La Paz County weighs new permit fees, sweeping building code rewrite

La Paz County took up two changes that could reach almost anyone seeking a permit in Parker, Quartzsite, Bouse, Ehrenberg, Salome or the unincorporated parts of the county: a new fee schedule and a complete rewrite of the building code. Community Development Director Michael Ramos presented Resolution No. 2026-11 and Ordinance No. 2026-01 to the Planning and Zoning Commission in Parker, setting up countywide changes to what projects cost and how they are reviewed.

The fee resolution would adopt new fees and modify existing permit fees administered by the Community Development Department, with an implementation date of August 6, 2026. The ordinance would amend and replace all previously adopted building codes in their entirety, covering construction, alteration, conversion, movement, enlargement, replacement, repair, equipment, use, occupancy, location, maintenance, removal and demolition of buildings and structures. It would also lay out penalties, permits, fees and an advisory and appeals board.

If the Planning and Zoning Commission recommends both items and the Board of Supervisors approves them, the proposals would move to a public hearing at the July 6, 2026 Board of Supervisors meeting. The fee notice for Resolution No. 2026-11 was posted at the Board of Supervisors office on June 1, 2026, at or before 5:30 p.m., giving the public notice ahead of the commission meeting.

For homeowners and contractors, the practical effect is straightforward: permit prices could change, and the standards for getting work approved could shift at the same time. La Paz County’s applications page says permits will not be issued unless proposed work complies with county zoning and floodplain regulations and the adopted building code ordinance. It also says applicants now need only one set of plans, either digital or paper.

The Building and Safety Department says it regulates development in unincorporated La Paz County and uses permits to ensure code safety and compliance. It also says manufactured homes, park models, containers and RVs placed on privately owned parcels require a placement permit, and that homes manufactured before June 15, 1976 cannot be placed anywhere in La Paz County.

This is not the county’s first pass at these rules. La Paz County’s ordinances page shows a prior building-code overhaul in 2024 under Ordinance No. 2024-02, and the public-notices page includes a draft of the proposed 2018 building codes and fees. The county’s fee schedule page still points to Resolution 2025-05, and the 2025 file shows the county adopted or modified permit fee schedules after Planning and Zoning review on June 5, 2025. If the new package advances, La Paz County will reset both the price of permitting and the rulebook that governs construction across the county.