Sedona, AZ Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section 15.05.010 SCC adopts the International Building Code, 2018 Edition, for regulating the erection, construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, removal, demolition, conversion, occupancy, equipment, use, height, area and maintenance of all buildings or structures in the city, and it sets up the permit and fee system that runs every construction project inside city limits.

Section 15.05.020(C) rewrites IBC Section 105.2's exempt-work list down to six narrow categories: one-story detached sheds, playhouses or similar structures under 120 square feet and 7 feet high with no electrical or plumbing; freestanding fences and walls up to 30 inches outside flood hazard areas; retaining walls up to 30 inches unless they hold back a surcharge or Class I-IIIA liquids; prefabricated above-grade pools under 18 inches deep and 8 feet in any dimension serving a Group R-3 home; shade-cloth structures (exemption deleted entirely); and swings and playground equipment. Anything larger, taller or more complex, additions, remodels, new dwellings, garages, decks over 100 square feet, or commercial tenant improvements requires a building permit reviewed by the Building Official in the Community Development Department.

Once issued, Section 105.7 requires the permit itself to be kept on site in a conspicuous place, visible from the public way, until the project passes final inspection. Contractors must be licensed under Arizona law before the city will issue them a permit, and property owners doing their own work remain subject to A.R.S. § 32-1121's owner-builder rules. The Building Official can also pull other agencies, ADEQ, the county health department, the county flood control district, into plan review before a permit issues.