What permit does a Phoenix business need for a plumbing remodel or tenant improvement?

PDD's commercial page says a commercial building permit is required for multifamily projects of three or more units, condominiums and apartment buildings, "as well as non-residential construction, including new construction, remodels, additions, tenant improvements, and changes of use."

• Tenant improvement (TI): work that fits out an existing commercial space for a tenant. The city does not define it separately, so read it as any build-out or remodel of leased space.
• Change of use: the space starts serving a different business type, such as an office turning into a restaurant. That can add fixtures, grease-bearing drains and backflow protection even if the walls stay put.

Business owners, tenants, landlords and their contractors on non-residential and multifamily projects. It does not cover single-family homes, which use the residential permit process. Commercial plan review and commercial permitting and inspections are in the SHAPE PHX portal, which the city says opened for those services on April 27, 2026.

The exemption list in the Phoenix administrative provisions (Section 105.2) is not limited to houses, except one item. That gives a useful line between routine maintenance and real permit work.

Fees come from the PDD Fee Schedule, Ordinance G-7465, effective January 20, 2026. The permit fee comes from Table A, which is based on project valuation, starting at a $195 base fee for valuations of $1 to $1,000, then $195 on the first $1,000 plus $12 for each additional $1,000 up to $10,000, and stepping up from there. The schedule says valuation is the higher of the city's figure or the applicant's.

Plan review is billed on top. For commercial projects the general plan review fee is 100% of the permit fee at $50,000 valuation or less and 80% of it above $50,000, with a $195 minimum. That applies where valuation exceeds $5,000 and plan review is required. Staff consultation is $195 per hour per discipline, and the schedule counts plumbing and mechanical as one discipline. Extra inspections beyond those included cost $195 each on the smallest permits.

• Sandwich shop in a former office. The tenant adds a three-compartment sink, a prep sink and a mop sink. That is a change of use plus new fixtures, so it needs the permit and a plan review. Three grease-bearing fixtures fit a hydromechanical trap under the city's four-fixture limit. Add a dishwasher and the answer flips: the FOG manual requires an outdoor gravity interceptor of at least 500 gallons whatever the fixture count.
• Dental office moving a break-room sink. Same fixture, new wall. Relocation needs the permit. Leaving it where it is and replacing the faucet does not.
• Retail store with a failed water heater. The homeowner-style exemption does not reach it. A licensed contractor pulls a permit. The city's online permits flyer lists replacing a commercial water heater among the minor jobs that can be permitted online.
• Landlord fixing a slow drain. Clearing a stoppage is exempt. If the cleanout reveals collapsed concealed pipe that has to be replaced, the work becomes new work and needs the permit.

1. 1Write down what changes: fixtures added or moved, new floor drains, kitchen equipment, new water heater, new gas or water lines, backflow-protected equipment.
2. 2Hire a plumbing contractor with an Arizona license. Phoenix requires a licensed journeyman or apprentice for permitted plumbing work, with exceptions that include Arizona-licensed contractors (Section 119.1).
3. 3Set up an account in the SHAPE PHX portal and apply for commercial plan review. Upload drawings that show every plumbing fixture.
4. 4If the space serves food, submit the grease interceptor for the Environmental Services review. The FOG manual says a certificate of occupancy is required for these plan reviews.
5. 5Schedule inspections in the portal. Phoenix requires a rough-in inspection before piping is buried or concealed and a final inspection when fixtures are set. Equipment cannot be connected to water, fuel or sewer until the building official authorizes it.

• "A plumbing swap is always exempt." Only same-spot swaps and repairs are. Moving anything is not.
• "The water heater exemption covers my shop." It is written for one- and two-family dwellings.
• "Plan review is billed hourly." General plan review for building work is a percentage of the permit fee. Hourly rates apply to services like staff consultation.
• "A TI is finished when the inspector leaves." Grease interceptors and backflow assemblies have their own approvals and tests.