.1 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities Code, 2010 Edition Standards, adopted by reference (§ 150.300(A)(12)) in its entirety without revision. Source: Town of Florence Adopted Building Codes Amendments (Exhibit A).; Manufactured homes and park models are regulated directly by the State of Arizona (Office of Manufactured Housing, A.R.S. § 41-4001 et seq.) for construction/installation standards; the Town issues a separate Manufactured Home Set permit ($450, per the most current Office of Manufactured Housing Intergovernmental Agreement) and a Park Model Placement permit ($450) for on-site placement. Source: Town of Florence Fee Schedule (Rev. 01/15/2025), Section 2.. Local amendments apply — see the Florence overview page for the full list.

Its real equivalent is 'Change of Occupancy' — a distinct checkbox on the Town's Building Permit Application (available for both Residential and Commercial), not a separate standalone application. It requires stating the Existing Use and New Use and is reviewed against the applicable code for the new occupancy classification.