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Change of Occupancy / Certificate of Occupancy (Change of Use) in Unincorporated Pinal County, Arizona

Pinal County issues a combined C of O / Occupancy Change permit for a change in the use or occupancy classification of an existing building in unincorporated Pinal County. The county's own application form is a single sheet with three checkboxes — CHANGE OF OCCUPANCY, CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY, and HOME OCCUPATION — and the applicant certifies that no alterations requiring a building permit (mechanical, plumbing, electrical, partitions, signs, etc.) are being made; work beyond that scope requires a separate building or trade permit. Unlike most Building Safety permit types, the county's published review-times table lists Change of Occupancy under the Zoning division rather than Building Safety.

Reviewed 2026-07-13 · Source

When you need this permit

  • C of O / Occupancy Change application with the CHANGE OF OCCUPANCY box checked (the same form also covers a Certificate of Occupancy request and a Home Occupation)
  • TWO copies of a floor plan are required at time of application (an example floor plan is attached to the county's form)
  • Application must state square footage of floor area, prior use, proposed use, and name of business
  • Application must state whether there are any signs on the property — the form warns that any changes to signs may require permits
  • Applicant signs a certification that they are NOT making changes or alterations to the current structure that would require a building permit (e.g. mechanical, plumbing, electrical, partitions, signs) — if the project involves such work, a separate building or trade permit is required
  • Property owner and renter/tenant contact information required
  • The final building inspection is not the Certificate of Occupancy — a Certificate of Occupancy must be separately requested (Information Bulletin 004C, April 2025)
  • Apply online through the Pinal County Citizen Access Portal (https://citizenaccess.pinalcountyaz.gov/) or in person at 85 N. Florence Street, Florence, AZ — applications are not accepted by mail or e-mail

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Change of Occupancy / Certificate of Occupancy permit feeNo change-of-occupancy or certificate-of-occupancy fee line exists in Building Permit Fee Schedule No. 071013-BPFS (all nine articles read; Article 8 'Others' lists fence walls, retaining walls, pools, spas, demolition and tenant improvements, but no C of O or occupancy-change line) or in the Planning Division Fee Schedule (https://www.pinal.gov/230/Fee-Schedule, read in full — it lists Addressing, Board of Adjustments, Comprehensive Plan, Concept Review, Factory Built Building, Group Home, Industrial Use Permit, Minor Land Division, Mobile Home/Park Model, Plats, Signs, Site Plan, Special Density, Special Event, Special Use Permit, Temporary Use and Zoning fees, but no change-of-occupancy line). The county's own C of O / Occupancy Change form has FOR OFFICE USE ONLY boxes headed ZONING FEE, CCO and PERMIT FEE, so fees are evidently assessed at intake — the amounts are simply not published. No figure is asserted here; call Building Safety at 520-509-3555 for the current charge.
Not published
Tenant improvement — where the change of use also involves constructionFee Schedule No. 071013-BPFS, Article 8. Applies only if the change of use is accompanied by tenant-improvement construction — the C of O / Occupancy Change form itself is expressly limited to projects with NO alterations requiring a building permit. The plans examiner determines Major vs Minor.
Major T.I.: 40% of valuation based on the type of construction and occupancy; Minor T.I.: 20% of valuation, each plus a $50.00 flat submittal fee

Review timeline

Plan reviewUnincorporated Pinal County’s published plan-review target
10–30 business days

How long did your Change of Occupancy / Certificate of Occupancy (Change of Use) permit actually take in Unincorporated Pinal County?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Occupancy / Life-Safety Inspection

    Building Safety verifies the space against the proposed occupancy classification under the 2018 IBC as adopted; the county's form records type of construction, occupant load, occupancy class and whether an automatic sprinkler system is present

  2. 2

    Certificate of Occupancy issuance

    Certificate of Occupancy must be separately requested — a passing final inspection is not itself the Certificate of Occupancy (Information Bulletin 004C, April 2025)

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

Tips

  • The C of O / Occupancy Change form is only for a use/occupancy change with NO construction — you sign a certification to that effect. If your project touches mechanical, plumbing, electrical, partitions or signs, you need a separate building or trade permit (and likely the Major/Minor tenant improvement fee track) on top of this.
  • Change of Occupancy is a ZONING permit in Pinal County, not a Building Safety permit — it is the only Building-Safety-adjacent row in the county's review-times table issued by Zoning, and it is not available online (the table marks it 'N'), so plan on an in-person or portal-assisted submittal.
  • The form asks whether there are any signs on the property and warns that changes to signs may require permits — if your new business is rebranding the storefront, budget for a separate sign permit under Article 9 and the Planning Division's sign fee.
  • Your final inspection is not your Certificate of Occupancy. Pinal County requires the Certificate of Occupancy to be requested separately (Information Bulletin 004C, April 2025) — do not schedule a move-in against the final inspection date.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Pinal County issues a Change of Occupancy through its combined C of O / Occupancy Change application, which requires two copies of a floor plan and a statement of the prior use and proposed use. The form is limited to changes that involve no construction — if you are altering mechanical, plumbing, electrical, partitions or signs, you also need a separate building or trade permit. Source: https://www.pinal.gov/DocumentCenter/View/454/Certificate-of-Occupancy-Occupancy-Change-PDF

In Unincorporated Pinal County, the published Change of Occupancy / Certificate of Occupancy permit fee is: Not published. Additional published fees: Tenant improvement — where the change of use also involves construction — Major T.I.: 40% of valuation based on the type of construction and occupancy; Minor T.I.: 20% of valuation, each plus a $50.00 flat submittal fee. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

The county's published Community Development Permit Process Review Times table (revised 11/1/2022) gives Change of Occupancy a total estimated review time of 30 business days: 10 business days administrative completeness, 15 business days first substantive review, 20 business days second/subsequent review, and 5 business days final approval. Note it is issued by the Zoning division rather than Building Safety, and is not available online. Source: https://www.pinal.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8781/Permit-Process-Review-Times-PDF

You'll need: C of O / Occupancy Change Application; Floor plan (2 copies). Depending on your project, Unincorporated Pinal County may also ask for: Information Bulletin 004C — Commercial Submittal Requirements. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Pinal County requires 2 inspection(s) for a change of occupancy / certificate of occupancy (change of use) permit, in order: Occupancy / Life-Safety Inspection, Certificate of Occupancy issuance. Schedule each through Pinal County Building Safety Division (Community Development Department) (520-509-3555).

Apply through Pinal County Building Safety Division (Community Development Department) at 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).. Official information: https://www.pinal.gov/189/Building-Safety.

Unincorporated Pinal 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 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).. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated Pinal County overview page for the full list.

Sources & verification

Key facts verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-13.

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 Pinal County building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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Change of Occupancy / Certificate of Occupancy (Change of Use) in other cities

Apache Junction, ArizonaBuckeye, ArizonaCamp Verde, ArizonaCocopah Indian Tribe, ArizonaDewey-Humboldt, ArizonaDuncan, ArizonaEagar, ArizonaFort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Arizona

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