Arizona permit review deadlines
How long does it take to get a building permit in Arizona?
Arizona's 2025 law puts a 15-working-day clock on single-family home permits in cities of 30,000 people or more. If the city has not approved the application or sent corrections by then, a qualified outside reviewer can do the review.
A second, older rule covers every permit: each city must post how long review should take, and refund the fees if it runs past that time.
See the deadlines ↓Current Arizona state-level guidelines
The short answer
In Arizona cities of 30,000 people or more, the city has 15 working days to approve a single-family home permit, approve it with conditions, or send back required corrections. If it does not, the review can go to a qualified third party chosen by the city, at the applicant's cost. For every kind of permit, Arizona law also makes each city post an overall time frame. A city that misses its posted time frame must refund the review fees.
By project type
Arizona permit review deadlines.
Arizona has two layers: a fixed clock for single-family homes, and posted time frames that each city sets for everything else.
| Project type | Deadline | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family home permit, cities of 30,000 or more | 15 working days | To approve, conditionally approve, or respond with required corrections. From A.R.S. 9-470.01. |
| Meeting on a correction request | 10 working days | After the applicant asks, the city must meet or explain the correction request well enough to answer it. |
| Notice that an application may be denied for too many deficiencies | 15 working days | Counted from the day the application is submitted. |
| Every other permit | Set by each city | Each city must post an overall time frame, split into a completeness review and a substantive review. From A.R.S. 9-835. |
The 15-working-day clock does not start until the city has approved the construction documents and vertical construction in the subdivision or on the lot. It does not apply to hillside or floodplain reviews.
Step by step
How Arizona's review clock works.
Every city must publish how long each kind of permit should take, with separate numbers for the completeness check and the plan review.
In cities of 30,000 or more, the city must approve, conditionally approve, or respond with corrections in that time.
During plan review a city may send one comprehensive request for corrections. Later requests can only cover issues it already raised. The clock pauses while the applicant responds.
Miss the 15 working days and a third party can do the review. Miss the posted overall time frame and the city refunds the fees.
What this means for a review team
- The first response has to be complete. A city gets one comprehensive correction request, so every discipline's comments need to be in it.
- Posted time frames are a promise with a refund attached.
- A city may not ask an applicant to waive the deadline.
When the clock runs out
What happens when a Arizona department misses the deadline.
If the city misses the 15 working days on a single-family home permit, any required review may be done by a qualified third party the city selects. The applicant pays the third party's fees through the city.
If a city does not grant or deny a permit within its posted overall time frame, or an agreed extension, it must refund all review fees and excuse any fees not yet paid.
An applicant can appeal a decision on a single-family home permit to the city.
A city may not require or ask an applicant to waive a deadline or procedure in the single-family permit law.
Faster permit approvals start with more efficient plan review.
See how your team can spend less time chasing comments, waiting on other disciplines, and tracking down the status of a review, without changing your permitting system or CDP.
Recent changes
What changed, and when.
2025
SB 1353 becomes law (Laws 2025, Chapter 187)Adds A.R.S. 9-470.01, the 15-working-day clock and third-party review for single-family home permits, and tightens the refund rules in A.R.S. 9-835.
City by city
How Arizona cities handle review times.
Arizona's three largest cities each publish their own review targets. None of the targets below is a legal deadline by itself, but the posted numbers matter because state law ties fee refunds to them.
Phoenix
Phoenix posts a monthly report showing how long each kind of plan review should take and how long it actually took. A new custom home, for example, should get a first review in 30 days.
Read the source →Mesa
Mesa says a regular commercial plan review takes at most 18 working days. Applicants can pay more for a 10-day or 5-day review. The city calls these maximums that depend on workload.
Read the source →Tucson
Tucson sorts permits into review lanes with promised speeds: same day, 15 days, or 30 days. A public dashboard shows how often reviews finish on time.
Read the source →City details come from each city's public pages as of November 12, 2026. Cities change their targets and processes often, so check the linked source for the current version.
Common questions
Arizona building permit deadlines, answered.
How long does it take to get a building permit in Arizona?
For a single-family home in a city of 30,000 or more, the city has 15 working days to approve the application or send corrections. For other permits, each city posts its own time frame, so the answer depends on the city and the type of project.
What happens if an Arizona city misses the deadline?
On a single-family home permit, a qualified third party can do the review in the city's place. On any permit, a city that runs past its posted overall time frame must refund the review fees.
Does the Arizona law apply to small towns?
The third-party review rule for single-family homes applies to cities and towns with 30,000 people or more. The rule that cities must post time frames and refund fees when they miss them is broader.
Does the clock stop for corrections?
Yes. The posted time frames are suspended from the day the city sends a correction request until the applicant's corrections arrive.
How do Arizona building departments keep up with these deadlines?
Three habits show up in the departments that hit the clock. They check applications for missing items in the first few days. They let building, fire, planning, and engineering review the same plans at the same time. And they track the days left on every review, so a manager can step in before a deadline passes.
Read it for yourself
Sources.
State law
Keep exploring
Deadlines in other states.
If you review plans in Arizona
Working under Arizona's review clock? See how e-PlanSoft can help you hit it consistently.
Meeting a review deadline starts with a good intake process, disciplines that work together, and a clear view of every review in progress.
Book a demoSee how collaborative review works →This page summarizes public laws, rules, and city review practices in Arizona as of November 12, 2026. Deadlines vary by location and permit type. These summaries are for reference, not legal advice. Check the linked sources and local requirements for the rules that apply to your project.