It’s only March and temperatures in Arizona already have topped 90 degrees. If you’re hoping your HVAC system holds up, you’re not alone. Replacing it would be costly. 

It also could be time-consuming, especially in some parts of the state.

Arizona does not have a statewide standard for building codes and regulations. Rather, it relies on 106 building-regulating and permit-issuing jurisdictions that all have their own rules and fees. If you thought the federal tax code was confusing, try deciphering the rules for repairing your roof. In about half of our cities and towns, you probably don’t need a permit to complete vital projects like this one, but in the other half you probably do. 

These permitting requirements slow down simple home upgrades, but that’s not all. They also impede permits for new homebuilding projects since there are only a finite number of government inspectors to examine projects. Delays from an overburdened system fuel higher prices for all homes and make it harder to resolve our state’s housing shortfall. 

To determine how our complicated permitting system affects homeowners, the Common Sense Institute Arizona reviewed 2.8 million building permit record summaries across 29 jurisdictions. We determined permitting rules add 23 days, on average, to residential project timelines. 

Because processes and rules are not standardized, headaches are especially severe for some residents. The permitted residential improvement projects reviewed by CSI took about 73 days to finish, on average, but project times varied from less than 40 days in the fastest jurisdictions to 107 days — more than three months — in the slowest.

What do these delays mean in practice?

They meant HVAC-related projects could take up to 200 days to complete and roof replacements could take 275 days. Even replacing a water heater could take more than 100 days in some jurisdictions. (Cold showers, even in 90 degree heat, are rarely welcome.) The smaller the jurisdiction, the more likely a homeowner is to experience a delay.

Permitting is essential. It ensures our homes are safe and secure. But our research shows state policymakers could make simple changes that would reduce permitting burdens without endangering health and safety. These changes also would not erode local employment or reduce local revenues. 

Senate Bill 1241 is one example. This bill would allow third party inspections for certain single trade residential projects like replacing a roof or HVAC system. It would not impact rules for major homebuilding projects, or expansions of current dwellings; it would simply make it faster and less costly for existing homeowners to make minor, but necessary and time-sensitive, changes and fixes. States from Colorado and Utah to Texas and Florida have similar laws on the books. 

These private inspectors would follow the same standards and guidelines as city officials, and everyone involved would be required to meet the local codes and building regulations. This would simply free up city inspectors to focus on the largest projects with the greatest potential for life and safety impacts, while speeding things up for homeowners and smaller projects.

Phoenix also has implemented similar reforms. In 2011, the city adopted a pilot program that allowed self-certification of permit applications on certain qualifying projects. This change cut affected approval times by four to six months. Since then, that idea has spread to seven other cities – without consequences for life and safety, and as far as we can tell, without costing local jobs or revenues.

Homeowners who need a new HVAC system, roof, or water heater would not be the only ones to benefit from changes to single trade residential project permitting. Reforms like this would free public inspectors and regulators to more quickly examine major homebuilding projects — and reducing those wait times would lower the costs of building new homes and accelerate that pipeline. Given the scale of such projects, it makes more sense to prioritize them, too.

Arizonans are working more hours than ever to afford a mortgage. Historically, a household needed to work about 45 hours a month to afford the average house payment. Today, they must work 64 hours. Put another way, a household must earn nearly $96,000 a year to afford the average home.

On its own, easing permitting for single trade residential projects will not solve the state’s housing affordability crisis. But it would be a move in the right direction.

Glenn Farley is Common Sense Institute Arizona’s Director of Policy and Research. A native Arizonan, he has a master’s degree in economics from Arizona State University’s WP Carey College of Business.