Paradise Valley, Arizona Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Paradise Valley come from the Building Division of the Community Development Department at Town Hall, and every application goes through the online Citizen Portal. Almost anything taller than 8 inches needs a permit, fees are based on a valuation of at least $225 per livable square foot plus a 65% plan review fee, and each review round can take up to 30 business days.

What requires a building permit in Paradise Valley?

The Town struck the usual small-shed exemption from its residential and building codes and replaced the fence exemption with one line: structures not over 8 inches high. In practice the Building Permit application covers any structure over 8 inches with a fixed location on the ground, and the Town asks for a separate application for each type of structure.

A demolition permit has to be issued before the building permit it relates to. Because permits last only 180 days, the Town advises against applying for every structure on a project at once.

Who issues building permits in Paradise Valley?

The Building Division reviews and approves all building plans, issues the permits and inspects all construction within the Town. It sits inside the Community Development Department with Planning, Engineering and Code Enforcement. Chad Weaver is the Community Development Director and Brad Mecham is the Building Official.

Paradise Valley Citizen Portal and application types

All permit applications must be submitted electronically. The Citizen Portal runs on Accela: create an account, start the application for your permit type, upload the required documents, then use the same record to check status, upload resubmittals and pay fees. The Town publishes step-by-step guides for each of those tasks on its Permits and Handouts page.

Besides the permit types listed above, the portal carries a Revision/Deferred/Truss Review application for changes to an issued permit and for deferred truss submittals, a Change of Address Request, and the Town’s Short-Term Rental permit.

Forms the Town asks for with an application:

• Agent Authorization Letter: under the Town Code, an application made by anyone other than the owner needs the owner’s affidavit that the work and the agent are authorized.
• HOA Acknowledgement.
• Sewer/Septic Verification.
• Washes, Retention Basin or Drainage Easements acknowledgement, confirming that fences, walls and accessory structures stay out of them.
• Dust Control Plan: the Town’s own form for disturbance of 0.10 acre or less; above that, a Maricopa County dust control permit.

Owner-builder projects valued at $25,000 or more need a letter of authorization from the owner before the permit is released.

Paradise Valley building permit fees

Fees are in the Town’s Master Fee Schedule (Appendix B of the Town Code), last amended by Resolution 2025-05 and effective July 1, 2025. The building permit fee is read from this table:

Minimum valuations. The valuation is the full value of labor and materials, but never less than $225 per sq ft of livable area, $50 per sq ft of garage or storage, $35 per sq ft of patio, ramada or porch, and $30 per lineal foot of fence. Those are valuation floors, not fees. An interior remodel is valued at half the per-square-foot figure. A barbecue is valued at no less than $4,200, a kiva fireplace $5,250, a water fountain $1,000 and a water feature $2,500.

For example, a 4,000 sq ft house cannot be valued below $900,000. That gives a building permit fee of $5,362.90, a plan review fee of about $3,486 and a haul fee of about $483.

The plan review fee is due when you apply. The Town’s April 2026 application handout still describes the pool fee as 1% of construction cost; the adopted schedule lists $1,590, so budget on the schedule. The permit holder also reimburses any outside consultant fees the Town incurs on the project.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fire permits in Paradise Valley

The Building Division issues the trade permits, each through its own Citizen Portal application. The schedule sets one figure for each:

An electrical application needs no documents by default, though staff may ask for a site plan and load calculations. Plumbing applications need a site plan and plumbing isometrics or calculations; mechanical applications need a site plan.

Fire sprinklers: new structures must have them. So must an existing structure that undergoes a 50% structural addition, alteration or repair, or work that affects 50% or more of the building. Sprinkler plans are reviewed in house and may be a deferred submittal. Fire prevention questions go to the Town Fire Marshal; fire suppression is provided by the City of Phoenix Fire Department.

The Town enforces the 2015 International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fuel Gas and Energy Conservation Codes, the 2014 National Electrical Code and the 2021 International Fire Code, each with Town amendments.

Paradise Valley building-permit application documents

Plan sheets are 24 by 36 inches minimum and 36 by 42 maximum, drawn to scale. Grading and drainage plans are submitted separately. A grading and drainage plan sealed by an Arizona civil engineer is required for a new house, where 999 sq ft or more of impervious area is added, or where the work is valued above $500,000. Resubmittals must cloud every change and include all the redlined plans and paperwork.

Review times: the first review and each later one may take up to 30 business days. After approval, allow 3 to 5 more business days for the permit to be processed. Deferred truss reviews and revisions can take up to 15 business days.

An application is treated as abandoned 270 days after filing, and no more than 90 days may pass between approval and the grant of the permit. The Town Code allows no extensions of either period.

How to apply in Paradise Valley: 7 steps

Paradise Valley permit inspections and final approval

Schedule inspections by text message to 877-309-3781 or in the customer portal, using your permit number (for example BD for building, EL for electrical, PL for plumbing, DM for demolition, RW for right-of-way). A request counts only once the system gives you a confirmation number. Requests received before 3:00 p.m. are inspected the next business day, and you can cancel until 7:00 a.m. on the day. A late cancellation can cost a re-inspection fee. If scheduling fails, Building Services staff answer at 480-948-7411.

Inspectors work 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. from October to April and 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. from May to September.

• All property pins and property lines must be identified before the first footing inspection of any kind.
• A setback certification is required at the stem inspection when a structure is within 3 ft of the minimum setback, and a height certification when it is within 2 ft of the maximum height.
• Every permit needs a final inspection, demolition permits included.
• No certificate of occupancy is issued until affected rights-of-way are cleaned or repaired to their original condition.

Keeping a permit alive: an inspection must be requested and passed at least every 180 days. A one-time courtesy inspection can stand in for a passed inspection. An expired permit can be renewed for 50% of the original permit fee, or 100% if the plans are revised or the codes have changed. Separately, a residential permit ends 900 days after issue (1,260 days on a hillside lot), and construction that continues past that date is charged a late fee of $1,000 per month.

Local permitting considerations in Paradise Valley

Hillside lots. The Hillside Building Committee has 6 members, three citizens appointed by the Council and three rotating Planning Commissioners. It reviews new homes, remodels and additions, solar installations, accessory structures and pools for land disturbance, height, lighting, materials, grading and drainage. Hillside review of a structure costs $6,600 on top of permit fees ($1,825 for a solar-only application). Most hillside permit applications also need a construction staging plan, financial assurance and staked limits of disturbance with photographs.

Lot coverage. Total floor area under roof, eaves included, cannot exceed 25% of the lot area outside R-10 zoning. All accessory buildings together cannot exceed 50% of the ground area of the main residence.

Construction hours. Work may run 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, with no heavy equipment on weekends or holidays. From May 1 to October 15 the hours widen to 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

Site rules. Construction fencing is limited to 6 ft and must sit at least 10 ft back from the right-of-way. Electric entry gates need a key switch for emergency access. For demolition of two or more buildings on a lot, the Town wants proof of an asbestos inspection.

Right-of-way work. A right-of-way permit needs $2 million of liability insurance naming the Town as additional insured, and the fee schedule requires a $2,000 assurance before each permit.

Unpaid Town taxes. The Town Code bars issuing a building permit to anyone found to owe Town transaction privilege tax, unless a payment agreement is in place and current.

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 Paradise Valley permit resources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• Arizona Registrar of Contractors
• Paradise Valley official applications, fees or support
• Paradise Valley permit-issuing department
• Paradise Valley Building Division
• Paradise Valley Permits and Handouts (application instructions)
• Paradise Valley Citizen Portal (Accela)
• Building Permit Application Information (April 2026)
• Town of Paradise Valley Master Fee Schedule (Town Code Appendix B)
• Paradise Valley inspection scheduling
• 2026 Construction Site Regulations
• Standard Residential Flatland Submittal Requirements
• Paradise Valley Hillside Building Committee
• Town Code Chapter 5, Building and Construction
• International Codes Adopted by the Town

Paradise Valley building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Paradise Valley?

The Building Division of the Town’s Community Development Department, at 6401 E. Lincoln Drive (480-348-3692). It reviews plans, issues permits and inspects all construction within the Town.

How much is a building permit in Paradise Valley?

The fee follows the valuation table in the Master Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2025, with livable area valued at no less than $225 per sq ft. A project valued at $900,000 pays $5,362.90, plus 65% of that for plan review.

Do I need a permit for a fence or wall in Paradise Valley?

Yes. The Town exempts only structures not over 8 inches high. Fences, site walls, gates, planters and retaining walls use the Fence/Site Walls application, and they may not be built in a wash or drainage easement.

Do I need a permit for a shed or ramada?

Yes. The Town deleted the model code’s exemption for small detached accessory structures, and each accessory structure needs its own building permit application.

How long does plan review take in Paradise Valley?

Up to 30 business days for the first review and for each later review, then 3 to 5 business days to process the approved permit.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Text 877-309-3781 or use the customer portal with your permit number. Requests in before 3:00 p.m. are inspected the next business day.

How long is a permit good for?

180 days, renewed each time an inspection is passed. A residential permit also has an outer limit of 900 days, or 1,260 days on a hillside lot.

Are fire sprinklers required in a new house?

Yes. New structures must be sprinklered, and so must existing ones when an addition, alteration or repair reaches the Town’s 50% threshold.

Simplify Paradise Valley permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Arizona. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Paradise Valley permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.