Can a Mesa tenant improvement use permit-by-inspection? City Code 4-1-4(U)

The permit-by-inspection program (PBI) is "a voluntary alternative to the standard Building Safety plan review and permit issuance processes for simple projects of certain occupancies and degree of complexity." Building Safety inspectors review the application and attached submittals and approve the permit, then perform the required inspections as the work progresses. The owner can use PBI or the standard route, "subject to acceptance of the Building Safety Director."

To be eligible, a project must meet all of these:

1. 1A tenant improvement or tenant completion permit in a Group B (Business), Group M (Mercantile) or Group S (Storage) occupancy.
2. 2No change of occupancy, except between Group B and Group M.
3. 3No more than 10,000 square feet of floor area.
4. 4No high piled storage or hazardous materials.
5. 5No additional zoning approvals required.

The Director "may accept projects" that miss one of the tests, including remodels or additions for Group R-5. All other requirements of 4-1-4 still apply.

• Tenant improvement or tenant completion. Work finishing the inside of a leased space, either in an existing building or in a shell.
• Group B, M, S. Building code use groups: business (offices, dental suites), mercantile (retail), storage (warehouses).
• High piled storage. Storage stacked high enough that the fire code sets extra requirements.
• Change of occupancy. Moving to a different use group. B to M is the only change the test permits.

Owners, tenants and contractors on small B, M or S build-outs. The section does not name restaurants. Many restaurants are classified as assembly (Group A-2), and a change into any group other than B or M fails the second test, so treat a restaurant conversion as outside the program unless the Director accepts it as an exception.

A small office fit-out. New partitions, a break room sink and two restrooms in 2,500 square feet of Group B space. The eligibility tests all pass, and an inspector reviews the plans and issues the permit.

A plumbing-heavy dental suite. The plumbing is still governed by the 2024 IPC as amended by Mesa. The section does not list submittals, so the plumbing sheets and any backflow assembly still have to be on the submittal. See backflow on plans.

The edge case. A retailer wants a 9,000 square foot store with a small storage room for cleaning chemicals. If those are hazardous materials as the fire code defines them, the project fails the fourth test.

1. 1Check the five tests against the space, the use group and the tenant's plans before you apply.
2. 2Ask Permit Services whether the Director will accept the project for PBI: 480-644-4273.
3. 3Put every fixture change, water heater, backflow assembly and any grease device on the submittal.
4. 4Line up the plumbing inspections with the inspector who issues the permit.
5. 5Request the certificate of occupancy at the end. See Mesa's certificate rules.

• "PBI skips inspections." The inspector still does the required inspections as work progresses.
• "Any tenant improvement qualifies." Square footage, occupancy group and change of use are all tests.
• "It is a right." Acceptance is up to the Building Safety Director.
• "It replaces the backflow and grease approvals." Those come from other code sections and other city groups.
• "Passing permit-by-inspection ends the process." The certificate of occupancy under 4-1-6 is a separate step, and its holds for taxes and accounts can still apply.