Commercial Tenant Improvement (T.I.) Permit in City of Maricopa, Arizona

City of Maricopa requires a commercial tenant improvement (t.i.) permit for: A Tenant Improvement Building Permit is required when: (1) work is done to enlarge, alter, repair, improve, or convert any building; (2) electrical, plumbing, heating, or air conditioning systems are altered or expanded; or (3) there is a change of occupancy — per the City's Commercial Tenant Improvement Application Guide (Rev. 9/2025); Before a Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit is issued, approval of a Zoning Permit to verify zoning compliance is a required prerequisite (contact the Planning and Zoning Division); Construction plans must be prepared, sealed, signed, and dated by an Arizona-registered design professional (architect or structural engineer); local seismic design criteria must be stated on the cover sheet; a registered professional is required per A.R.S. § 32-141 unless exempt per A.R.S. § 32-144; Sprinkler modification is required on the plans except for 'B' and 'M' occupancies with fewer than 20 heads being modified; For hazardous occupancies (tenants storing/using flammable or combustible liquids), a preliminary review with Building Safety and the Maricopa Fire Department is required, with preliminary MSDS sheets, quantities of materials, site plan, and floor plan submitted first; the guide's own text states compliance with '2018 I.B.C. and Chapter 5 of the N.E.C.' for hazardous occupancies — a stale code-edition reference predating Ordinance 26-01's February 20, 2026 effective date for the current 2024 IBC/2023 NEC; All food service facilities require separate approval by Pinal County Division of Environmental Health; Fire sprinkler and fire alarm submittals require separate permits and approvals; Only PDF file submissions are accepted, using the City's required file-naming convention: (Plan Type) – (Project Name) – (Submittal #). If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Maricopa Development Services Department (Permit Center) at (520) 316-6920 before starting work.

As a percentage of the area building valuation: 40% if the Building Official determines more than 50% of the area is disturbed (Major TI), or 20% if 50% or less is disturbed (Minor TI), per the City of Maricopa Development Services Fee Schedule (effective 10/02/2025).

Per the City of Maricopa Plan Review Turnaround Times document (Rev 5/2026), 'Commercial Tenant' averages 8 working days for first review (4 for subsequent reviews), plus a 10-working-day administrative completeness review and a 20-working-day substantive review, for an overall review time of about 30 working days based on 2 review cycles.

You'll need: Building Permit Application (VIP Portal); Project Narrative; Site Plan; Construction Plans; Pre-Incident Fire Plan. Depending on your project, City of Maricopa may also ask for: Utility 'Will Serve'/Acceptance Letters; Hazardous Occupancy Submittal. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

City of Maricopa requires 2 inspection(s) for a commercial tenant improvement (t.i.) permit, in order: Rough-In (Structural / MEP), Final / Certificate of Occupancy. Schedule each through City of Maricopa Development Services Department (Permit Center) ((520) 316-6920).

Apply through City of Maricopa Development Services Department (Permit Center) at 39700 W Civic Center Plaza, Maricopa, AZ 85138. Phone: (520) 316-6920, email: dsd@maricopa-az.gov. Office hours: Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (CLOSED Fridays) — the City of Maricopa operates on a four-day work week. The City has moved to an all-digital application and plan review platform; paper plan submittals are no longer accepted. All permit applications, plan submittals, fee payments, and inspection requests are handled via the VIP Portal (ci-maricopa-az.smartgovcommunity.com), a SmartGov Community platform. Source: City of Maricopa Permit Center page and Plan Review Turnaround Times document (Rev 5/2026).. Official information: https://www.maricopa-az.gov/Departments/Development-Services/Permit-Center.

City of Maricopa, 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 (e.g., A.R.S. Title 9 for municipalities). The City of Maricopa independently adopts and administers its own construction codes through its Development Services Department; it does not defer to Pinal County for permitting within incorporated city limits. Source: Maricopa City Code (MCC) Chapter 15, Building Regulation, Ordinance 26-01.; On January 20, 2026, the City of Maricopa City Council approved adoption of the 2024 International Codes (IBC, IRC, IPMC, IMC, IPC, IFGC, IECC, IFC, International Swimming Pool and Spa Code) plus the 2023 NEC and ICC A117.1-2017 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities Code, codified as Ordinance 26-01 and effective February 20, 2026. Source: City of Maricopa Public Notice — City of Maricopa Building Codes Implementation; Maricopa City Code Chapter 15.05, as codified March 2026.; 2024 International Building Code (IBC), published by the International Code Council, together with appendages, adopted as the building code of the City of Maricopa (MCC 15.05.040), with City amendments. Source: Maricopa City Code 15.05.040, Ordinance 26-01 § 2.; 2024 International Residential Code (IRC), published by the International Code Council, together with appendices (excluding B, BB, NB, NG, NH, and N2), adopted as the residential building code of the City of Maricopa (MCC 15.05.050), with City amendments. Source: Maricopa City Code 15.05.050, Ordinance 26-01 § 2.; 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), adopted as the property maintenance code of the City of Maricopa (MCC 15.05.060), with City amendments. Source: Maricopa City Code 15.05.060, Ordinance 26-01 § 2.; 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC), adopted as the mechanical code of the City of Maricopa (MCC 15.05.070), with City amendments. Source: Maricopa City Code 15.05.070, Ordinance 26-01 § 2.; 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC), adopted as the plumbing code of the City of Maricopa (MCC 15.05.080), with City amendments. Source: Maricopa City Code 15.05.080, Ordinance 26-01 § 2.; 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), adopted as the fuel gas code of the City of Maricopa (MCC 15.05.090), with City amendments. Source: Maricopa City Code 15.05.090, Ordinance 26-01 § 2.; National Electrical Code (NEC), 2023 Edition, published by the National Fire Protection Association, adopted as the electrical code of the City of Maricopa (MCC 15.05.100), with City amendments (electrical code cycle is one edition behind the 2024 ICC set, as is standard practice statewide). Source: Maricopa City Code 15.05.100, Ordinance 26-01 § 2.; 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), adopted as the energy code of the City of Maricopa (MCC 15.05.110). Source: Maricopa City Code 15.05.110, Ordinance 26-01 § 2.; 2024 International Fire Code (IFC), adopted as the fire code of the City of Maricopa (MCC 15.05.120) with Appendices B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, and O adopted and extensive City amendments (sprinkler/alarm thresholds, fire department connection sizing, hazardous materials permitting); administered by the City of Maricopa Fire/Medical Department. Source: Maricopa City Code 15.05.120, Ordinance 26-01 § 2.; International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, adopted by the City of Maricopa (MCC 15.05.130). Source: Maricopa City Code 15.05.130, Ordinance 26-01 § 2 (chapter section list).; ICC A117.1-2017 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities Code, adopted by the City of Maricopa (MCC 15.05.140) as its accessibility standard (the IBC's own referenced-standard section was amended to point to A117.1-2017 rather than an earlier edition). Source: Maricopa City Code 15.05.040(B) and 15.05.140, Ordinance 26-01 § 2.; International Wildland-Urban Interface Code, adopted by the City of Maricopa (MCC 15.05.150). Source: Maricopa City Code 15.05.150, Ordinance 26-01 § 2 (chapter section list).; Building permit and plan review fees are NOT set by the ICC codes' own fee tables — every adopted code's fee schedule section (IBC 109.2, IRC R108.2, IMC 108.2, IPC 106.6.2, IFGC 108.2) is explicitly amended to read: 'Building permit fees shall be assessed in accordance with the City of Maricopa Development Services Fee Schedule as approved by City Council.' The Development Services Fee Schedule (effective 10/02/2025) is the sole authoritative fee source. Source: Maricopa City Code 15.05.040(B), .050(B), .070(B), .080(B), .090(B); City of Maricopa Development Services Fee Schedule, Rev. 10/2025.; Manufactured homes, mobile homes, and factory-built buildings are separately addressed under the City's Manufactured Homes and Recreational Vehicles Process Guide; construction/installation standards for these units are regulated directly by the State of Arizona (A.R.S. § 41-4001 et seq., Arizona Department of Fire, Building and Life Safety / Office of Manufactured Housing), with the City handling on-site placement, foundation/tie-down, and zoning compliance. Source: City of Maricopa Handouts, Checklists & Guidelines page — Manufactured Homes and Recreational Vehicles Process Guide.. Local amendments apply — see the City of Maricopa overview page for the full list.

Yes. The City publishes a dedicated Commercial Tenant Improvement Application Guide (Rev. 9/2025), separate and independently revised from the New Commercial Building Permit Process Guide (Rev. 09/2024), with its own submittal checklist. TI work is also priced differently — under a Major TI (40% of area building valuation) or Minor TI (20%) fee tier — rather than the standard valuation-scale Building Permit Fee used for new commercial construction, and 'Commercial Tenant' is tracked as its own line on the Plan Review Turnaround Times chart.