Surprise, AZ Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Sec. 105-19 of the Municipal Code adopts the International Code Council's construction codes, as locally amended, as public records governing all building work in the city, with at least three copies of each code and its amendments filed and available for inspection at the city clerk's office. The current adoption package includes the 2024 International Building Code, 2024 International Residential Code, 2024 International Mechanical Code, 2024 International Plumbing Code, 2024 International Fuel Gas Code, 2024 International Energy Conservation Code, the 2006 International Property Maintenance Code, the 2024 International Existing Building Code, and the 2024 International Fire Code, each further modified by the city's Local Amendments to the 2024 International Codes document dated January 1, 2026.

The city manager or a delegate administers and enforces this article, and Sec. 105-21 deletes all references to the International Zoning Code from every adopted code, meaning Surprise's own Land Development Ordinance controls zoning rather than the ICC zoning provisions. Sec. 105-25 makes clear that construction is expected to proceed only under a validly issued permit: it is a civil or criminal violation to erect, construct, alter or repair a building or structure in violation of the approved construction documents, a directive of the building official, or "a permit or certificate issued under the provisions of any code adopted by this article," tying every building permit obligation in the IBC and IRC directly back to city enforcement.