Electrical permit history — 738 N 5th Av

Commercial property

738 N 5th Av

Built 1948 — 1940s commercial stock · 39 permits on record; no permitted panel/service or HVAC work among them

Permanent link: Electrical permit history for 738 N 5th Av (aztucsonelectricalsolutions.com/property/11703306a/738-n-5th-av-tucson-az-85705) · Public records last checked 2026-08-16

Parcel

11703306A

Built

1948 (county record)

Jurisdiction

Tucson

Zoning

HO-3

Assessor use

Misc Commercial

Parcel size

1.07 acres

Building area

49,489 sq ft (assessor record)

Sewer

Connection on file (1981, 2017) (county sewer connection records)

Flood zone

X — minimal flood hazard (FEMA)

Historic preservation

West University Historic District — Historic Preservation Zone — Contributing (City of Tucson)

See the property

Pima County orthophoto (Pictometry 2024 / PAG 2023 / NAIP 2023 mosaic) — parcel outlined in yellow. Aerials can predate recent work and show nothing about what is inside; context, not evidence.

Street ViewGoogle Maps satelliteGoogle Earth (3D, historical imagery) ↗

Is it time to upgrade?

• Electrical service & distributionNot in this windowNothing in the permit records we read for this parcel that names this system. Worth knowing: a 2025 fire operational permit is on file (and 2 more like it) — work like this is often folded into a larger permit without being named, so open that record and check its scope before concluding anything. That does not mean the gear is original — only that nothing has been permitted here recently. Where it matters is capacity: obsolete distribution lines carry breaker and fusible-switch lead times that turn an outage into a shutdown, and that is worth knowing before a new tenant or a new rooftop unit. Separately from replacement: NFPA 70E expects the arc-flash study to be reviewed at least every five years, or after any change to the service.
• Heating, cooling & mechanicalNot in this windowNothing in the permit records we read for this parcel that names this system. Worth knowing: a 2025 fire operational permit is on file (and 2 more like it) — work like this is often folded into a larger permit without being named, so open that record and check its scope before concluding anything. Packaged rooftop units work harder in Tucson than almost anywhere, so 12 to 15 years is a realistic service life rather than the 15 to 20 the industry quotes. Worth confirming from the equipment nameplate rather than the record. Replacing a rooftop unit is also an electrical question: the new unit's minimum circuit ampacity and its disconnect often differ from the old one.
• Fire alarm & life safetyCurrentLast permitted 2017 (9 years ago). Panels and devices age out on their own schedule, and the code moves underneath them — a system that was compliant when installed is not automatically compliant now. T17FC00864 — INSTALL A CELLULAR TRANSMITTER TO MONITOR THE EXISTING FIRE PANEL
• RoofNot in this windowNothing in the permit records we read for this parcel that names this system. Roof age matters electrically too: it sets what can be penetrated for new rooftop units, conduit, or solar.

A found permit means a lot. A missing one means less. We read the City of Tucson’s own permit file, not a recent extract of it — back to about 2006, and into the 1990s on properties with that much history. Microfiche before then was never fully digitised. Every record links to the city’s official file. A blank line does not say nothing was done: work gets done without permits all the time. The only way to know what is actually installed is to look at it.

What that usually means electrically

• Era-based check — high priority

  Distribution gear this age is frequently past the point where the manufacturer still supports it. Breakers and fusible switches for obsolete lines can carry long lead times, which turns an outage into a shutdown. The permit record does not confirm this; an on-site inspection is required.

• Era-based check

  NFPA 70E expects arc-flash studies to be reviewed at least every five years, or after any change to the service. Buildings this age often have labeling that no longer matches the installed gear. The permit record does not confirm this; an on-site inspection is required.

• Worth confirming

  Solar was permitted here in 2016. That means there is an existing interconnection, and the main breaker and busbar rating already carry a PV backfeed — so anything else you add (an EV charger, a heat pump) has to be checked against what is left under the 120% rule, not against the service size alone.

• Worth confirming

  A pool or spa was permitted in 1999. Pool equipment brings its own bonding grid, GFCI requirements, and usually a subpanel — and the bonding rules have tightened since, so older installations are worth verifying.

Recorded sales (1)

Recorded sales are the sales the Pima County Assessor has on file from affidavits of property value — not every transfer, not listings, and not a valuation. Parties are never shown here. A sale with no permitted electrical work since is worth knowing before the next sale or a remodel.

Most recent permit on record for this parcel: 2026-03-09 (TR-ROW-0326-00272) — On Sunday, April 12th, Living Streets Alliance will host its 24th Cyclovia Tucson event, having participants enjoy one of Tucson's Bike Boulevards from Downtown to Amphi. It connects the neighborhoods of West University, Feldman's, Sugar Hill, Keeling, Amphi which are part of Ward 3 and Ward 6. The route will also have activities at Doris J. Thompson Park and the smaller park, Catalina Park. Over 45 other nonprofit organizations and NGOs, local businesses, and community partners will bring the 3.25 route to life, providing a free, fun, car-free day for an anticipated 40,000 people from across the region to enjoy. Traffic control set up and take down: Setup: 4am - Take Down: 315pm.

Permit history (39)

How to read the status column: Final / Complete / C of O — city records show the permit was finalized. Issued — the work was permitted, but final completion is not confirmed. Applied / In review / Approved / Fees paid — proposed, not completion. Expired — the permit expired without a confirmed final status. Void / Withdrawn / Canceled — not evidence the work was installed. Any other status is shown exactly as the issuing office records it, without a completion reading.

Code enforcement (4)

Code cases and housing-code violations recorded against this parcel, by category. Closed cases stay on the record, and most of these are closed — check the status column. We show the category and the official record number rather than the complaint text, which often names people who have nothing to do with the property.

Record numbers link to the City of Tucson’s official file. Highlighted rows are the ones that imply electrical work or an unpermitted-work finding.

This is an inference from public records — the year a structure was built, how it is classified, and what has been permitted. It is not an inspection, and nothing here confirms what is actually installed at this address. The only way to know is to look in the panel.

The contractor’s read is a plain-English brief of the record above, written by AI — what it shows across electrical, mechanical and the building itself, what is missing for the era, and what to verify on site.