PBCC 110.3.10.1: Which plumbing inspections does Phoenix require?

Section 110.3.10.1 of Phoenix's amended IBC Chapter 1 covers all "building service equipment," which includes plumbing and gas. The general rule: "No portion of any building service equipment intended to be concealed by any permanent portion of the building shall be concealed until inspected and approved." When an installation is complete, "an additional and final inspection shall be made," and equipment "shall not be connected to the water, fuel, power supply or sewer system until authorized by the building official."

Item 3 sets the plumbing stages. First, "A rough-in or underground inspection is required for all sewer, drainage and vent piping, and for all water and gas distribution systems prior to their being buried or concealed." Second, "A final inspection is required when all fixtures are set and operating or ready to operate pending final utility connection." Third, "Tests shall be performed as required by the applicable Plumbing Code."

Item 4 gives the replacement allowance. The rules do not prohibit operating equipment "installed to replace existing equipment serving an occupied portion of the building" if a request for inspection is filed "not more than 72 hours after such replacement work is completed" and before any of it is concealed.

The parts, in order:

• Rough-in or underground inspection for sewer, drain, vent, water and gas piping, before burial or concealment.
• Tests as the plumbing code (UPC or IPC) requires.
• Final inspection when fixtures are set and working or ready to work.
• No connection to water, fuel, power or sewer until the building official authorizes it.
• Replacement equipment in an occupied building may operate if the inspection request goes in within 72 hours and nothing is concealed.

• Rough-in inspection: the inspection of piping before walls, ceilings or floors close over it. Phoenix's residential inspections page places rough plumbing at the pre-drywall stage.
• Underground inspection: the same check for piping in a trench or under a slab. The residential page lists underground plumbing among the points inspected "Before any concrete is poured."
• Concealed: covered by any permanent part of the building. The code does not define it further; reading it to include insulation, drywall, slab and backfill follows the section's wording about permanent building parts.
• Building service equipment: the code's umbrella term for plumbing, mechanical, gas and electrical systems.

Anyone holding a Phoenix permit for plumbing or gas piping work: contractors, owner-builders on their own home, and commercial tenants doing improvements. It covers new construction, additions and remodels where piping is installed or altered.

This does not apply to work Section 105.2 exempts from a permit, such as "The clearing of stoppages or the repairing of leaks in pipes, valves or fixtures," as long as the repair doesn't involve replacing or rearranging valves, pipes or fixtures, because there is no permit to inspect. It also does not set the test method; that comes from the UPC or IPC the plans follow.

• A kitchen remodel in Arcadia. The plumber relocates the sink and adds a gas line. Rough-in goes before drywall, with the plumbing code's tests, and the final comes after the fixtures are set. The residential inspections page says that after a successful final, the gas and electric utilities are notified that service can be turned on.
• A restaurant replaces a failed piece of plumbing equipment overnight. The space is occupied, so item 4 lets it run if the inspection request is filed within 72 hours of finishing and nothing new is hidden.
• The same restaurant buries a new grease line under the patio before calling. The answer flips: item 3 requires underground piping to be inspected before it is buried, so the job is now out of order with the code, and the 72-hour allowance doesn't help because it only covers work that isn't concealed.

1. 1Pull the permit before work starts. The city's residential inspections page points to the SHAPE PHX portal for residential applications.
2. 2Schedule the underground or rough-in inspection while everything is still exposed, and have the plumbing code test ready.
3. 3Keep the posted permit and stamped plans on site; the residential inspections page says they should be available for the inspector.
4. 4Fix any corrections before the first re-inspection; it's included, but a second and later re-inspection costs $195 each under the PDD Fee Schedule.
5. 5Call for the final once fixtures are set and operating, and don't connect to water, fuel or sewer until the building official authorizes it.

• "One final inspection covers everything." Item 3 requires a rough-in or underground inspection first, before burial or concealment.
• "Small jobs get unlimited inspections." The fee schedule says permits valued $1 to $1,000 "include a maximum of two inspections, including reinspections," with extra inspections at $195 each.
• "I can turn on the gas once the pipe is done." The code bars connecting equipment to fuel until the building official authorizes it, and on residential jobs the city notifies the gas utility after a successful final.
• "The 72-hour rule means you can skip inspection." It only lets replacement equipment in an occupied space operate while a request filed within 72 hours is pending.