How long does a Maricopa County plumbing permit last, and what if you start before you have one?

The county's plumbing code points to its building code for the administrative rules. In Tab I of the Local Additions and Addenda, IPC sections 102 through 110 are reserved with the note "Replace with Chapter 1 of the IBC as amended in Tab F." That is where section 105.5 sits.

Section 105.5 reads, in part: "Every permit issued shall become invalid unless the work on the site authorized by such permit is commenced within 180 days after its issuance, or if the work authorized on the site by such permit is suspended or abandoned for a period of 180 days after the time the work is commenced." The building official "is authorized to grant, in writing, one or more extensions of time, for periods not more than 180 days each," and the extension "shall be requested in writing and justifiable cause demonstrated."

It then says a permit "may be renewed within one year of expiration provided that no change in ownership or engineer/architect of record has occurred." Renewal after more than one year "shall not be permitted," and such a permit is deemed revoked, so a new one must be issued.

The county's Expired Permits web page frames it more simply. It says permits expire 180 days from the date issued or the last completed inspection, and that county codes allow "ONE free extension upon prior written request," for an additional 180 days from the original expiration date. If you pass or fail a field inspection with substantial progress made in that period, the expiration date extends another 180 days automatically.

• Commenced. The code does not define it in the text read here. Ask the county what inspection or site activity counts before relying on it.
• Suspended or abandoned. Work that stops for 180 days after it started.
• Renewal. The Expired Permits page says a permit can be renewed within 360 days of the expiration date by visiting the office, completing another application and paying half of the building permit fee, which renews it for another 180 days.
• Work before the permit. Section 114.4 says: "Any person who commences any work on a building, structure, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system before obtaining the necessary permits shall be subject to a fee established by the Building Official that shall be in addition to the required permit fees. Said fee to be the building permit fee doubled."

Anyone holding a county permit in the unincorporated area, residential or commercial. This does not apply if your property is inside a city: the city's own permit rules control, and they differ (see the comparison table).

A remodel that stalls. The owner gets a plumbing permit in January, waits on cabinets, and has no inspection by July. Under 105.5 the permit is invalid unless work has started. A written extension request before the date is the cheap fix.

A permit renewed in time. A contractor's permit lapses after the last inspection. Six months later the owner visits the office, applies again and pays half the permit fee, per the Expired Permits page. The code text allows this only if ownership and the engineer or architect of record are unchanged.

The edge case. A house sells while its permit is expired. The code text says renewal depends on no change in ownership. The new owner should ask the county before assuming renewal is available, because the web page does not mention that condition.

1. 1Find the issue date and the last completed inspection on your permit, and count 180 days the way the Expired Permits page does: from the date issued or the last completed inspection.
2. 2Schedule building and drainage inspections before the date. The county page reminds permit holders to obtain both before the expiration date, scheduled in the Permit Center.
3. 3To extend, fill out the Permit Action Request Form, save it as a PDF, then use the Contact Us questionnaire on the Planning and Development site, attach the form, explain the reason and list every tracking number.
4. 4If the permit has already expired, ask about renewal inside the 360-day window the web page gives, and ask whether your situation fits the code text's one-year and no-change conditions.
5. 5If work has already started without a permit, call Planning and Development at 602-506-3011 before more work happens.

• Myth: The permit lasts until the job is done. It becomes invalid if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days.
• Myth: Renewal is automatic. The code text allows renewal within one year, with no change in ownership or engineer or architect of record, and the web page describes a half-fee application.
• Myth: An extension is automatic. The Expired Permits page says the free extension is allowed "upon prior written request," and section 105.5 says the extension shall be requested in writing.
• Myth: Starting early costs only the permit fee. Section 114.4 adds a fee that the code states as the building permit fee doubled, on top of the required permit fees.