Which plumbing code does Paradise Valley use?

Sec. 5-5-1 adopts "the International Plumbing Code 2015," and the Town's ordinance notes list Ordinances 2016-02 (May 26, 2016) and 2016-11 (November 3, 2016) among those behind it. The Town's own one-page list, "International Codes adopted by Town of Paradise Valley" (updated July 2023), shows:

• 2015 International Plumbing Code
• 2015 International Fuel Gas Code
• 2015 International Residential Code
• 2015 International Building Code and International Mechanical Code
• 2021 International Fire Code and 2014 National Electrical Code

The same sheet lists a frost depth of "12 inches below finished grade."

Sec. 5-5-2 amends the IPC in three chapters:

• Permit expiration (106.5.3). A permit becomes invalid unless work starts and required inspections are requested and approved within 180 days, or if more than 180 days pass between approved inspections. "Permits shall not be extended more than once and all requests for extensions shall be in writing."
• Fees (106.6.2, 106.6.3). Fees come from the "Town of Paradise Valley Master Fee Schedule." Refunds are capped at 80 percent of the permit fee when no work was done, on written application by the original permittee filed "not later than 90 after the date of fee payment." The codified text leaves out the unit; days is the natural reading.
• Penalties and appeals. Sections 108.4 (violation penalties) and 109 (means of appeal) are deleted.
• Fixtures. The service sink requirement is deleted for B and M occupancies, and in other occupancies "bottle water dispensers or water coolers shall be permitted to be substituted" where drinking fountains are required.
• Dental vacuum piping. New Section 1202.1.1 for Level 3 dental facilities: vacuum piping under an on-grade floor follows a registered design professional's drawings and the manufacturer's details, with special inspection.

For homes, Sec. 5-2-2 amends the IRC. Two items matter to plumbers. Underground gas piping "shall be installed a minimum depth of 12 inches below grade for metal piping and 18 inches for plastic piping." And anyone who starts plumbing or gas work before getting a permit pays a fee "equal to the amount of the permit fee," on top of the permit fee.

Sec. 5-7-2 amends the IFGC with the same fee, penalty and appeal changes. One quirk worth knowing: item 3 is headed "Section 106.5.3 Expiration," but its text is the 80 percent refund language.

• IPC, IFGC, IRC. The International Plumbing Code, International Fuel Gas Code and International Residential Code, published by the International Code Council. The IRC covers one- and two-family homes.
• Edition. The year of the model code. Requirements change between 2015, 2021 and 2024.
• B and M occupancies. Business (offices) and mercantile (stores) building classifications.
• Master Fee Schedule. The Town's fee resolution, which sets permit fees instead of the model code's fee language.

Anyone doing plumbing or gas work inside the Town of Paradise Valley. Water and sewer service rules are a separate layer. The Town's Water Companies page lists four water providers, and its Sewer page lists two sewer providers. Backflow, meter and tap rules follow the provider, not the Town's building code.

This page does not apply to work in Phoenix or Scottsdale, even when that city provides the water or sewer service to a Paradise Valley address.

A pool heater gas line. A contractor used to Scottsdale trenches plastic gas pipe for a new pool heater. In Paradise Valley the Town sets the burial depth: 18 inches for plastic, 12 for metal.

A dental office build-out. The designer routes vacuum piping under the slab. Paradise Valley's 1202.1.1 requires a registered design professional's drawings, the manufacturer's details and special inspection.

The edge case. An owner cancels a job before work starts and expects a full refund. The answer is 80 percent of the permit fee at most, and only on a written request filed within 90 (days, by the natural reading) of payment.

1. 1Confirm the address is inside the Town, then design to the 2015 editions and the Town amendments.
2. 2Apply in the Paradise Valley Citizen Portal. The Town says the Plumbing Permit application covers work "including but not limited to repairing or replacing gas lines, setting up new sewer service, installing a water heater or re-piping an entire residence."
3. 3Upload a site plan and the plumbing isometric or calculations with the application.
4. 4Request inspections promptly; more than 180 days between approved inspections voids the permit.
5. 5For permit questions, call the Town's General Information Line, 480-348-3692.

• Myth: the whole Valley uses the same plumbing code. Paradise Valley is on 2015, Scottsdale on 2021 and Phoenix on 2024.
• Myth: permits can be extended as needed. Only once, in writing.
• Myth: starting early just means a late permit. For residential work, the Town adds a fee equal to the permit fee.
• Myth: the Town handles my water meter and backflow test. The Town does not run water; your provider does.