Unincorporated Pinal County building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Unincorporated Pinal County, Arizona.
Last verified 2026-07-13 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 85 N. Florence Street, 1st Floor, Florence, AZ 85132 (mailing: P.O. Box 749, Florence, AZ 85132)
- Phone
- 520-509-3555
- Office hours
- Monday–Friday 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM (Florence office). District offices in Apache Junction, Oracle, and Casa Grande are listed on department bulletins but noted as closed for Community Development as of the most recent published bulletin (Information Bulletin 004, Oct 2022) — confirm current district-office status by phone before visiting. Toll-free: 1-800-208-6897. Automated inspection line: 520-866-6299 (call before midnight the day before to get the next working day; areas of Mammoth, San Manuel, Dudleyville, Kearny, Superior & Top of the World are inspected only on Wednesdays).
- Website
- Official site
- Permit portal
- Apply online at Unincorporated Pinal County's portal
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Unincorporated Pinal County — sequence, scheduling & re-inspection fees.
Codes adopted
Arizona has no statewide building code for non-state buildings; codes are adopted locally. According to the International Code Council, codes are adopted locally in Arizona and are predominantly the I-codes, with different cities and counties choosing their own editions and local amendments. The Arizona State Fire Code (adopting the 2018 IFC) applies only to state and county buildings, public and private schools, and non-residential occupancies in areas without a locally adopted fire code — it does not establish a statewide residential or commercial building code floor. Each city and county adopts its own code editions independently, resulting in different I-Code years and amendment sets across jurisdictions. There is no state-mandated minimum edition; enforcement is entirely local. Always confirm the adopted edition and any local amendments with the specific jurisdiction before submitting plans.
- 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 for cities, A.R.S. §11-861 et seq. for counties). Pinal County's Building Safety Division administers construction codes directly for all unincorporated areas of the county under Pinal County Development Services Code Title 6, Chapter 6.05, and — per confirmed intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) — for the incorporated towns of Kearny, Superior, and Mammoth, which do not run their own building departments. Source: Pinal County Ordinance No. 121819-BCO (adopted 18 December 2019, effective 30 days later) and Information Bulletin 011 (Dec 2022), which lists Mammoth, San Manuel, Dudleyville, Kearny, Superior & Top of the World as areas the department directly inspects.
- 2018 International Building Code (IBC), adopted with Pinal County amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit A), including adopted Appendix I (Patio Covers), Appendix J (Grading), and Appendix K (ICC Electrical Code).
- 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), adopted with Pinal County amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit B), including adopted Appendices A, B, C, H, J, N, P, and S.
- 2018 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit C).
- 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit D).
- 2018 International Plumbing Code (IPC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit E).
- 2017 National Electrical Code (NEC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit F), including adopted Annex H (Administration and Enforcement).
- 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit J).
- 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit I).
- 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit G).
- 2018 International Fire Code (IFC), adopted with amendments (Ordinance No. 121819-BCO, Exhibit H), including adopted Appendix B (Fire Flow Requirements) and Appendix D (Fire Apparatus Access).
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction, Addition, Accessory Structure)
Required for new single-family dwellings, residential additions, detached accessory structures over exemption thresholds, and structural alterations in unincorporated Pinal County (and in Kearny, Superior, and Mammoth, which are administered directly by Pinal County Building Safety under IGA). Applications may be submitted online through the Pinal County Citizen Access Portal (one set of plans) or in person at the Florence office (two sets of plans).
Commercial Building Permit (New Construction, Tenant Improvement, Remodel)
Required for all new commercial, industrial, and multi-family buildings, tenant improvements, remodels, and change-of-use projects in unincorporated Pinal County. Review timelines scale with project size: 45 business days up to 2,500 sq ft, 50 business days for 2,501–50,000 sq ft, and 60 business days for 50,001+ sq ft (which requires third-party review). Commercial fire-sprinkler/alarm plans may be deferred submittals, but must be approved and inspected prior to occupancy.
Electrical Permit
Required for new electrical service, panel/subpanel work, rewiring, and related electrical installations in unincorporated Pinal County, under the 2017 NEC with county amendments. Uses the Article 4 unit-fee schedule (issuance fee plus per-item/per-service fees). Utility companies will not energize service without a county clearance, but may impose additional requirements of their own.
Plumbing Permit
Required for plumbing installations, gas piping, and sewer/septic connections in unincorporated Pinal County under the 2018 IPC with county amendments. Uses the Article 6 unit-fee schedule (issuance fee plus per-fixture/per-system fees). Like-for-like water heater replacement (same type, size, location) is permit-exempt.
Mechanical / HVAC Permit
Required for HVAC and mechanical system installations in unincorporated Pinal County under the 2018 IMC with county amendments. Uses the Article 5 unit-fee schedule. Like-for-like replacement of furnaces, condenser units, and evaporative coolers (same type, rating, location) for one- and two-family dwellings is permit-exempt.
Solar PV Permit (Roof-Mounted and Ground-Mounted Photovoltaic)
Required for residential photovoltaic (solar PV) system installations in unincorporated Pinal County under the 2017 NEC (Article 690), 2018 IFC §1204 (Solar Photovoltaic Power Systems), and county-specific submittal standards in Information Bulletin 021. Fees are kW-rating-based rather than flat-fee (unlike Maricopa County's flat-fee model). Manufactured/mobile-home installations require an Arizona-registered-engineer structural certification.
Pool / Spa Permit (In-Ground and Above-Ground) and Barrier Requirements
Required for swimming pools and spas 18 inches or more in depth and wider than 8 feet, in unincorporated Pinal County under the 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) as adopted, plus A.R.S. §36-1681 pool-safety standards detailed in Information Bulletin 010. Final pool inspection must pass before the pool may be filled. Includes detailed perimeter-barrier, intermediate-barrier, and above-ground-pool/spa-cover standards.
Fence / Wall / Retaining Wall Permit
Required for fences, walls, and retaining walls exceeding exemption thresholds in unincorporated Pinal County. Fences/walls up to 7 feet (measured from the lowest adjacent grade) and retaining walls up to 4 feet (measured from bottom of footing to top of wall) are permit-exempt; anything taller requires a permit with plans prepared by an Arizona-registered engineer.
Demolition Permit
Required for demolition of structures in unincorporated Pinal County. Flat fee of $42.00 per Fee Schedule No. 071013-BPFS. The county's published review-timeline table does not list a distinct "Demolition" row, so no jurisdiction-specific published review-time figure exists for this permit type specifically (unlike the named permit types in the review-times table).
EV Charger / EVSE Permit
Pinal County does not publish a distinct EV charger/EVSE fee line. Installing electric vehicle charging equipment in unincorporated Pinal County requires a Mechanical/Plumbing/Electrical (MPE) Electrical Permit under the 2017 NEC with county amendments, billed under the Article 4 unit-fee schedule (Fee Schedule No. 071013-BPFS): a flat issuance fee plus itemized per-service and per-fixture fees. A typical Level 2 EV charger circuit is billed as a new circuit/service item under this same schedule.
New residential construction activity
New privately-owned residential construction onlyHousing units authorized by building permits for new privately-owned residential construction — this is not total permit volume (no commercial permits or remodels).
- Latest month (2026-05)
- 528units
511 buildings · $142.4M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 7,675units
12 of 12 months reported · #3 in Arizona coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-05)
- 3,446units
3,340 buildings · $695.4M valuation
- Full year 2025
- 8,048units
6,565 buildings · $1,543M valuation
County-wide figures: BPS reports county-wide totals; jurisdiction is the unincorporated remainder — county totals include incorporated cities (Casa Grande, Coolidge, Eloy, etc.) and also areas the county administers directly by IGA (Kearny, Superior, Mammoth). Confirmed against the Census Bureau's 2020 AZ county reference file: Pinal County = state FIPS 04, county FIPS 021, matching casa-grande.json and coolidge.json.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-05 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Arizona building activity
Tips & gotchas
- Pinal County Building Safety directly administers building permits, plan review, and inspections not only for unincorporated county land but ALSO for the incorporated towns of Kearny, Superior, and Mammoth under intergovernmental agreements — those towns have no independent building department of their own. If your project is in one of those towns, you still apply through Pinal County, not a town office.
- Applications are NOT accepted via mail or e-mail. Submit online through the Citizen Access Portal (https://citizenaccess.pinalcountyaz.gov/, one set of plans required) or in person at 85 N. Florence Street, Florence, AZ (two sets of plans required). Cash payments are capped at $150 per transaction.
- The automated inspection line (520-866-6299) requires your call before midnight the day BEFORE you want the inspection, for scheduling the next working day; you can call over a weekend for a Monday slot. Properties in Mammoth, San Manuel, Dudleyville, Kearny, Superior, and Top of the World are inspected ONLY on Wednesdays (emergencies handled case-by-case).
- Your address must be posted and clearly visible from the street, and approved plans/permit must be posted on-site, or the inspector will not perform the inspection.
- Plan review fees (65% of the building permit fee) are due at SUBMITTAL; the building permit fee itself is due at ISSUANCE — budget for both as separate payments at different points in the process.
- Permit applications expire if no permit is issued within 180 days of the application date; one 180-day extension is available on written request showing circumstances beyond the applicant's control.
- Starting work without a required permit triggers an Investigation Fee equal to the full permit fee, charged in addition to (not instead of) the permit fee.
- Many common small projects are fully permit-exempt: tool/storage sheds up to 200 sq ft (10 ft wall height), fences/walls up to 7 feet, retaining walls up to 4 feet, water tanks up to 5,000 gallons, paving/platforms up to 30 inches above grade, attached patio covers up to 120 sq ft, decks under 30 inches high and under 200 sq ft, retractable awnings up to 120 sq ft, free-standing ramadas/gazebos up to 200 sq ft, and like-for-like HVAC/water-heater replacement. Verify your project against Information Bulletin 003 before assuming a permit is (or isn't) required.
- The county publishes an actual per-permit-type review-timeframe table (Community Development Permit Process Review Times, revised 11/1/2022) — a real governing figure, not an estimate. Most Building Safety permit types run a total of 30 or 45 business days; larger commercial projects (2,501-50,000 sq ft, or 50,001+ sq ft requiring third-party review) run 50-60 business days.
- Utility companies (gas/electric) will not energize service without a county clearance, but they also have their own separate inspection requirements (trenches, masts, meter equipment) — county approval alone does not guarantee the utility will accept your work.
- If electrical or gas service has been disconnected for MORE than 6 months, a full permit is required to reconnect; for LESS than 6 months with no work performed, a one-time courtesy inspection is available instead.
- Final pool inspection must pass BEFORE the pool is filled with water — sequence your barrier construction and inspection ahead of filling.
- Zoning and Planning requirements (lot setbacks, wall/fence location rules, floodplain, septic, dust, and impact fees) are separate from Building Safety's structural/code requirements — contact Planning (520-866-6442), Public Works (520-866-6411), or the Impact Fee Coordinator (520-866-6321) directly for those pieces of your project.