What pressure test does Chandler require on new gas piping?

Chandler requires a test at 1.5 times the system's maximum working pressure, with a floor of 3 psig. The Homeowner Building Permit Manual (Gas Permits) says: "Tests of systems shall be performed at no less than 1-1/2 times the proposed maximum working pressure, but no less than 3 psig."

The next sentence tells you which number most homes land on: "Most residential systems (including propane) will be at 3 psig unless you have a high-pressure system above 2.0 psi."

Then the timing and the setup. The manual says: "Test duration shall not be less than 10 minutes." It adds: "All tests must be made through the open valve and flex line." And: "The flex line must be capped at the appliance connection."

The parts, one at a time:

• Pressure: 1.5 times the maximum working pressure, and never under 3 psig.
• Typical home: 3 psig, natural gas or propane, unless the system runs above 2.0 psi.
• Time: at least 10 minutes.
• Setup: appliance valve open, flex line included, flex line capped where it meets the appliance.

Chandler adopts the 2024 International Fuel Gas Code in City Code 29-7, effective July 1, 2025. Its amendments there (29-7.1 and 29-7.2) replace Chapter 1 only, so the model code's testing section applies as published. The 2024 IFGC Section 406.4.1 sets the same 1.5 times and 3 psig rule, and Section 406.4.2 sets 10 minutes for "a system in a single-family dwelling."

• psig: pounds per square inch, gauge. The reading on the test gauge.
• Maximum working pressure: the highest pressure the gas system is designed to run at.
• High-pressure system above 2.0 psi: the manual's term. The manual does not define it further. Our reading: 1.5 times 2.0 is exactly 3, which is why systems at or below 2.0 psi test at the 3 psig floor.
• Flex line: the flexible connector from the gas valve to the appliance.
• Test medium: what you pump into the pipe. The IFGC allows air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide or an inert gas.

It covers anyone putting in new gas piping at a Chandler home under a permit: a homeowner doing the work as owner-applicant, or a licensed contractor. The manual says a licensed contractor must do permitted work "unless the owner-applicant performs the work," and that if you rent the home to others, a licensed contractor is required to obtain the permit.

This does not apply the same way to every change. The IFGC (Section 406.1.2) says minor repairs and additions don't need a pressure test if the work is inspected and the connections are tested with a noncorrosive leak-detecting fluid or another approved method. Under Section 406.1.3, when new branches go to new appliances, only the new branches need the pressure test.

The range upgrade. A homeowner in Chandler adds a gas line for a new range off the existing house piping. The new branch is tested at 3 psig for at least 10 minutes, with the range valve open and the flex line capped at the appliance end. For the test to pass, the gauge has to hold.

The propane house. A home runs on a propane tank, not a gas meter. The answer does not change. The manual puts propane in the same 3 psig sentence.

The edge case: an elevated pressure system. Say a system is designed to run at 5 psi. That is above 2.0 psi, so 3 psig is no longer enough. The test has to be at least 1.5 times 5, which is 7.5 psig.

The crew from Mesa. A contractor who mostly works in Mesa is used to 10 psi, the floor in Mesa's amendments to the IFGC. Chandler's written floor is 3 psig. A 3 psig test that meets Chandler's manual would fall short in Mesa, so the city on the permit sets the number.

1. 1Get the gas permit first. The manual asks for a gas riser schematic from the meter with every appliance, its BTU rating, and each line size and type. Our Chandler gas line permit page covers that part.
2. 2Leave every joint exposed. Don't bury or cover pipe that still needs its inspection.
3. 3Set up the test: appliance valve open, flex line capped at the appliance connection, and air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide or an inert gas as the test medium.
4. 4Bring the system to at least 3 psig, or 1.5 times the working pressure if it runs above 2.0 psi, and hold it at least 10 minutes. IFGC 406.4 limits mechanical gauges to a scale whose top end is no more than five times the test pressure. At 3 psig, that means a gauge that tops out at 15 psi or less.
5. 5Book inspection 735 Rough Gas Piping Test at least one business day ahead, through CLICS at chandleraz.gov/clics, by phone at 480-782-3100, or by text to 844-281-3520 (S, permit number, 735, date). The city's list also has 736 Final Gas Piping Test and 746 Gas Final.
6. 6Not sure your job needs a permit? The manual points those questions to the Plan Reviewer of the Day at 480-782-3078 or prod@chandleraz.gov.

• Myth: 10 psi is the number everywhere. Mesa's amended code says 10 psi. Chandler's manual sets a 3 psig floor.
• Myth: close the appliance valve for the test. Chandler's manual says the test runs through the open valve and flex line, with the flex line capped at the appliance.
• Myth: a small drop on the gauge is fine. The 2024 IFGC says: "Any reduction of test pressures as indicated by pressure gauges shall be deemed to indicate the presence of a leak unless such reduction can be readily attributed to some other cause."
• Myth: any gas works as the test medium. The IFGC says: "Oxygen shall not be used as a test medium."
• Myth: propane gets a different test. Not in Chandler. The manual includes propane at 3 psig.

The manual lists what the city can do about work done without a permit: issue a Legal Notice or an Order to Comply, and double the permit fees. It says Chandler can also order non-compliant work removed. The manual also says: "The building inspector must approve all work before construction can proceed to the next level."

This page explains Chandler's manual and the adopted 2024 IFGC as read on the date above; the official text and your inspector govern any specific job.