How long does a commercial tenant improvement permit take in Chandler?

Chandler posts its review times as required by state law. For a Commercial Tenant Improvement Building Permit, the sheet lists 20 working days (w.d.) for the completeness review, 40 w.d. for the substantive review, and 60 w.d. overall. The asterisk on the 40 explains it: "two (2) substantive reviews of twenty (20) working days each." The sheet has no separate row for a plumbing permit. Its tenant improvement row is the only commercial time frame that fits a build-out, so treat it as your schedule and ask Development Services how your plumbing sheets will be routed. The city's grease page asks for the fixture count and plumbing plan "when applying for the plumbing permit," so plumbing plans travel with the application either way.

Sixty working days at five days a week is about 12 weeks, and holidays add to that.

It covers a commercial tenant improvement building permit at a Chandler address, for the tenant, owner, designer or contractor who applies. It does not cover a single-family house, which has its own rows on the same sheet, and it does not cover the fire sprinkler or fire alarm permit, which has a separate 20 working day row. The sheet's time frames also exclude time the applicant needs for non-city licenses or required meetings.

• Completeness review (20 w.d.): the city checks that the application has everything it needs. It has to send a notice of what is missing within that window, or the application is deemed administratively complete (A.R.S. 9-835(F)).
• Substantive review (40 w.d.): the actual plan review, in two rounds of 20 working days.
• Overall (60 w.d.): the total period in which the city must grant or deny.

A clean first submittal. The application is complete, the plans show the backflow assemblies and the grease interceptor, and the first review comes back with minor corrections. Two 20-day rounds fit inside 40 working days.

The incomplete application. The plumbing sheet is missing the fixture count. The city flags it on the status page and the completeness and overall clocks stop. They restart when you upload it. Every day spent finding a missing document is a day you are not counting on the city's 60.

The edge case: the second round. The reviewer requests corrections. While your designer revises the drawings, the clock is suspended. The city can then make a second review of up to 20 working days. Your 60 working days does not include the weeks your team took to revise.

A restaurant TI. The plans need a fixture count and grease interceptor sizing to go with the plumbing permit, and City Code 52-36(H) says backflow assemblies "shall be specified and located on the construction plans for all new buildings, additions with new services, and changes of use of existing buildings," with approval "prior to issuance of the building permit." A missing backflow note is a correction request waiting to happen.

1. 1Pull the checklists named on the city's time frames sheet for this permit type (the sheet lists UDM-075, UDM-071, FPB-012 and WWDQ) from the Unified Development Manual at udm.chandleraz.gov.
2. 2Put backflow assemblies, fixture counts and any grease interceptor on the plumbing plans before you submit.
3. 3Apply through Chandler's permit portal (chandleraz.gov/clics, which the sheet names) and watch the application status there. The city posts incompleteness notices on it.
4. 4Answer notices the same week. The 180-day withdrawal rule and your lease dates both run on your speed.
5. 5Call the point of contact on the sheet for the tenant improvement row, 480-782-3138, if a correction is unclear. State law lets you ask the city to meet with you about a request for corrections, and the city must do so within ten working days of your request (A.R.S. 9-835(G)).

Building permit fees for alterations are based on valuation, and "construction valuations for alterations shall be based on all construction costs involved and shall be approved by the Building Official" (Fee Schedule 4.6). Under Schedule 4.6.1, a project valued from $2,001 to $25,000 pays $68.00 for the first $2,000 plus $12.50 for each additional $1,000. Plan review is 65% of the building permit fee under 4.6.2. Chandler's fee schedule is the only price source on this page.

• "The 60 working days is guaranteed." It is the city's posted time frame and it pauses for your corrections.
• "Plumbing has its own posted clock." The sheet does not list one. Plan on the tenant improvement row and confirm the routing with the city.
• "Working days are calendar days." They are not.