Data through September 2026 · updated 19 Oct 2026
1,035 building permits were issued in ZIP code 85281 by the City of Tempe Building Safety Division, October 2024 through September 2026: 22% of the 4,748 in the City of Tempe, the 2nd busiest ZIP code. Electrical permits lead with 213. 527 permits in the last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026), 4% more than the 508 in the 12 months before. Permits from a city that runs its own permit office are not counted.
Share here is the part of the 1,035 permits in 85281; citywide is the same for all of the City of Tempe.
| Kind of work | Permits | Share here | Citywide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 213 | 21% | 21% |
| Remodels & repairs | 123 | 12% | 18% |
| Plumbing | 102 | 10% | 11% |
| New homes | 44 | 4% | 2% |
| Demolition | 39 | 4% | 2% |
| ADUs & casitas | 34 | 3% | 2% |
| Solar | 32 | 3% | 8% |
| Additions | 30 | 3% | 3% |
| HVAC | 20 | 2% | 1% |
| Pools & spas | 18 | 2% | 3% |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 16 | 2% | 2% |
| Roofing | 5 | under 1% | under 1% |
| Fences & walls | 3 | under 1% | under 1% |
| Other | 356 | 34% | 26% |
Permits issued in each calendar year of the window.
| Year | Months | Permits | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 (from October) | 3 | 97 | 388 |
| 2025 | 12 | 562 | 562 |
| 2026 (through September) | 9 | 376 | 501 |
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, at least 12 months before the file ends.
| Measure | 85281 | Citywide |
|---|---|---|
| Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 | 508 | 2,282 |
| Finished | 67.5% | 71.5% |
| Expired | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| Usual days, issue to final | 126 | 81 |
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 We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.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, "Building permits in 85281, the City of Tempe", https://contractorrecords.com/tempe/zip/85281, data through September 2026, from the City of Tempe Building Safety Division building-permit records.Link to a table: By kind of work · By year · How permits finish.
Download the tables (CSV): Permits in 85281 by kind of work · Permits in 85281 by year · Permits in 85281: finished and days to final.