What plumbing and gas code does Glendale use?

Section 9-16(a) adopts a list of publications "as if set out at length" in the city code. Two items on that list decide plumbing and gas work: "(5) 2024 International Plumbing Code, as published by the International Code Council, Inc., including Appendix Chapters B, C and E" and "(6) 2024 International Fuel Gas Code, as published by the International Code Council, Inc., including Appendix Chapters A and B." Subsection (b) makes violating any adopted publication a misdemeanor. The adopting ordinance is O25-51 of December 9, 2025, and the city's Building Codes page lists the amendments as effective January 9, 2026.

Glendale then amends the IPC in Section 9-21. The changes that show up on real jobs:

• Administration: IPC Chapter 1 is deleted. Permits, inspections and fees follow the 2024 International Building Code as amended (Sec. 9-17). Fees are set by council resolution.
• Inspections: a rough-in or underground inspection is required for all sewer, drainage and vent piping and for all water and gas distribution systems before they are buried or concealed. A final inspection follows when fixtures are set.
• Sewer depth (305.4.1): building sewers that connect to a private sewage disposal system must be at least 12 inches below finished grade at the point of septic tank connection.
• Fixture flow (604.4): a local table sets maximums, including 1.28 gallons per flush for water closets, 0.5 gallons per flush for urinals, 1.5 gpm for private lavatories and 2.0 gpm for shower heads. The exception is "replacement of existing fixtures that do not require a permit."
• Automatic faucets (412.13): new or replacement lavatory faucets in buildings other than R3 occupancies, individual R2 units or residential-code structures must be automatic.
• Vent terminations (903.1.1): at least 6 inches above the roof and at least 12 inches from any vertical surface.
• Interceptors and special wastes (1003, 803): these defer to Glendale Water Services.
• Non-potable water systems (Chapter 13): deleted. Those systems follow Maricopa County and state rules.

The city also amends the fixture count table footnotes and raises the small-occupancy threshold in the building code's minimum plumbing facilities section from 15 to 50.

• IPC versus UPC: these are two competing model codes. They cover the same subjects with different section numbers and different rules. A UPC citation from a Phoenix job does not apply in Glendale, which adopts only the IPC.
• Adopted by reference: the city takes the published code as law and then lists its own changes. Anything not amended is enforced as published.
• R3 occupancy: the building code's group for one- and two-family dwellings. The automatic faucet rule skips it.

Every plumbing and fuel gas installation in Glendale, residential and commercial, new and altered. It does not cover Phoenix or Peoria projects, even a few blocks away, and it does not change the state's plumbing license rules. The automatic faucet amendment applies only to non-residential occupancies.

A West Valley designer with a Phoenix template. The plans cite UPC sections and UPC fixture unit counts. Glendale plan review will expect IPC numbers, so the template needs redoing before submittal.

A retail suite remodel. New public restroom faucets have to be automatic and meet the metering flow in Table 604.4. The lavatory faucet spec on the drawing decides whether it passes.

The edge case: a like-for-like fixture swap. The flow table has an exception for replacing existing fixtures that do not require a permit. If your swap needs a permit, the exception does not apply and the new fixture must meet the table.

1. 1Note that your project falls under the 2024 IPC and 2024 IFGC as amended by Glendale.
2. 2Read Sec. 9-21 (IPC amendments) and 9-17 (administration and inspections) on Municode for anything your job touches.
3. 3Submit plans through Glendale's electronic plan submittal through the Development Services Center, 5850 W Glendale Ave, 623-930-2800.
4. 4Request each inspection by phone at the permit line, 623-915-3263, using the three-digit code for your inspection type.
5. 5Do not connect plumbing or gas to a utility until the building official authorizes it.

• "Glendale uses the same code as Phoenix." Not exactly. Phoenix lets designers choose the 2024 IPC or the 2024 UPC, and Glendale enforces only the IPC.
• "IPC 2018 is still current." Glendale's ordinance names the 2024 edition. Peoria still uses 2018, so the two neighbors differ.
• "Chapter 1 of the IPC tells me the permit process." Glendale deleted it. Administration follows the building code.

The adoption is Glendale City Code Sec. 9-16, with the plumbing amendments in Sec. 9-21, on Municode. This page explains the adoption; the ordinance text on Municode is what Glendale enforces.