Cottonwood building permits

Building department

Address

111 North Main Street, Cottonwood, AZ 86326 (Building Division counter also referenced at 827 N. Main St., Cottonwood, AZ 86326 in the City's online directory)

Phone

928-634-5505

Email

building@cottonwoodaz.gov

Office hours

Community Development Office: Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Fridays). Building Inspection Hours: Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Certificates of occupancy are not issued on Fridays. Permits are applied for and tracked online via CloudPermit (us.cloudpermit.com/gov/login); inspections may be requested through the online portal ('MY INSPECTION') or by calling (928) 340-2724 — inspection requests submitted before 4:00 p.m. are scheduled for the next business day, and final inspections require 48 hours' notice.

Website

Official site

Permit portal

Apply online at Cottonwood's portal

Inspection guide

See how inspections work in Cottonwood — 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 (e.g., A.R.S. Title 9 for municipalities). The City of Cottonwood's Community Development Department (Planning Division, Building Division, and Ordinance Enforcement Division) independently adopts and administers its own construction codes under Title 15 (Buildings and Construction) of the Cottonwood City Code. Source: City of Cottonwood Building Division page (cottonwoodaz.gov/158/Building-Division).
• 2024 International Building Code (IBC), including Appendices C, G, H, I, and J, adopted by reference as the City's building code (Cottonwood City Code § 15.08.020), with City of Cottonwood amendments (§ 15.08.021), effective July 1, 2025. Source: City of Cottonwood Ordinance No. 761, '2025 Technical Code Update,' adopted by City Council and approved by the Mayor May 20, 2025, effective July 1, 2025.
• 2024 International Residential Code (IRC), including Appendices A, B, C, G, H, J, O, P and Q (with Appendices BB, BD, BF, BH, BO, CA, CB, CD, CE, and CF also adopted), adopted by reference as the one- and two-family dwelling code (§ 15.08.060), with City of Cottonwood amendments (§ 15.08.061), effective July 1, 2025. Source: City of Cottonwood Ordinance No. 761 (2025 Technical Code Update).
• 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), including Appendices A and B, adopted by reference (§ 15.08.070), with City of Cottonwood amendments (§ 15.08.071), effective July 1, 2025. Source: City of Cottonwood Ordinance No. 761 (2025 Technical Code Update).
• 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), including Appendices A, B, C, and E, adopted by reference (§ 15.08.080), effective July 1, 2025. Source: City of Cottonwood Ordinance No. 761 (2025 Technical Code Update).
• 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — NOTE: unlike the other ICC codes, the City's energy code was NOT advanced to the 2024 edition in the 2025 Technical Code Update; it remains the 2018 IECC (Cottonwood City Code § 15.10.010), with City amendments at § 15.10.011 (including a residential building-thermal-envelope air-leakage-test field-verification exception). The IRC's own Chapter 11 (Energy Efficiency) is separately deleted and replaced with Chapter 11 of the 2018 IRC per the Ordinance's IRC amendments. Source: City of Cottonwood Ordinance No. 761 (2025 Technical Code Update); City of Cottonwood Building Division page (confirms '2024 International Codes' adopted effective 7/1/2025 without listing IECC among the upgraded editions).
• 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC), including Appendices B, C, D, and E, adopted by reference (§ 15.12.010), with City of Cottonwood amendments (§ 15.12.011), effective July 1, 2025. Source: City of Cottonwood Ordinance No. 761 (2025 Technical Code Update).
• 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC), as published by the National Fire Protection Association, adopted by reference (§ 15.16.010), effective July 1, 2025 (electrical code cycle is one edition behind the 2024 ICC set, consistent with typical Arizona NEC adoption lag). Source: City of Cottonwood Ordinance No. 761 (2025 Technical Code Update); City of Cottonwood Building Division page.
• 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC), including Appendix A, adopted by reference (§ 15.20.010), with City of Cottonwood amendments (§ 15.20.011, including a mandatory third-party test-and-balance report requirement for altered ventilation/exhaust systems where required to verify code compliance), effective July 1, 2025. Source: City of Cottonwood Ordinance No. 761 (2025 Technical Code Update).
• 2024 International Fire Code (IFC), including Appendices B through O, adopted by reference (§ 15.24.010) as the City's uniform fire code, with City of Cottonwood amendments (open-flame/aerial-fireworks restrictions in high fire-risk areas; automatic fire sprinkler requirements per NFPA 13/13-R/13-D expanded beyond the base IFC thresholds; fire-permit surety-bond amounts), effective July 1, 2025. Administered by the City of Cottonwood Fire Prevention Division. Source: City of Cottonwood Ordinance No. 761 (2025 Technical Code Update).
• 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), adopted effective July 1, 2025. Source: City of Cottonwood Building Division page (cottonwoodaz.gov/158/Building-Division).
• ICC A117.1-2017 Accessibility Standard, plus the Arizonans with Disabilities Act (A.R.S. Title 41, Chapter 9, Article 8) and its implementing rules ('Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities,' declared a public record by Resolution No. 1610), adopted as an amendment to the IBC (Cottonwood City Code § 15.08.050) applying to public entities, public accommodations, and commercial facilities; also incorporated into IBC Chapter 11 (§ 1102.1) alongside the 2010 ADA Standards (Title II and Title III regulations, 28 CFR 35.15 / 36 subpart D, and the 2004 ADAAG). Source: City of Cottonwood Ordinance No. 761 (2025 Technical Code Update).
• Effective July 1, 2025 the City also adopted its 2025 Community Development and Fire Department Fee Schedule, which governs all building/fire permit, plan review, and inspection fees; the base valuation-per-square-foot cost tables in that schedule are labeled 'August 2018' (carried forward unchanged from the prior fee-schedule cycle) while the general Schedule of Building Permit Fees (dollar-valuation brackets) and all mechanical/plumbing/electrical/miscellaneous fee line items were updated for 2025. Source: City of Cottonwood 2025 Community Development Fee Schedule (cottonwoodaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8316).

Permit types & fees

• Residential Building Permit (New Construction)

  Required for new single-family and two-family dwelling construction in the City of Cottonwood. Reviewed against the 2024 IRC and City of Cottonwood amendments (Ordinance No. 761, effective July 1, 2025). Applications are submitted through the CloudPermit online portal.

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• Residential Addition / Remodel Permit

  Required for room additions, remodels, and structural alterations to existing one- and two-family dwellings in the City of Cottonwood, reviewed against the 2024 IRC as adopted and amended by the City (Ordinance No. 761, effective July 1, 2025).

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• Electrical Permit

  Required for electrical installation, alteration, or repair work in the City of Cottonwood, governed by the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) as adopted by the City effective July 1, 2025. Fees are itemized per fixture/device type on top of a flat base fee.

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• Plumbing Permit

  Required for plumbing installation, alteration, or repair work in the City of Cottonwood, governed by the 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) as adopted and amended by the City effective July 1, 2025.

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• Mechanical / HVAC Permit

  Required for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning installations in the City of Cottonwood, governed by the 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) as adopted and amended by the City effective July 1, 2025.

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• Roofing / Re-Roofing Permit

  Required for most roof work in the City of Cottonwood — new roofs, re-roofing, and repairs exceeding the narrow permit exemption — governed by the 2024 IRC/IBC roofing provisions and City of Cottonwood Ordinance No. 761 (effective July 1, 2025), which tightened the prior exemption for roof work.

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• Residential Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit

  Required for installation of rooftop residential solar photovoltaic systems in the City of Cottonwood. The City accepts SolarAPP+ (a third-party code-compliance verification platform) for instant permitting of qualifying residential PV projects, or a standard residential solar flat-fee permit for projects processed conventionally.

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• Demolition Permit

  Required for demolition of any residential or commercial structure in the City of Cottonwood, billed as a flat fee by occupancy type.

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• Electric Vehicle Charging Station Permit

  The City of Cottonwood does not publish a dedicated EV charger/EVSE permit application, fee line, or webpage -- checked the Building Division page, Ordinance No. 761 (2025 Technical Code Update), and the 2025 Community Development Fee Schedule directly; none name electric vehicle charging stations, EV chargers, or EVSE. An EV charger installation (a dedicated 240V circuit/outlet or hardwired Level 2 unit) is electrical work and is processed as a standard Electrical Permit under the City's itemized fee schedule and the 2023 NEC as adopted by Ordinance No. 761 -- the same permit type and fee mechanism documented in this file's electrical-permit entry.

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• Sign Permit

  Required for most commercial/business signs placed, constructed, reconstructed, or altered in the City of Cottonwood, governed by Zoning Ordinance Section 405 (Signs). Fees are tiered by sign area rather than valuation. Effective June 2025, Ordinance 763 amended Section 405 to allow a combined permanent-plus-temporary sign application at no extra charge, give the Community Development Director discretion over sign placement on undersized lots, require illuminated signs to comply with the City's Outdoor Lighting Code, and prohibit billboards.

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• Fire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm System Permit

  The City of Cottonwood has its own municipal fire department -- the Cottonwood Fire and Medical Department (191 S 6th Street), whose Fire Prevention Division performs plan review, life-safety inspections, and code enforcement for fire protection systems -- rather than relying on Central Yavapai Fire District or Verde Valley Fire District, which serve other parts of the Verde Valley/Yavapai County outside Cottonwood city limits. Fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems are governed by the 2024 International Fire Code (IFC) Chapter 9, as adopted and amended by the City effective July 1, 2025 (Ordinance 761). No fire-sprinkler- or fire-alarm-specific fee line exists in the City's 2025 Community Development Fee Schedule; these systems are permitted as Building Permits through CloudPermit and billed on the same general, valuation-based Schedule of Building Permit Fees as other construction work, with plan review additionally routed to the Fire Prevention Division.

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• Certificate of Occupancy / Change of Use (Zoning Clearance & Tenant Occupancy Permit)

  Cottonwood's closest equivalent to a stand-alone 'change of use permit' is a two-part process: a Zoning Clearance (Zoning Ordinance Section 303) confirming any change of use of an existing property complies with the Zoning Ordinance, and -- for a new tenant/business moving into a previously-occupied space with no or only minor cosmetic work -- a Tenant Occupancy Permit (TOP) that results in a new Certificate of Occupancy for that space. This is distinct from the City's separate, bonded Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) process (documented in this file's localAmendments and residential-building-permit entries) used to occupy part of a new, still-under-construction building before the whole project is complete.

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