Acquire a Permit for Any Commercial Construction Project in Scottsdale, Hassle-Free
The process of obtaining commercial building permits in the city of Scottsdale is incredibly comprehensive. As trusted permit expediters across the nation, Scout Services created a complete permitting guide taking you through all of the steps. Explore the process below.
Summary
- Type of submittal method: Online via eServices or in-person
- Digital or wet stamps: Digital (no special third-party verified stamps needed)
- Naming convention: No naming convention, but all documents must be uploaded as PDFs and under 100 MB. Larger files must be separated into multiple smaller files, then uploaded in order. Files must be uploaded individually, in order of how they are listed on your application checklist
- Timing for standard plan review: 14 business days
- Options for expedited review: Not available
- Contractor license requirement: Must be licensed with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors
- Is it okay to submit TBD while out to bid?: Yes, but a licensed contractor must be named before permit issuance
- Additional filings required: None
Process
There are six main steps to acquiring City of Scottsdale building permits for commercial projects — pre-application, submittal, review and revisions, hearings, permitting, and inspections. See our summary of each step in the process below.
Pre-Application
You’ll need to request a pre-application meeting on the City of Scottsdale website. Interior tenant improvement projects do not require pre-application and go straight to the submittal step. Other larger construction projects must complete this step before their initial permit application submittal.
The Pre-Application step does require an online application fee, which must be paid when you submit your request. Supporting documents will help to explain the nature of your project to reviewers, which help them give you the most accurate information about the permitting process necessary for your specific plans.
A Project Coordinator will reach out to you to schedule a meeting usually within a week. The meeting usually lasts 30 to 60 minutes and includes a discussion of your project scope and what will be required for your request to be approved. This process will also help to determine which public outreach requirements, applicable to most projects in Scottsdale, are necessary for your project.
Initial Submittal
After your preliminary meeting, you’ll receive a keycode to use on the online portal from your Project Coordinator. The one-step online process will take you through the entire application and ask you to upload the necessary plans and documentation.
After you fill out all necessary information and upload documentation, just hit submit and wait to hear back. You’ll receive a letter telling you if your application has been accepted, and what is missing or incorrect if not.
Once your application is accepted, you’ll be prompted by a letter to pay review fees. You’ll have to complete payment in order to kick off the substantive review process.
Substantive Review and Revisions
The first review will be the most comprehensive, and any comments from the review will address any changes that must occur before a hearing is scheduled. Using your case number and key code, you’ll be able to upload corrected documents and plans to the online portal.
Once all issues have been properly addressed, you’ll be contacted by your Project Coordinator to verify approval. At this time, you’ll also be notified of your hearing date if necessary.
Hearings
If needed for your type of project, you’ll have to then attend a public hearing. The Project Coordinator will help you prepare and answer any questions you may have ahead of time. You’ll need to be prepared to answer questions from the Board or Commission.
The types of projects and their associated hearings are available in a table at the bottom of this page. You can find out more about whether or not a hearing is necessary and who you may have to appear before there.
Once approved by all necessary boards and committees, you’ll be able to move forward into the permitting step.
Receiving Your Permits
At this point, you’ll receive all necessary permits, including Building, Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical Permits. Other permit types may include Demolition, Right-of-Way, Haul, Dust Control, and Oversize/Overweight Permits.
Your permit may be revoked if any information from the submittal process is found to be false. Many types of City of Scottsdale permits often expire after 180 days without the first inspection, or else an extension request must be submitted.
Inspections
Inspections can be scheduled online using the keycode found on your permit receipt, or by phone. There are a number of required building inspections for commercial projects.
Right-of-way permits require an entirely different subset of civil inspections to ensure work is being completed according to plans. Both pre-site and final inspections are necessary for building and right-of-way permits.
After scheduling an inspection, you’ll need to contact your area inspector on the morning of your inspection for an estimated time. You’ll have to give them your site address or permit number to confirm. You should call the inspector between 6–6:30 am between April–October and 7–7:30 am between November–March.
Scout Services Will Manage the Process for You
Rather than struggling through the steps of this process, employ an expert nationwide permit expediter service like Scout Services. We’ll pair you one-on-one with a specialist who will handle your permits from start to finish, finding out all requirements for you, and ensuring that submittals are correct and complete.
