Arvada, CO Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Section 18-386 adopts the International Plumbing Code, 2024 Edition, published by the International Code Council, including Appendices B, C, and D, and directs that it be called the "IPC" or the "plumbing code." Ordinance No. 4921, adopted March 24, 2026, repealed the old Chapter 18 and enacted the current one, so the 2024 edition is the plumbing standard for work in Arvada. Section 18-387 retitles it the International Plumbing Code of the City of Arvada. Section 18-389 adds that any technical amendment Colorado adopts to the 2024 IPC also applies in Arvada, and the state amendment controls if it conflicts with an Arvada-only change.

The Building Safety Division is the agency, and its head is the code official (§ 18-390). Four administrative sections of the IPC are replaced by pointers into Chapter 18: permit expiration follows § 18-39(f), fees follow § 18-42, appeals follow § 18-36, and penalties follow Section 1-5. The IPC's own extension section (105.5.4) and Board of Appeals section (113) are deleted.

Under § 18-39(f), a permit becomes void if work is not commenced within 180 calendar days of the permit date, or if work is suspended or abandoned for 180 calendar days. A permit counts as suspended or abandoned when 180 calendar days pass and no required inspection is called for. Restarting takes a new permit at one half of the new-permit fee when the plans are unchanged and the lapse has not exceeded one year; after a year the permittee must ask in writing for reactivation and pay full fees. The building official can extend the start time by up to 180 calendar days on a written request showing circumstances beyond the permittee's control.

Under § 18-42, a permit is not valid until fees are paid, and a check or card payment that fails to clear voids the permit. Starting plumbing work before the permit issues triggers an investigation fee on top of the permit fee. Emergency work is excepted only if the division is notified by phone or fax before the end of the next working business day and an application follows within one week.

Arvada also layers local technical rules onto the IPC. Building sewers that connect to the public system must be not less than 36 inches below grade (§ 18-397). The public sewer is treated as unavailable when it sits more than 400 feet from the proposed building (§ 18-406). Unions or an approved disconnect go within 12 inches of each side of regulating equipment and water heaters (§ 18-400).