Glendale, AZ Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- 2024 International Building Code
- Enforcing agency
- Building Safety Division
- Fence permit exemption
- Up to 7 feet high
- Hoophouse exemption
- Per A.R.S. § 9-469
- No-permit work found
- Triggers investigation fee, § 109.5
- Violation penalty
- Misdemeanor under § 9-16(b)
- Appeal deadline
- 30 calendar days to City Court
Summary
Glendale requires a permit under the adopted 2024 International Building Code for nearly every construction, alteration, or repair project, enforced by the city's Building Safety Division. Glendale Code § 9-17 exempts only specific items from IBC Section 105.2, including fences 7 feet or under and agricultural hoophouses and polyhouses built under A.R.S. § 9-469. Anything else needs a permit before work starts.
2.Fences, other than swimming pool barriers and perimeter subdivision fences, not over 7 feet (2134 mm) high. ... 14.Hoophouses and polyhouses used exclusively for producing and storing live plants, constructed in accordance with A.R.S. § 9-469. Mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems constructed in these structures shall require the appropriate permits in accordance with this code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 115).
Full Breakdown
1, as amended). § 9-469, though any mechanical, plumbing, or electrical work inside those structures still needs its own permit. Everything not on the exemption list, including additions, remodels, new electrical service, plumbing, and mechanical systems, requires a permit before work begins. Permit, plan review, and investigation fees are set by council resolution under the rewritten Section 109; valuation for fee purposes covers the total cost of all labor, materials, overhead and profit on the permitted work. 5 requires a special investigation before the city will issue one, and the investigation fee applies whether or not a permit is ultimately granted.
6 makes it unlawful to keep working after the city serves notice suspending or revoking a permit; a suspended permit can only resume on the building official's written authorization, and a revoked permit is canceled with its fee forfeited. Decisions of the building official can be appealed to Glendale City Court within 30 calendar days under Section 113, for a non-refundable fee set under Glendale Code § 2-3.
Violations & Fines
Working under a permit that has been suspended or revoked is unlawful once the city serves notice on the permit holder, owner, or person in charge of the work, and a revoked permit's fee is not refunded. Violating any provision of the adopted codes under Section 9-16 is a misdemeanor. Starting work before obtaining a required permit triggers a mandatory special investigation and an added investigation fee under Section 109.5, regardless of whether a permit is later issued.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a backyard fence need a permit in Glendale?
What happens if I build without a permit first?
Can I appeal a Glendale building official's decision?
Are greenhouse-type hoophouses exempt from Glendale's permit rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Glendale
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