How long is a Phoenix plumbing or building permit good for?

Phoenix replaced the model code's 180-day language. The amended section reads: "Every permit issued, except demolition permits and permits subject to section 114 of this code, shall expire 24 months after the date of permit issuance, unless an extension is granted in accordance with section 105.5.1."

Section 105.5.1 covers extensions: "The building official is authorized to grant, in writing, one or more extensions of time, for periods not more than one year each. The extension shall be requested in writing prior to permit expiration and justifiable cause demonstrated." The application comes with a non-refundable fee from Appendix A.2 of the City Code, and the building official may adjust it based on the inspection hours left, plus an administrative fee at the general hourly plan review rate with a two-hour minimum.

Section 105.5.2 covers reinstatement of an expired permit, for up to one year, if two conditions are both met: "No changes have been made or will be made in the original plans and specifications for such work," and "The original permit expired less than one year from the request to reinstate." It has to be requested in writing with justifiable cause and a non-refundable fee.

Permits issued under Section 114, for work started without a permit, follow their own clock: "All work must be completed within 12 months from date of permit issuance." Those get "A one-time extension, not-to-exceed 90 calendar days," and a reinstated Section 114 permit cannot run past 90 calendar days from reinstatement.

In short:

• Regular permits: 24 months from issuance.
• Extension: in writing, before expiration, with justifiable cause, up to one year each.
• Reinstatement: in writing, within a year of expiration, and only with no plan changes.
• Work-without-permit (Section 114) permits: 12 months, one 90-day extension.
• Demolition permits have their own 60-day completion rule.

• Issuance: the date the permit is issued, not the date you applied or started work.
• Justifiable cause: the code does not define it. The request has to explain why the work could not finish in time.
• Reinstatement: reviving a permit that already expired, as opposed to extending one that is still active.
• Section 114 permit: a permit issued after the city finds work was started without one.

Anyone holding a Phoenix building, plumbing, gas, mechanical or electrical permit under the building construction code: homeowners, owner-builders and contractors on residential and commercial jobs.

This does not apply to demolition permits, which expire under Section 105.5.3 if the work isn't completed within 60 days, or to the permit application itself, which has separate abandonment rules in Section 105.3.2.

• A homeowner's repipe stalls. The plumbing permit was issued in March of one year. With a 24-month term it is still good the following March, even if nothing happened for six months. In Avondale or Cave Creek the same pause could have expired it.
• A tenant improvement runs long. The contractor sees month 23 coming and files a written extension request with the fee before the permit lapses. The building official can grant up to a year.
• A garage conversion caught without a permit. The owner gets a Section 114 permit. The answer flips: this permit has 12 months, not 24, and only one 90-day extension.

1. 1Look up the permit's issue date and add 24 months, or 12 months for a Section 114 permit.
2. 2Schedule inspections with time to spare before the expiration date.
3. 3If you need more time, submit a written extension request with your justifiable cause before the expiration date. The PDD Fee Schedule (January 20, 2026) lists a one-time permit extension at 50% of the current permit fee, with application and payment due before the expiration date.
4. 4If the permit already expired and plans are unchanged, request reinstatement in writing within a year; the fee schedule lists it at 50% of the current permit fee.
5. 5If the plans changed, ask Planning and Development which new submittal applies.

• "No inspection in 180 days kills the permit." That's the model code language Phoenix replaced with a 24-month term from issuance.
• "You can extend after it expires." The code says the extension must be requested "prior to permit expiration."
• "Any expired permit can be revived." Reinstatement requires no plan changes and a request within a year of expiration.
• "Permits after a violation get the same time." Section 114 permits have 12 months and one 90-day extension.