Building permits for unincorporated La Paz County come from the Community Development Department’s Building and Safety staff in Parker, and applications can be filed through the County’s iWorQ online portal or on paper. Fees follow the valuation table in Resolution 2026-11 (in force since August 6, 2026), plan review adds 65% of the permit fee, and the County allows itself 15 working days for the first review.
What requires a building permit in La Paz County?
The County’s Building Code Ordinance No. 2026-01 took effect on August 6, 2026 and applies to unincorporated land outside the Indian reservations. Its building permit application covers these scopes on one form, and the County adds a separate placement permit for anything brought onto a parcel.
Permit needed
- New buildings, additions and remodels
- Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work
- Manufactured homes, park models, containers and RVs placed on private parcels (placement permit, before placement or use)
- Pools, with the size in gallons
- Fences and walls over the exempt heights, and all retaining walls beyond the exempt limit
- Signs and billboards, cell towers, residential and commercial solar
- Demolition, before any demolition starts
- Grading, and any development in a Special Flood Hazard Area (Floodplain Use Permit)
- LPG tanks that feed regulated gas piping
Exempt under the County’s residential amendments
- Detached accessory structures up to 120 sq ft (the County cut the model code’s 200 sq ft to 120)
- Wood, wire or chain link fences up to 6 ft above finished grade
- Rock, concrete or masonry walls up to 4 ft
- Retaining walls holding back 48 inches or less of unbalanced fill (24 inches under the County’s amendment to the building code for other sites)
- Window replacements of similar size with no framing change and no loss of egress opening
- Swapping an electric water heater in the same location
Exempt does not mean unreviewed. A permit-exempt accessory building or deck still needs a site plan review against the floodplain, zoning and wastewater rules before construction, for a flat $20. A manufactured home built before June 15, 1976 cannot be placed anywhere in the county.
Who issues building permits in La Paz County?
Three local governments issue building permits here, and which one you deal with depends only on where the parcel sits.
- Unincorporated areas: La Paz County Community Development. The department has four working areas: Planning and Zoning, Building and Safety, Wastewater and Code Compliance. Michael Ramos is the Community Development Director.
- Town of Parker: the Town’s own Community Development office at 1314 11th Street, 928-669-9265. It publishes its own permit application and grading permit application, and inspections are booked on extension 1019.
- Town of Quartzsite: the Town’s Community Development Department at 465 N. Plymouth Avenue, 928-927-4333 ext. 601, which handles building permits, inspections and mobile home sets inside town limits through its own iWorQ portal.
- Tribal land: the County’s ordinance and fee resolution both exclude Indian reservations, so County permits do not apply there.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | La Paz County Community Development, Building and Safety |
| Office | 1112 S. Joshua Avenue, Suite 202, Parker, AZ 85344 |
| Phone | 928-669-6138 |
| comdev@lapaz.gov (questions and submittals) | |
| Hours | Monday to Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; closed on government holidays |
| Online filing | iWorQ citizen portal (Building, Planning and Zoning, Septic applications) |
La Paz County applications, forms and online filing
The iWorQ portal takes three kinds of application: building permits, planning and zoning requests, and septic permits. It also lets you look up a submitted request by number and follow its status. Staff will not look up your Assessor Parcel Number for you, so find it on your tax bill or the Assessor’s record search before you start. Paper applications are taken at the Joshua Avenue counter during office hours.
Forms published on the Applications & Checklists page:
- Building Permit Application: one form with tick boxes for building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, pool, fence or wall, sign, cell tower, solar, demolition, grading and floodplain work.
- Placement Permit Application: for manufactured homes, park models, containers and RVs. An owner can hold the permit, but a manufactured home or factory-built building must be set by a state-licensed installer.
- Floodplain Use Permit Application.
- Special Power of Attorney: one version for an agent and one for a lessee or renter who will build on the owner’s land.
- Owner’s Acknowledgment & Verification of Information, Special Inspection Form and Temporary Certificate of Occupancy request.
- Developers/Contractors Statement for owners who plan to sell or rent within one year.
The application asks whether an owner-builder or a licensed contractor will do the work, and it has spaces for the Registrar of Contractors licence numbers of the general, mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors.
La Paz County building permit fees
The Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution No. 2026-11 on July 6, 2026. It replaced the 2025 schedule and has applied since August 6, 2026. The building permit fee is read from a valuation table (Exhibit A):
| Total project valuation | Permit fee |
|---|---|
| $1 to $500 | $50 |
| $501 to $2,000 | $50 for the first $500, plus $4 per additional $100 or fraction |
| $2,001 to $25,000 | $110 for the first $2,000, plus $16 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $25,001 to $50,000 | $478 for the first $25,000, plus $12 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $780 for the first $50,000, plus $8 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $1,180 for the first $100,000, plus $6 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $500,001 to $1,000,000 | $3,580 for the first $500,000, plus $6 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $1,000,001 and up | $6,580 for the first $1,000,000, plus $2.70 per additional $1,000 or fraction (maximum $250,000) |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Plan review is 65% of the building permit fee and is due when the plans are submitted; for solar, battery storage and communication towers it is 50%. A project valued at $150,000 therefore pays a $1,480 permit fee and $962 for plan review.
New construction is valued from the International Code Council’s cost-per-square-foot table (Exhibit C, February 2026 data), which the County updates each year. Exhibit D lists per-square-foot figures for smaller residential work, such as $22 for a metal garage or workshop, $20.50 for a detached shed over 120 sq ft, $10 for a covered patio and $25 per sq ft of pool surface. The exhibit prints them in its fee column, but they work as square-foot values: the same exhibit adds “the value of any utilities installed” to them, lets the Building Official use an actual construction cost estimate in place of its tenant improvement figures and sends residential interior remodeling to the valuation table, so the result is read against the table above.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Park model placement | $650 flat |
| RV placement | $400 flat each |
| Container placement | $200 |
| Manufactured home placement | State schedule; the County’s notice gives $700 since August 5, 2025 |
| Demolition | $40 per parcel number, all structures included |
| Floodplain review | $400 residential, $600 commercial |
| Grading | $50 up to 50 cu yd; $75 for 51–100 cu yd; then stepped by volume |
| Spa, jacuzzi or whirlpool | $200 flat each |
| Zoning review (any application needing zoning clearance) | $20 |
| Pre-application review meeting | $40 |
| Temporary certificate of occupancy | $500 for each 30 days |
| Work started without a permit | Investigation fee equal to the permit fee, $100 minimum |
The final certificate of occupancy or completion is included in the permit fee. If the County engages an outside consultant for plan checking or inspection, the applicant pays the consultant’s actual cost before the review is done.
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas in La Paz County
Trade work is permitted by the same Building and Safety staff, on the same application. Exhibit D of the fee resolution prices it this way:
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Single trade (mechanical, plumbing or electrical), up to $5,000 valuation | $50 for each trade |
| Single trade, $5,001 or more | Valuation table |
| Combined permit for one piece of equipment (A/C unit, water heater), up to $5,000 | $75 flat |
| RV or mobile home park, electrical or plumbing per space | $82.50 for each trade |
| RV or mobile home park, first space with additional spaces inspected at the same time | $50 plus $10 per additional space |
| Solar, up to $5,000 valuation | $150 flat |
| Solar, $5,001 or more | Valuation table, plus 50% plan review |
| Fire alarm or sprinkler plan review | $150 flat |
For a new building or an addition, the schedule lists $1.50 (mechanical), $2.50 (electrical) and $3.50 (plumbing) per square foot, in addition to the building’s own square-foot figure. The County enforces the 2020 National Electrical Code and the 2018 plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas codes. Its amendments call for 18 inches of cover over buried plastic gas pipe and a #12 solid copper tracer wire, and they ban union fittings in concealed spaces.
The County does not require fire sprinklers in a detached single-family home or a building with no more than two dwelling units.
La Paz County building application documents
One plan set is enough, on paper or as a digital file (digital is preferred); the older two-set rule has been dropped. The General Building Permit Checklist, which also covers remodels, additions and trade permits, asks for:
With every building application
- Signed application with the Assessor Parcel Number
- Site plan: north arrow, lot dimensions, setbacks, every existing and proposed structure, washes and drainages, easements, driveways, wells and all utility lines
- Septic approval from the County, or proof that the septic application is in process
- Floodplain determination, or a drainage report if the site is in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area
- Building plans to the Building Plans Checklist
- Special Power of Attorney if an agent or tenant applies
- Approval letter from the HOA or the RV or mobile home park, where one governs the lot
Building plans
- Foundation plan with stem wall, pier and anchoring details
- Dimensioned floor plan with door and window schedules, smoke and carbon monoxide alarm locations and plumbing fixtures
- Roof framing plan and engineered truss calculations
- Four exterior elevations with building height
- Cross-section showing framing, insulation and stairs
- Electrical, plumbing and mechanical plans; isometrics for waste, vent, gas and water
- Grading and drainage plan, utility plan, soils report and structural calculations when the project calls for them
Rather not deal with the La Paz County building department?
Get a free quote →Review clock: the County first checks the file for completeness within 15 working days and tells you in writing whether it is accepted. Substantive review is then 15 working days for the first pass, 15 for the second and 10 for the third, and the total cannot exceed 105 working days. You get 30 working days to answer a completeness notice and 60 to answer review comments. If the County misses its overall time frame, it must refund the review fees and waive any still unpaid.
How to apply in La Paz County: 6 steps
Look up the Assessor Parcel Number and confirm the lot is outside Parker, Quartzsite and reservation land. A lot split or lot combination in progress blocks a building permit until it is finished.
Zoning clearance is not given without proof of wastewater disposal, an approved water supply and a legally divided lot. File the septic application and, in a flood hazard area, the Floodplain Use Permit alongside the building permit.
Complete the 2026 Building Permit Application or the Placement Permit Application, the site plan, one plan set and any power of attorney or HOA letter.
Upload through the iWorQ portal, email comdev@lapaz.gov or hand the file in at 1112 S. Joshua Avenue, Suite 202. The 65% plan review fee is due with the plans.
Expect a completeness notice within 15 working days, then one comprehensive list of corrections. An application with no activity for 180 days is treated as abandoned.
Pay the permit fee, post the permit on site and begin work. The permit expires if work has not started 180 days after issue, or if 180 days pass after the last inspection.
La Paz County inspections and closeout
Inspections are carried out during the department’s Monday to Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. week. Fee Exhibit D charges after-hours visits at $60 per hour and weekend visits at $150 per hour, each with a 2-hour minimum. Exhibit A of the same resolution prints $50 per hour, also with a 2-hour minimum, for inspections outside normal business hours and the same $150 for weekends and holidays.
The ordinance lists what earns a re-inspection fee when the inspector arrives: blocked or inaccessible site, an address that cannot be read, no permit posted, no approved plans or inspection record on site, unfinished work, work covered without approval, or work that departs from the approved plans. Exhibit D sets the re-inspection fee at $60 per inspection, although Exhibit A of the same resolution says $50 per hour. No further inspections are made until the fee is paid.
- Keep the site reasonably clear of construction debris; the Building Official can withhold inspections until it is cleaned up.
- Provide one toilet for every 10 workers on a residential site.
- Homes, manufactured homes, park models and other habitable structures must have permanently installed cooling able to hold 75°F in each room.
- A manufactured home or park model cannot be occupied until its final inspection is approved.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →The certificate of occupancy is issued on request after the final inspection finds no violations. A temporary certificate lasts 30 days and costs $500 each time it is issued or renewed. If a stop work order (red tag) is posted, all work stops until the County releases it in writing.
Local permitting issues in La Paz County
Septic and wells: Community Development is also the septic authority, under a delegation agreement with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. It reviews the Notice of Intent to Discharge, issues the construction authorization, inspects the system and issues the discharge authorization. A new system under 3,000 gallons per day costs $300 and a repair $200. A new or deepened well needs a Notice of Intent to Drill filed with the Arizona Department of Water Resources, plus the County’s $100 well review.
Floodplain: any development in a mapped flood hazard area needs a County floodplain permit first. New structures there may need an elevation certificate before and after construction, and grading or fill in a FEMA flood zone needs an engineered grading and drainage plan.
Grading: a grading permit does not cover retaining walls or other structures. Cut or fill above 100 cubic yards needs an engineered grading and drainage plan.
Fences and walls: fences and walls 6 ft or taller need structural engineering, and the fee schedule says new walls and fences require a new land survey. Fences over 6 ft are valued per linear foot ($9 for wood, chain link or wrought iron; $20 for non-retaining masonry or concrete).
Selling or renting within a year: owners who build to sell or rent must use licensed contractors and sign the County’s Developers/Contractors Statement.
Moving or demolishing a manufactured home: bring an approved Tax 504 clearance from the County Assessor before the permit is issued.
Appeals: a Building Official decision can be appealed to the Building and Safety Advisory and Appeals Board within 30 days, at the Community Development office; the filing fee is $400.
Arizona statewide rules
Arizona licenses contractors through the state Registrar of Contractors, and the small-job exemption never covers work that needs a permit. Arizona rules
Official La Paz County permit resources
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →- Arizona Registrar of Contractors
- Arizona county building-code authority
- County fee and development resources
- County applications, checklists and intake
- La Paz County building permitting authority
- La Paz County Community Development contact and hours
- La Paz County online permit portal (iWorQ)
- Resolution No. 2026-11, Community Development fee schedule
- La Paz County Building Code Ordinance No. 2026-01
- La Paz County permit review time frames
- La Paz County sanitation and septic permits
- La Paz County floodplain management and permits
- Town of Parker Community Development
- Town of Quartzsite Community Development
La Paz County building permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in unincorporated La Paz County?
La Paz County Community Development, through its Building and Safety staff at 1112 S. Joshua Avenue, Suite 202 in Parker (928-669-6138). Parker and Quartzsite issue their own permits inside town limits, and County permits do not apply on reservation land.
How much is a building permit in La Paz County?
It depends on the project valuation. Under Resolution 2026-11 a $25,000 project pays $478 and a $100,000 project pays $1,180, and plan review adds 65% of that fee.
Do I need a permit for a shed in La Paz County?
Not a building permit if it is a detached accessory structure of 120 sq ft or less, but the County still requires a $20 site plan review before you build it.
Does an RV or park model need a permit on my own land?
Yes. Manufactured homes, park models, containers and RVs placed on privately owned parcels need a placement permit before placement or use. The flat fee is $400 for an RV and $650 for a park model.
How long does La Paz County take to review a permit?
Up to 15 working days for the completeness check, then 15 working days for the first substantive review. The County caps its own substantive review at 105 working days in total.
Do I need two paper plan sets?
No. One set, digital or paper, is sufficient.
What happens if I build without a permit?
The County charges an investigation fee equal to the permit fee, so the total is double, with a $100 minimum.
Who issues septic permits in La Paz County?
Community Development’s wastewater staff, acting under delegation from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
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More Arizona permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about La Paz County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.