Navajo County, Arizona Flagstaff & Northern Arizona

Barndominium Builders in Show Low, Arizona

We build barndominiums in Show Low and through the White Mountains around it: steel-framed shop homes, pole barn homes and turnkey builds, with barndominium kits for owners who would rather put up the shell with their own crew. Show Low publishes its own design standards, and they shape a build here. The city calls for a 30-pound live snow load on roofs pitched 4/12 or steeper and 35 pounds on flatter roofs, a frost line 18 inches down and a 90 mph wind load. That pitch rule matters for a steel barndominium, because a slightly steeper roof lowers the load the purlins and trusses must carry, and it sheds snow off the porch. The City of Show Low Building Division issues the residential permit and runs the inspections inside the city limits, working from the 2018 International Code series. Fire code questions go to the Timber Mesa Fire & Medical District rather than to the city. If you are lining up barndominium contractors near Show Low, ask each one which roof pitch they priced and why. Then start the survey and tell us where the land sits.

Show Low at a glance

Principal county: Navajo County
Building permit: City building department
Local facts on this page: 6, each linked to its source

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Before you build in Show Low

The local answers that shape a build here, each taken from the office or document that publishes it. Rules change, so we confirm them again against your parcel before drawing.

City-issued permitWho issues the permit

City of Show Low Building Safety (Building Division)

Inside Show Low city limits, the city's Building Division handles building permits and inspections, and inspections must be called in 24 hours ahead. Setback and zoning questions go to city planning staff. Navajo County's Planning & Development Services covers land outside the city limits of Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside, so the parcel's jurisdiction decides which office reviews the plans.

Tribal land: Navajo County, which contains Show Low, names three Native American communities within it: the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe and the White Mountain Apache Tribe. Each tribal government has jurisdiction on its own land, and city and county permits do not reach it.

Source: Building Safety | City Of Show Low (showlowaz.gov)

Adopted code edition: The City of Show Low's codes and standards page lists its building code as the International Code series 2018, with the 2017 National Electrical Code and the 2018 mechanical and plumbing codes. The page was last updated 8 July 2021.
Roof snow load: Show Low's published standards set a live snow load of 30 lbs for roofs with a pitch of 4/12 or greater, and 35 lbs for roofs pitched less than 4/12.
Frost line, wind and seismic: The same City of Show Low page lists a frost line of 18 inches, a wind load of 90 mph, exposure zone C and seismic zone B.
Fire code: For the fire code, the City of Show Low's standards page directs applicants to the Timber Mesa Fire & Medical District rather than listing a city fire code edition.
Land outside the city: Navajo County Planning & Development Services lists its Show Low office as serving land outside the city limits of Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside. The county department covers planning, building permits and inspections, manufactured home installation, and the design and installation of conventional and some alternative septic systems.
Groundwater rules: ADWR's water supply overview lists the counties that hold portions of an Active Management Area as Cochise, Graham, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Yavapai; Navajo County is not on that list. Outside the AMAs, ADWR's Adequate Water Supply Program has a new subdivision disclose its water adequacy or inadequacy in the public report to first buyers.

Building on land near Show Low

Around Show Low, the first thing to settle about a parcel is whose rules it falls under. Inside the city limits the city reviews the plans. A few miles out, the same lot answers to Navajo County, which also handles septic design and installation on unsewered land. From there the questions are practical: is there a sewer line or will you need a septic system, where the water comes from, and whether the road is plowed in winter. Metal building homes on pine-covered acreage are a common request here, and tree clearing, driveway grade and a level pad for the slab set much of the site-prep budget before the frame arrives.

Other locations in this part of Arizona

Flagstaff & Northern Arizona

Barndominiums we build in Show Low

Turnkey builds, kit packages and pole barn homes, drawn to the design figures and codes of the office that permits your land. The parcel decides the budget more than the floor area does, so we quote against your land rather than a rate card.

Turnkey Builds

Turnkey barndominiums in Arizona, raw land to keys: plans, permits, site work, a steel shell and the finish-out, built by us on one contract.

Barndominium Kits

Steel barndominium kits for Arizona land: a red-iron shell drawn to your jurisdiction's wind and snow figures, delivered and put up by our crews or yours.

Pole Barn Homes

Pole barn homes in Arizona, built as real houses: post-frame spans on concrete, termite protection for wood, and a wall that handles the desert heat.

See every service

Have land in or near Show Low? Tell us about the parcel and what you want to build, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.

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Building in Show Low: questions

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What does a barndominium cost to build in Show Low?

It depends on the roof as much as the floor plan. Show Low's snow and wind figures set the purlin and truss sizes, and the city's 18-inch frost line sets the footing depth. Clearing, driveway work and a septic system add to the site budget on rural lots. We quote against your parcel once the survey tells us where it is, and our barndominium cost guide has sourced ranges and the factors behind them.

Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Show Low?

Yes. Inside the city limits, a new home needs a building permit from the City of Show Low Building Division, and the inspections are booked with the same office a day ahead. Outside the city, Navajo County issues the permit instead. On our turnkey builds we prepare the drawings and file the application; with a kit, we supply the drawings for yours. Our permitting service covers the steps.

Which roof pitch works best for snow in Show Low?

Many owners choose 4/12 or steeper. The city's standards drop the required live snow load from 35 lbs to 30 lbs once the pitch reaches 4/12, so a steeper roof can use lighter framing and sheds snow better. We draw both options and show the difference. Our steel construction page explains how the frame is sized.

Do you build outside Show Low?

Yes. We build across Navajo County, in neighbouring Apache County and down the Rim toward Payson. Each jurisdiction sets its own design figures, so we confirm them for your parcel before anything is drawn.

Keep reading

What usually comes next once you know what Show Low allows.

Barndominium Cost Guide

Sourced per-square-foot ranges by tier and size, and what moves the number on your land.

Read it

Is a Barndominium Legal in Arizona?

Zoning, septic and who inspects, before you buy the land.

Read it

How Long Does It Take?

From parcel to move-in, and which steps set the clock.

Read it

Sources for this page

The published pages behind the Show Low facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.

Barndominiums near Show Low

Nearby places we also cover. Across a city limit or a county line the permit office, zoning and septic rules can change, so each has its own page.

Arizona county

Arizona county

Gila County, Arizona

Arizona county

Building in Show Low?

Start with the survey. Tell us where the land is and what you want on it, and we will come back with which office permits it, what it will allow, and a plan to fit.

Start the survey