Data through September 2026 · updated 19 Oct 2026
The usual permit in the City of Tempe takes 81 days from issue to the city's final inspection; the middle half take 36 to 190 days. That is from 1,434 permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 that reached a final. Electrical permits are quickest at 30 days; pool and spa permits take longest at 88 days. This is the time to finish the work and close the permit, not the wait for approval.
“How long does a permit take?” can mean two waits. This page measures the second one.
Getting the permit (not measured): application → issue, the wait for the city to approve the plans. Ask the city for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → final. From the day the city issued the permit to the day it recorded the final inspection. We count only permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, at least 12 months before the file ends, so slow jobs have had time to finish; a permit still open is not in the days.
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025. Usual days is the middle permit among those with a final date: half finished sooner, half later. Middle half is the range the middle 50% fell in. Kinds of work with fewer than 100 permits in that period are left out.
| Kind of work | Permits | Finished | Expired | Usual days to final | Middle half (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 443 | 66.4% | 20.5% | 30 | 13–83 |
| Remodels & repairs | 397 | 79.8% | 12.6% | 85 | 51–156 |
| Plumbing | 273 | 68.5% | 20.5% | 41 | 14–136 |
| Solar | 197 | 89.8% | 6.1% | 44 | 27–70 |
| Other | 606 | 69.8% | 10.4% | 129 | 71–260 |
Each kind of work on its own, issue to the city's final.
The usual electrical permit in the City of Tempe takes 30 days from issue to final; the middle half take 13 to 83 days (222 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 66% of the 443 permits issued then have finished and 20% expired. Tempe electrical permits →
The usual remodel and repair permit in the City of Tempe takes 85 days from issue to final; the middle half take 51 to 156 days (310 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 80% of the 397 permits issued then have finished and 13% expired. Tempe remodel and repair permits →
The usual plumbing permit in the City of Tempe takes 41 days from issue to final; the middle half take 14 to 136 days (138 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 68% of the 273 permits issued then have finished and 20% expired. Tempe plumbing permits →
The usual solar permit in the City of Tempe takes 44 days from issue to final; the middle half take 27 to 70 days (173 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 90% of the 197 permits issued then have finished and 6% expired. Tempe solar permits →
The usual pool and spa permit in the City of Tempe takes 88 days from issue to final; the middle half take 45 to 187 days (59 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025).
From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.
How long permits take for other places in Phoenix. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.
Source: City of Tempe Open Data, Permits Issued by Building Safety (BLDS layer from Accela), read 19 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.
Building, trade, pool, sign and demolition permits the City of Tempe Building Safety Division issues inside the city limits only. Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale and unincorporated Maricopa County run their own permit offices and are not in this file. The city's engineering permits (water and sewer, drainage, paving, grading) are left out.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:
Contractor Records, "How long do permits take in the City of Tempe, AZ?", https://contractorrecords.com/tempe/how-long-does-a-permit-take, data through September 2026, from the City of Tempe Building Safety Division building-permit records.Link to a table: By kind of work · Each kind of permit.
Download the tables (CSV): Days to final by kind of work.