Surprise, AZ Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted plumbing code
- 2024 International Plumbing Code
- Governing section
- City Code § 105-19
- Local amendments effective
- January 1, 2026
- Enforcement authority
- City manager or delegate, § 105-23
- Violation classification
- Civil or criminal violation, § 105-25
- Code copies on file
- City clerk's office, § 105-22
Summary
Plumbing work in Surprise must comply with the 2024 International Plumbing Code, adopted by reference under City Code § 105-19, plus the city's local amendments effective January 1, 2026. Copies of the adopted code are filed with the city clerk, the city manager's office enforces compliance, and code violations are treated as civil or criminal offenses under § 105-25.
The following codes and appendices as published by the International Code Council, and the amendments to those codes, as adopted by ordinance, are hereby adopted as amended and declared to be public records. At least three (3) copies of each code and its corresponding amendments, if any, shall be filed in the city clerk's office and kept available for public use and inspection. ... 2024 International Plumbing Code. ... A certain public record entitled Local Amendments to the 2024 International Codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code dated January 1, 2026, specifically amends the 2024 Building, Residential, Fire, Mechanical, Plumbing, Energy Conservation, Fuel Gas, Existing Buildings Codes, and the 2023 National Electrical Code.
Full Breakdown
Surprise adopts the 2024 International Plumbing Code, alongside the 2024 IBC, IRC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, IEBC and IFC and the 2023 National Electrical Code, under City Code § 105-19. Any plumbing installation, alteration or repair in the city must follow the adopted 2024 IPC as locally amended by the 'Local Amendments to the 2024 International Codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code' dated January 1, 2026, which specifically amends the Plumbing Code among the other adopted codes. Section 105-22 requires the city to keep at least three copies of the adopted plumbing code and its amendments on file in the city clerk's office for public inspection, and § 105-19 itself repeats that filing duty for each adopted code.
Enforcement authority is vested in the city manager or a delegate under § 105-23, and where the adopted plumbing code conflicts with another part of the municipal code, the technical-code provisions control. Section 105-20 clarifies that any reference to 'city' or 'town' within the adopted plumbing code means the City of Surprise, and § 105-21 strips out all cross-references to the International Zoning Code from every adopted technical code, including the plumbing code, so zoning matters are handled solely under Chapter 106. Contractors and homeowners performing plumbing work therefore need a permit issued against the 2024 IPC text as amended, not the code's unamended national edition.
The adoption history spans Ordinance No. 2021-01 (§ 3, effective January 5, 2021), Ordinance No. 2021-17 (§ 1, Exh. A, effective February 1, 2022) and Ordinance No. 2025-14 (§ 2, effective December 2, 2025), reflecting the city's periodic code-cycle updates through the 2024 edition.
Violations & Fines
Working without a permit or violating the adopted 2024 IPC, or any other code adopted under § 105-19, is punishable under § 105-25 as either a civil or criminal violation, including erecting, constructing, altering or repairing a structure contrary to approved construction documents or a building official's directive. The city manager's office, through the building division, administers and enforces these technical codes citywide, and unpermitted plumbing work can trigger stop-work orders and correction requirements before final inspection sign-off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Surprise require a permit for plumbing work?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Surprise
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