Building Permits in Tempe

Tempe's Community Development Department administers building permitting through its Permit Center. The City states that applications are submitted online through the Tempe Citizen Access Portal and that its plan-review process is fully electronic.

Plan review and codes

Building Safety reviews construction documents for compliance with codes and ordinances adopted by Tempe. The City maintains project-specific resources for commercial, residential, energy, accessibility, and other disciplines. Verify the current adopted-code page and Arizona requirements for the project rather than assuming a model-code edition from another city.

Tempe also publishes guidance identifying when a registered design professional is required. That requirement is project-specific; this guide does not treat an architect or engineer seal as universal.

Fees

Tempe's current fee page identifies 2026–2027 fees effective July 1, 2026 and links separate schedules for building permits, plan review, engineering, fire, impact fees, water/sewer, and zoning/development. Use the applicable current table for the project instead of a generic percentage.

Review timing

The City publishes target turnaround resources from its plan-review pages. Because timing varies by review type and submission, this page does not substitute a single generic number for all permits.

Inspections and completion

After permit issuance, schedule the inspections required for the approved scope. Final approval or occupancy documentation depends on project type and applicable code requirements. Use the Citizen Access Portal and the permit record for project-specific inspection requirements.

Official sources

The official City links in the frontmatter are the controlling starting points for current application, fee, and plan-review information.