Mesa permit search: look up, apply and check a permit

Mesa permit numbers, with their sources

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How to search a permit by address in Mesa

Open Search All Records in DIMES, the permit system the City of Mesa uses for residential construction permits. The steps from the city’s DIMES guide:

• “To find planning or permit record(s) in DIMES, hover over & click on the “Search Existing Permits” icon”
• “Enter the Permit or Planning case Record Number or Address then click Search”

Source: record-and-status-help (PDF), read 2026-10-29

The search form can also be narrowed by the date a record was entered:

Enter your search criteria below. Use the Start Date and End Date to enter a date range for the date the permit record was entered into the system.

Source: Accela Citizen Access, read 2026-10-29

Once the record shows, its Record Info menu holds links to more information. For a copy of a permit, the FAQ steps are:

Visit DIMES. Search for the permit number. Click on "Record," then "Download Documents" to locate the permit document.

Source: Residential Construction Frequently Asked Questions - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

To apply, start at Create a Construction Permit: create your account, upload the required documents and submit the application online. Acceptance and status emails come from DIMES.

Development Services documents can also be requested; the city says processing may take 10-15 business days. A separate Building Permits Dashboard looks up building permits by Council District, status, ZIP code and address.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Mesa?

Not for a fence under 6 feet tall, by the city’s FAQ; height, location and material rules still apply:

Yes, fence height, location, and material requirements do apply. However, fences under 6 feet tall do not require a construction permit.

Source: Residential Construction Frequently Asked Questions - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

The same answer asks you to contact Arizona 811 before you dig.

Start my request for a fence in Mesa

Do I need a permit to repair or replace a roof in Mesa?

The city’s FAQ answers the replacement case in one line:

You can replace your roof with the same roof material type or better, if you follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Source: Residential Construction Frequently Asked Questions - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

For a historic home, the city’s Planning Division has to sign off first.

Start my request for a roof in Mesa

Do I need a permit for a shed in Mesa?

Not when the shed is under 200 square feet and has no electrical, plumbing or mechanical connections; height and location rules still apply. The city’s wording:

You can build a detached shed or playhouse if it is under 200 square feet and has no electrical, plumbing, or mechanical connections without a construction permit. Height and location requirements do apply.

Source: Residential Construction Frequently Asked Questions - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

A detached structure over 200 square feet is on the city’s list of work that needs a construction permit, and so is any structure with electrical, plumbing or mechanical connections:

• “Building detached structure over 200 square feet”
• “Any structure with electrical, plumbing, or mechanical connections require a construction permit. Minimum building code, height, and location requirements do apply.”

Source: Residential Construction - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

Source: Residential Construction Frequently Asked Questions - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

Start my request for a shed in Mesa

Can a homeowner pull their own permit in Mesa?

It depends on the project. Step 3 of the city’s residential guide sends homeowners to the Arizona Registrar of Contractors’ guidelines and says owner-occupied projects may not need a contractor who holds a state license.

Whoever applies is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of everything submitted:

Applicants are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all information submitted.

Source: Residential Construction - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

What work does not need a permit in Mesa?

The residential guide names three jobs that need no permit:

You do not need a permit for:

Source: Residential Construction - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

• “Painting”
• “Updating countertops”
• “Replacing flooring”

Source: Residential Construction - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

The FAQ adds interior work such as tiling or carpeting, and retaining walls under four feet tall that do not hold back dirt or water:

• “No, you don’t need a permit for interior work like painting, tiling, or carpeting.”
• “You can build retaining walls that are less than four feet tall without a permit, if they don’t hold back dirt or water.”

Source: Residential Construction Frequently Asked Questions - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

Replacements depend on what changes. A gas or electric water heater swapped for one of equal or lesser rating needs no permit, while a storage gas water heater changed to a tankless one does; notify the gas utility before gas appliances go into service:

• “No Permit Required: For residential replacements of gas and electric water heaters of equal or lesser rating using a “like for like” model.”
• “Permit Required: For residential replacement of a traditional (storage) gas water heater with a tankless or on-demand gas water heater.”

Source: Residential Construction Frequently Asked Questions - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

An air conditioning unit that uses the same or less electricity as the old one needs no permit; new electrical connections do. Windows with the same or better energy ratings in the same size opening need none, but a new size or a window turned into a door does. Sleeping room windows need a clear opening of at least 5.7 square feet, and a historic home needs the Planning Division’s sign-off:

• “You don’t need a permit if your new air conditioning unit uses the same or less electricity as the old one. If you’re changing the electrical connections, you will need a construction permit.”
• “If you’re changing the size or converting to a door, you will need a permit.”

Source: Residential Construction Frequently Asked Questions - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

How much is a permit and how long does it take in Mesa?

Written plan review comments come back within 10 working days, counted Monday through Thursday without holidays. An expedited review of 5 working days is available for an additional fee, and second and third reviews keep the same timeline:

• “An expedited review (5 working days) is available for an additional fee.”
• “Second and third reviews adhere to the same timeline as the first review.”

Source: Residential Construction - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

The city emails you when the permit is ready to issue. A permit is valid for 180 days after it is issued, and the permit office can renew or extend it before it expires. The inspections page adds when a permit becomes void:

Reminder: A permit becomes void if no work and inspection(s) have been conducted within 180 days. Fees apply to reactivate permit(s).

Source: Construction Inspections - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

You schedule inspections online, by phone or by text; inspection hours are Monday to Friday, 6:30 am to 5:00 pm. Each stage has to be inspected before the work is concealed:

Inspections must be requested at each stage of construction prior to concealment or cover.

Source: Construction Inspections - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

After a failed inspection, you make the corrections and schedule a re-inspection. Once every required inspection, condition and hold is complete, the permit is finalized and a certificate is generated automatically.

Before you apply in Mesa: checklist

1. Ask the city’s Planning Division whether the project is allowed in your zoning area.

2. If the property is in a flood zone, get the Maricopa County Flood Control District’s sign-off before you apply for the Mesa construction permit.

3. For an addition, remodel or accessory structure, the city’s document list includes these items:

• “Fully dimensioned site plan”
• “Code data sheet with scope of work”
• “Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical plans”

Source: Residential Construction - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

4. Create a DIMES account, upload the documents and submit the application online.

5. Before the permit is issued, check the DIMES record for holds and meet its task requirements.

6. Design to the 2024 International Codes, which went into effect in Mesa on January 8, 2026.

7. For an emergency repair that needs a permit, the city sets a deadline for the application:

If you need to make emergency repairs that requires a permit, submit your construction permit application by the next business day.

Source: Residential Construction Frequently Asked Questions - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

How do I contact the Mesa building department?

The building department is the city’s Development Services Department. Construction permit and building code questions go to its Permit Services office; height, location and historic home questions go to the Planning Division:

• “For construction permit and building code requirements, contact Permit Services”
• “For height, location, and historic home requirements contact the Planning Division”

Source: Residential Construction Frequently Asked Questions - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

Permit Services hours are Monday to Thursday, 7:00 am to 6:00 pm, and the FAQ says staff aim to respond within 24 business hours. The department describes its own job this way:

Mesa's Development Services Department guides the orderly development of an attractive, healthy, and livable city through land use planning, plan review, permitting, and building inspection services.

Source: Development Services - City of Mesa, read 2026-10-29

Sources

• Residential Construction - City of Mesa (mesaaz.gov), read 2026-10-29
• Mesa E-Permit Online Portal (aca-prod.accela.com), read 2026-10-29
• record-and-status-help (PDF) (mesaaz.gov), read 2026-10-29
• Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, annual county file 2025 (www2.census.gov), row 2025,04,013 (Maricopa County, AZ), sum of the Units columns 8 (1-unit), 11 (2-units), 14 (3-4 units), 17 (5+ units), 1-based as the file's header counts them, read 2026-10-29
• Accela Citizen Access (aca-prod.accela.com), read 2026-10-29
• Residential Construction Frequently Asked Questions - City of Mesa (mesaaz.gov), read 2026-10-29
• Development Services - City of Mesa (mesaaz.gov), read 2026-10-29
• development-services-fees (PDF) (mesaaz.gov), read 2026-10-29
• Construction Inspections - City of Mesa (mesaaz.gov), read 2026-10-29