A blog that quotes a single "Scottsdale permit fee" is guessing. The city charges by permit type and by the measurements on the application.
Where the city publishes the number
The live calculator is eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/bldgresources/PermitFee. You pick a permit type and enter footage. Development fees are added for new construction. For native plant, swimming pool, signs, and special event permits the calculator says to call the One Stop Shop at 480-312-2500.
We retrieved that page on 2026-08-18. We are not going to paste a dollar figure that will be wrong next week.
Published review windows
From Plan Review Services, retrieved the same day:
| Plan type | Administrative review | Substantive review |
|---|---|---|
| Small Scope Review, flood-zone X/D | 1 day | 5 days |
| Pools, fences, walls, signs | 5 days | 5 days |
| Tenant improvements | 7 days | 10 days |
| All other plan types | 7 days | 15 days |
| XLT (commercial / multifamily 50,000 SF+ / 4 stories) | 7 days | 20 days |
That is the city's table, not our estimate of when the inspection happens.
Once a permit is issued
Permit Services says you have 180 days to obtain the first inspection or the permit expires. Each following inspection must occur within 180 days of the last one. Work without a required permit is fined double the permit fee.
How to use this when you hire
Ask the contractor which permit type they will file, who pays the city, and whether the quote includes those fees. Then look the firm up on the ROC search and, if you want a shortlist, on the Scottsdale rankings.
A permit fee is not a contractor ranking. A fast review window is not a workmanship guarantee. Both are city process, and the city is the authority.