Residential Building Permit (New Construction) in Jerome, Arizona

Yes, for nearly all new construction, additions, exterior modifications, decks, fences/walls, sheds/accessory structures, and demolitions — because the Historic Overlay District covers the Town's entire corporate limits (Zoning Ordinance Section 511.C), not just a downtown core. The Building Permit Application Packet explicitly states it is meant to assist applicants 'once the Design Review Board has approved your project.' Only a narrow list of items (certain roof material/color changes, parking areas, patios, minor stair replacement, like-for-like window/door replacement) qualify for lighter Zoning Administrator review instead of the full Board.

In Jerome, the published Building Permit Fee — Based on Valuation (Schedule A-1) is: $50.00 minimum ($1-$500 valuation); $50.00 + $2.75 per additional $100 to $2,000; $91.25 + $12.50 per additional $1,000 to $25,000; $378.75 + $9.00 per additional $1,000 to $50,000; $603.75 + $6.25 per additional $1,000 to $100,000; $916.25 + $5.00 per additional $1,000 to $500,000; $2,916.25 + $4.25 per additional $1,000 to $1,000,000; $5,041.25 + $2.75 per additional $1,000 above $1,000,000. Additional published fees: Design Review Board Fee — New Construction of Residential Buildings — $250; Additional Plan Review (changes/revisions) — $50.00 per hour (minimum half hour); Reinspection Fee (Administrative Code Section 108.8) — $50.00 per hour. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Jerome does not publish a specific plan-review turnaround time (day-count) for building permits themselves. The only published Jerome-specific timeframe is for the separate, prerequisite Design Review process: the Zoning Administrator has 15 days from submission to check a Design Review application for completeness (Zoning Ordinance Section 304.E.1); the Design Review Board hearing itself then runs on the Board's regular meeting schedule. Contact Building Inspector Barry Wolstencroft at 928-634-7943 for a current building-permit estimate.

You'll need: Building Permit Application; Design Review Application / General Land Use Application; Valid Contractor's License Form / Owner-Builder Exemption Statement; Plot Plan; Full Building Plans (2 sets); Plan Approval Agreement. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Jerome requires 4 inspection(s) for a residential building permit (new construction), in order: Foundation/Footing, Framing, Progress Inspection (6-month minimum), Final. Schedule each through Town of Jerome Building Department (Planning & Zoning Dept.) — Building Inspector (928-634-7943).

Apply through Town of Jerome Building Department (Planning & Zoning Dept.) — Building Inspector at 600 Clark Street, P.O. Box 335, Jerome, AZ 86331. Phone: 928-634-7943, email: b.wolstencroft@jerome.az.gov. Office hours: Town Hall: Monday - Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Building Inspector: Barry Wolstencroft (b.wolstencroft@jerome.az.gov, 928-634-7943, fax 928-634-0715). Building permit applications are filed at Town Hall (PO Box 335 / 600 Clark St.) only AFTER the project has received required approval from the Design Review Board and/or Zoning Administrator; inspections are scheduled approximately one week in advance and the Town states it is not liable for work delays due to inspection scheduling.. Official information: https://jerome.az.gov/building-inspection.

Jerome, 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). Despite its very small size (population approximately 450), the Town of Jerome runs its own genuinely independent Building Department with a named Building Inspector (Barry Wolstencroft), its own adopted code chapter (Town Code Chapter 7, Building and Safety Codes), and its own Council-adopted fee schedule (Schedule A-1) — it does NOT defer building-permit administration to Yavapai County. Source: Town of Jerome Building Inspection page (jerome.az.gov/building-inspection) and Building Codes page (jerome.az.gov/building-codes).; 2012 International Building Code (IBC), adopted by Resolution 544. Source: Town of Jerome Building Codes page (jerome.az.gov/building-codes).; 2012 International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings (IRC), adopted by Resolution 545. Source: Town of Jerome Building Codes page.; 2012 International Plumbing Code (IPC), including Appendices B, C, D, and E, adopted by Resolution 547. Source: Town of Jerome Building Codes page.; 2011 National Electrical Code (NEC), adopted by Resolution 548 — notably TWO editions behind the electrical-code cycle used by most other AZ jurisdictions reviewed in this dataset (which have generally moved to the 2023 NEC); confirmed as currently listed on the Town's own Building Codes page, not assumed. Source: Town of Jerome Building Codes page.; 2012 International Mechanical Code (IMC), adopted by Resolution 546. Source: Town of Jerome Building Codes page.; 2012 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), including Appendices A, B, C, and D, adopted by Resolution 549. Source: Town of Jerome Building Codes page.; 2012 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), adopted by Resolution 550 and Ordinance 430. Source: Town of Jerome Building Codes page.; Appendix 33 of the 1997 Uniform Building Code (UBC), serving as the Town's Grading Ordinance, adopted by Ordinance 358. Source: Town of Jerome Building Codes page.; Town of Jerome Administrative Code (2003 Edition), adopted by Ordinance 358 — governs local permit administration provisions layered on top of the ICC codes (e.g., the Section 108.8 reinspection-fee citation used in the Town's own Fee Schedule). Source: Town of Jerome Building Codes page.; 2018 International Fire Code (IFC), adopted by Resolution 635 — notably a much newer edition than the 2012-vintage building/residential/plumbing/mechanical/fuel-gas code set, and the only code in Jerome's adopted set current within the last decade. Source: Town of Jerome Building Codes page.; IMPORTANT — Historic Overlay District (Jerome Zoning Ordinance Section 511.C): the Historic Overlay District boundary 'shall include all areas within the corporate limits of the Town of Jerome' — i.e., the ENTIRE town is inside the Historic Overlay District, not just a subset of downtown parcels. As a result, Design Review Board (or, for minor listed items, Zoning Administrator) approval under Zoning Ordinance Section 304 is a mandatory prerequisite BEFORE a building permit application can even be submitted to the Building Inspector, for nearly every exterior construction project Town-wide. Source: Jerome Zoning Ordinance (current through July 2024), Sections 304 and 511 (jerome.az.gov/documents/76/Zoning_Ordinance_updated_thru_July_2024.pdf); Building Permit Application Packet ('We provide the following information to assist you in applying for a permit once the Design Review Board has approved your project.').. Local amendments apply — see the Jerome overview page for the full list.