Grading Permit (Standalone / Excavation and Grading) in Unincorporated Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Unincorporated Santa Cruz County requires a grading permit (standalone / excavation and grading) for: Required for any grading exceeding 50 cubic yards of cut/fill in unincorporated Santa Cruz County; Issued only in conjunction with a building permit, except where grading falls under Planning and Zoning Department jurisdiction or in special cases approved by the Building Official; Submit two complete sets of grading plans showing areas to be graded and depths/amounts (in cubic yards) of cuts and/or fills; If cuts/fills exceed 5 feet, an area cross-section plan is required; Where grading is part of a larger commercial, multi-family or subdivision project subject to Planning and Zoning Department review, it is reviewed through the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Development Plan process rather than, or in addition to, the standalone or building-permit-bundled track. The TAC submittal requires a cover sheet and grading/paving/drainage plans stamped by a Registered Design Professional, plus a Hydrology/Hydraulic Report, for a $300.00 fee covering 3 reviews ($100.00 each additional review). Source: Santa Cruz County Community Development Dept., 'Technical Advisory Committee Development Plan — Submittal Requirements Check List' (Rev. 10/10/2025), https://www.santacruzcountyaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9364/TAC-Application-Development-Plan.. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Santa Cruz County Building Department (a division of the Community Development Department, Planning & Building) at 520-375-7880 before starting work.

In Unincorporated Santa Cruz County, the published Grading Permit Fee — per Table A-33-B, doubled is: 50 cu yd or less: $23.50 base ($47.00 doubled); 51–100 cu yd: $37.00 base; 101–1,000 cu yd: $37.00 for first 100 cu yd + $17.50 per additional 100 cu yd; 1,001–10,000 cu yd: $194.50 for first 1,000 cu yd + $14.50 per additional 1,000 cu yd; 10,001–100,000 cu yd: $325.00 for first 10,000 cu yd + $66.00 per additional 10,000 cu yd; 100,001+ cu yd: $919.00 for first 100,000 cu yd + $36.50 per additional 10,000 cu yd — ALL base amounts then doubled per Section 7. Additional published fees: TAC (Technical Advisory Committee) Development Plan Review Fee — grading reviewed under Planning and Zoning jurisdiction — $300.00 flat (covers up to 3 reviews); $100.00 for each additional review thereafter; After-hours inspection / re-inspection (grading-specific) — $50.50 per hour (2-hour minimum for after-hours; $47.00 minimum for unspecified-fee inspections). These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Unincorporated Santa Cruz County's published plan-review target for a grading permit (standalone / excavation and grading) is 15–150 business days.

You'll need: Building/Grading Permit Application; Grading Plans (2 complete sets). Depending on your project, Unincorporated Santa Cruz County may also ask for: Excavation and Grading Ordinance; Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Development Plan — Submittal Requirements Check List. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Santa Cruz County requires 2 inspection(s) for a grading permit (standalone / excavation and grading), in order: Grading / Cut-Fill Inspection, Final. Schedule each through Santa Cruz County Building Department (a division of the Community Development Department, Planning & Building) (520-375-7880).

Apply through Santa Cruz County Building Department (a division of the Community Development Department, Planning & Building) at 2150 N. Congress Drive, Suite #206, Nogales, AZ 85621. Phone: 520-375-7880, email: permitting@santacruzcountyaz.gov. Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Due to the time required to accept or issue a building permit, no applications are accepted and no permits are issued after 5:00 PM. Source: Santa Cruz County Building Department page (live, browser-header fetch confirmed 2026-07-07) and Guidelines for Builders (Rev. 03/2014).. Official information: https://www.santacruzcountyaz.gov/440/Building-Department.

Unincorporated Santa Cruz County, Arizona has adopted: Arizona has NO statewide mandatory building code floor for general construction — code adoption is a per-city/county authority. Santa Cruz County independently adopts and administers its own construction codes for unincorporated areas through its Building Department (a division of Community Development). Source: Santa Cruz County Building Department page.; 2012 International Building Code (IBC), effective for all construction in the unincorporated areas of the County on September 1, 2013, per Ordinance No. 2013-03 (including all amendments). Source: Santa Cruz County Building Department page (live) and 'Guidelines for Builders' (Rev. 03/2014), https://www.santacruzcountyaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/973/Guidelines-for-Builders.; 2012 International Building Code Standards, adopted alongside the 2012 IBC per Ordinance No. 2013-03. Source: Guidelines for Builders (Rev. 03/2014).; 2012 International Residential Code (IRC), adopted per Ordinance No. 2013-03. Source: Guidelines for Builders (Rev. 03/2014).; 2012 International Mechanical Code (IMC), adopted per Ordinance No. 2013-03. Source: Guidelines for Builders (Rev. 03/2014).; 2012 International Plumbing Code (IPC), adopted per Ordinance No. 2013-03. Source: Guidelines for Builders (Rev. 03/2014).; 2012 International Fire Code (IFC), adopted per Ordinance No. 2013-03. Source: Guidelines for Builders (Rev. 03/2014).; 2011 National Electrical Code (NEC) — one edition behind the 2012 I-Codes, consistent with typical NEC adoption lag; adopted per Ordinance No. 2013-03. Source: Guidelines for Builders (Rev. 03/2014). Independently corroborated by the 2018 Arizona Building Officials (AZBO) Directory, which lists Santa Cruz County as having adopted the 2012 IBC/IRC/IMC/IPC/IFC and 2011 NEC (https://www.azbo.us/documents/documents/2018_AZBO_Directory.pdf).; Santa Cruz County has also adopted a Zoning and Development Code (separate from the building-safety codes above) regulating zoning matters, setbacks, landscaping requirements, and swimming pools, administered by the Community Development Department's Planning & Zoning division. Source: Guidelines for Builders (Rev. 03/2014); Santa Cruz County Zoning and Development Code, https://www.santacruzcountyaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9059/Santa-Cruz-County-Zoning-and-Development-Code.; A subsequent Building Safety Code Ordinance and an Excavation and Grading Ordinance are both currently published and linked directly from the Building Department page (Building Safety Code Ordinance: https://www.santacruzcountyaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/970/Building-Safety-Code-Ordinance; Excavation and Grading Ordinance: https://www.santacruzcountyaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/972/Excavation-and-Grading-Ordinance), confirming the Building Department's code set is still active and in force. The Building Safety Code Ordinance PDF (970) is a large scanned image file with no machine-readable text layer; its existence, title, and the underlying 2012 I-Code adoption are independently confirmed by the live department page and the Guidelines for Builders document, so this is an access limitation, not an unpublished-code gap.; Grading permits are required in unincorporated Santa Cruz County for any grading exceeding 50 cubic yards, per Santa Cruz County Ordinance Nos. 2001-06 & 2007-05. A grading permit is issued only in conjunction with a building permit (with narrow exceptions for grading under Planning & Zoning jurisdiction or special cases approved by the Building Official). Source: Guidelines for Builders (Rev. 03/2014).. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated Santa Cruz County overview page for the full list.

Any grading exceeding 50 cubic yards requires a grading permit, per Ordinance Nos. 2001-06 & 2007-05. It is issued in conjunction with your building permit in nearly all cases. Source: Guidelines for Builders (Rev. 03/2014), and the County's Excavation and Grading Ordinance.