Bolthole Index

Navajo County, Arizona

Building permits, zoning and land rules in Holbrook, Arizona

Holbrook, Arizona requires a city building permit when a construction, remodeling or improvement project costs more than $1,000.1 The city adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance, and the Community Development department handles building, planning and zoning.23 City code makes it unlawful to build or maintain a septic tank inside the city except as the code allows.4

At a glance

Building permit
Required when cost exceeds $1,000; moving a building always needs one1
Zoning
City of Holbrook zoning ordinance applies inside city limits2
Septic
City code generally prohibits septic tanks; exceptions are in the code4
RV on a residential lot
Accessory use in side and rear yards only; no permanent occupancy or utility hookup5
RR minimum lot
25,000 square feet in the Residential Ranch district6
GA minimum lot
5 acres in the General Agricultural district6
Lot coverage (RR, GA)
40 percent by buildings7

Who to call

Building permits

City of Holbrook Community Development

City building, planning and zoning permits and applications inside Holbrook, including conditional use, variance, sign and zone change applications

928-524-6225

City Hall, 465 1st Avenue, Holbrook, AZ 86025

Septic permits

Navajo County Planning & Development Services (septic and county permits)

Onsite wastewater (septic) permits under Navajo County's ADEQ delegation, and building permits and zoning for unincorporated Navajo County only

928-532-6040

1100 E. Thornton Rd., Show Low, AZ 85901

Online permits →

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 10, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Holbrook means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Holbrook, Arizona?

Yes, for most work. A Holbrook city permit is required for construction, additions, remodeling or improvements when the cost exceeds $1,000, with exceptions for replacing floor or wall coverings, windows and roofing, and for painting.1 Moving a building or part of a building needs a permit regardless of that cost threshold.1

We could not confirm a general certificate-of-occupancy requirement or an owner-builder exemption in the city's own materials, so ask Community Development how a self-built home is handled.

Who issues building permits in Holbrook, and how do you reach them?

The City of Holbrook Community Development department handles building, planning and zoning for the city.3 It is at City Hall, 465 1st Avenue, Holbrook, AZ 86025, phone 928-524-6225.3 Its key applications include conditional use, sign, variance and zone change permits.3

The city's Flood Plain Administration is a separate city department, relevant if your lot is in a flood-hazard area.8 Navajo County's Planning & Development Services issues building permits only for unincorporated land, not for lots inside Holbrook.9

Does Holbrook have zoning, and what does it mean for lots, RVs and manufactured homes?

Yes. Holbrook adopted its own zoning ordinance into the city code, and the code divides the city into districts including R-7, R-10, R-14, RR, GA, C-1, C-2, I-1 and I-2.210 Rules depend on the district.

In the RR Residential Ranch district a principal structure needs a 25,000-square-foot lot, and in GA General Agricultural it needs 5 acres.6 Buildings may cover at most 40 percent of the lot in both districts.7

On residential property, an RV may be an accessory use in side and rear yards only, and no permanent occupancy or utility connection is allowed.5 In flood-hazard areas, an RV must stay fewer than 180 consecutive days, be fully licensed and highway-ready, or meet the city's flood-damage rules, and manufactured homes must be elevated and anchored.8

How do septic permits work in Holbrook?

Inside Holbrook, septic is the exception, not the default. City code makes it unlawful to construct or maintain a privy, septic tank or cesspool in the city, subject to exceptions elsewhere in the same chapter.4 We could not confirm what permit process applies to an exception inside the city.

Outside city limits, Navajo County Planning & Development Services administers septic permits for the county under a delegation from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, and can be reached at 928-532-6040.1112 Before you count on a septic system on any Holbrook lot, ask the city's Community Development department first, then Navajo County.3

Building a home in Holbrook: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm that the parcel is inside Holbrook city limits, not unincorporated Navajo County.9
  2. Call Community Development at 928-524-6225 for the parcel's zoning district and allowed use.3
  3. Ask whether city sewer and water serve the lot, since septic tanks are generally unlawful inside the city.4
  4. Check flood-hazard status with the city before you design.8
  5. Apply for the city building permit before work starts if the project costs more than $1,000.1
  6. Ask the city what inspection and occupancy steps apply before you move in.3

What to check before you buy land in Holbrook

Check whether the parcel is inside the city, because Navajo County rules differ from city rules.9 Navajo County's effective property tax rate is 0.6%, and the nearest city of 100,000 or more is about 142 miles away.1314

We could not confirm the city's driveway, well, short-term rental or fee schedule rules from the materials reviewed; the city site lists a fee schedule, so ask Community Development at 928-524-6225.3

Watch-outs

  • Holbrook city code generally bars septic tanks, so a lot that cannot reach city sewer may be hard to build on.4
  • An RV on a Holbrook residential lot may not be permanently occupied or hooked up to utilities.5
  • Navajo County offices handle only unincorporated land; searches for county rules do not answer city-limit questions.9

Sources

  1. Permit Required (Holbrook), quoted and re-checked
  2. Holbrook Zoning Ordinance and zoning districts (Holbrook), quoted and re-checked
  3. City of Holbrook Community Development (holbrookaz.gov)
  4. Private Sewer Wastewater Prohibited (Holbrook), quoted and re-checked
  5. Definitions (Holbrook), quoted and re-checked
  6. RR Residential Ranch Zone (Holbrook), quoted and re-checked
  7. RR Residential Ranch Zone (Holbrook), quoted and re-checked
  8. Standards for Recreational Vehicles (Holbrook), quoted and re-checked
  9. Navajo County Zoning Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
  10. Holbrook Zoning Ordinance and zoning districts (Holbrook), quoted and re-checked
  11. Construction Permit Application, quoted and re-checked
  12. Navajo County Planning & Development Services (septic and county permits) (navajocountyaz.gov)
  13. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  14. Straight-line distance from the county center to the nearest city of 100,000+ people: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 10, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Holbrook

Holbrook’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Construction, additions, remodeling, improvements, or moving a building inside Holbrook city limits.

    • A permit is required when project cost exceeds $1,000.
    • Exceptions are replacement of floor or wall coverings, windows, roofing, and painting.
    • Moving a building or part of a building requires a permit regardless of the stated cost threshold.

    project cost threshold: > 1000 USD (Except replacement of floor or wall coverings, windows, roofing and painting)

    “when the cost of such construction, remodeling or improvement exceeds one thousand dollars ($1000.00)”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Holbrook city limits; Holbrook adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance.

    • The ordinance was made a public record by Ordinance 97-3 on April 8, 1997.
    “is hereby adopted into the Holbrook City Code”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Holbrook city zoning districts.

    • The city code lists R-7, R-10, R-14, RMH-1, R-MHP, RMOD-1, RM-1, PUD, RR, GA, R-C, C-1, C-2, RRC-1, I-1, I-2, FP, and AEZ.
    “the City of Holbrook is hereby divided into the following zoning districts”
  • Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Principal structures in RR Residential Ranch and GA General Agricultural zones inside Holbrook city limits.

    • RR requires 25,000 square feet.
    • GA requires 5 acres, stated as 217,800 square feet.

    RR minimum lot size: >= 25000 square feet · GA minimum lot size: >= 5 acres (217,800 square feet)

    “Principal Structure 25,000 sq. ft. 100 ft. 25 ft. 20 ft. 10 ft. 25 ft. 20 ft.”
  • Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

    RR Residential Ranch and GA General Agricultural zones inside Holbrook city limits.

    • RR maximum lot coverage by buildings is 40 percent.
    • GA maximum lot coverage by buildings is 40 percent.

    maximum lot coverage: <= 40 percent

    “Maximum lot coverage by buildings: Forty (40) percent.”
  • Living in an RVLimited

    Recreational vehicles on residential property inside Holbrook city limits.

    • RVs may be accessory uses only in side and rear yards.
    • Permanent occupancy or utility connection is not allowed under the cited zoning definition.
    • In flood-hazard areas, an RV must be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days, be fully licensed and highway-ready, or satisfy Article 8-7 permit and flood-elevation/anchoring requirements.

    maximum consecutive days in flood-hazard area: < 180 days (Alternatively, the RV may be fully licensed and ready for highway use or meet Article 8-7 and Section 8-8-5 requirements)

    “provided that no permanent occupancy or utility connection is executed.”
  • Camping on your landLimited

    Overnight sleeping or camping in City parks and adjacent streets inside Holbrook city limits.

    • Camping is prohibited unless a written permit is issued by the City Manager or another person designated by City Council.
    “No person shall sleep overnight or camp overnight in any City park or its adjacent streets”
  • Off-grid sanitationProhibited

    Privies, septic tanks, cesspools, and similar private sewage facilities inside Holbrook city limits.

    • The prohibition is subject to exceptions provided elsewhere in Chapter 4-9.
    “it is unlawful to construct or maintain within the City any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool”
  • Building in a floodplainLimited

    Development and placement of recreational vehicles and manufactured homes in Holbrook flood-hazard areas.

    • RVs in the floodplain must be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days, fully licensed and highway-ready, or comply with Article 8-7 permit and manufactured-home elevation/anchoring requirements.
    • Manufactured homes must be elevated to the regulatory flood elevation, securely anchored, and professionally certified after installation.

    RV maximum consecutive days: < 180 days (Alternative compliance paths are provided in Section 8-8-6) · manufactured-home elevation: Regulatory Flood Elevation

    “Be securely anchored to an adequately anchored foundation system to resist flotation, collapse or lateral movement.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Holbrook or Navajo County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Holbrook city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificate-of-occupancy requirements inside Holbrook city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Holbrook city limits.
  • Septic permit — Septic permits for land inside Holbrook city limits.
  • Septic inspection — Septic inspections for land inside Holbrook city limits.
5 more unanswered
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Holbrook publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Navajo County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Navajo County: county rules, score and offices