Yes. Scottsdale lists plumbing for a water softener, replacing the water lines in a single family home, and connecting a new irrigation system to your waterline as work that needs a Minimum Permit. No plan review is needed, only the permit application, which you file through the city's SPUR portal.
What does Scottsdale say about each job?
The city's home improvement page sorts projects into four groups: work that needs no permit, work that needs only a courtesy review, work that needs a Minimum Permit, and work that needs a full permit with plan review. Your three jobs land in the Minimum Permit group. Under the heading "Water/Sewer (Minimum Plumbing Permit)," the city lists:
- Plumbing for a water softener
- Replacing water lines for a single family residence
- Connecting a new irrigation system to your waterline
The same list includes several other jobs that homeowners often assume are minor. It names repair or replacement of existing plumbing fixtures in the same location, water heater replacement (gas or electric), repairing broken water lines, plumbing for a hot water recirculator, and sewer line repair. If you are comparing your project to the list, the pattern is simple. Any job that installs, alters or replaces a plumbing system is a permit job, even a small one.
Softener. The city lists the plumbing for a softener, so the permit is about the tie-in to your water line and the drain connection, not about which unit you buy. If you are still choosing a unit, our guide to the benefits of a whole-house water softener and the one on how to size a softener come first. The permit question comes when someone is ready to cut into the pipes.
Repipe. "Replace water lines for single family residence" is the city's wording for a repipe. A whole-house repipe replaces the supply piping through the walls, ceilings or slab. The city lists it as Minimum Permit work, so a homeowner or plumber applies for a plumbing permit and does not need to submit plans. Our page on how long a whole-house repipe takes explains the job itself.
New irrigation hookup. The city's wording is "Connect a new irrigation system to your waterline." If you are adding a sprinkler or drip system that ties into the home's water supply, that connection needs a Minimum Plumbing Permit.
Which irrigation work needs no permit? The city's short list of work that needs no permit includes "Existing landscape irrigation piping" under repairing or replacing. In other words, you can fix or replace pipe in a sprinkler system that is already there without a permit from the city. The line that separates the two is the connection to the waterline. A repair to what is already installed is free of the permit. A new connection is not.
If you are not sure which side your project falls on, call the city's One Stop Shop. Their number on the page is 480-312-7725. Ask before you dig or cut, because work done without a permit is fined double the permit fee.
What is a Minimum Permit, and how do you get one?
The city describes it this way: work that involves a single trade, such as plumbing, electric, mechanical or demolition, "may only require a Minimum Permit to ensure correct installation per building code." Minimum Permit projects "do not require a plan review, only a Minimum Permit application."
Here is how the process works, based on the city's page:
- 1Create an account in Scottsdale SPUR, the city's planning and permitting portal. You use it to apply, watch progress, schedule inspections and pay fees.
- 2Click "Apply" and search for the permit type or keywords.
- 3Pay the fees. The city's fee schedule lists estimated fees by project type.
- 4Once the permit is issued, request inspections through the portal as the work reaches each stage.
The city warns that "Work completed without a permit will be fined an amount equal to double the permit fee." On a big job like a repipe, that adds up.
After the permit is issued, the clock starts. The first inspection has to be done within 180 days, or the permit expires. We cover that rule in detail in how long Scottsdale plumbing permits last.
What does the plumbing code require on these jobs?
A permit means an inspector checks the work against the plumbing code. Scottsdale has adopted the 2021 International Plumbing Code by reference, with city amendments. The city's amendments to Chapter 1 change only the title in section 101.1, and they say that where Chapter 1 conflicts with the city's amendments to the International Building Code, the building code amendments prevail. The city's Chapter 6 amendments change only section 603.1, the water service pipe size, and Table 604.4, the fixture flow rates. Four parts of the 2021 code touch these jobs.
Permits for replacement work. Section 106.1 says that anyone who wants to "erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any plumbing system" must first apply to the code official and get the required permit. Section 106.2 lists the exempt work. It includes stopping leaks and clearing stoppages, but it adds that if a concealed pipe becomes defective and has to be removed and replaced with new material, that work is new work. New work needs a permit and an inspection. That is the plumbing code's version of the repipe rule.
Water service pipe. The city's own section 603.1 says the water service pipe "shall be not less than 1 inch (25 mm) inside diameter," and that "Replaced water service pipes shall be at least the same size as the pipe being replaced." That matters if your repipe includes the line from the meter to the house.
Softeners. Sections 608.4 and 608.13 say that water pumps, filters, softeners, tanks and other devices that handle or treat potable water must be protected against contamination. Section 608.4 also says that overflow, relief valve and waste discharge pipes from such devices must end at an air gap. In practice this is why a softener drain does not connect directly to a sewer pipe. The gap keeps wastewater from being drawn back into the softener.
Irrigation. Section 608.17.5 says the potable water supply to lawn irrigation systems must be protected against backflow by an atmospheric vacuum breaker, a pressure vacuum breaker assembly or a reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assembly. It also says valves cannot be installed downstream from an atmospheric vacuum breaker, and that where chemicals are added to the system, the water supply must be protected by a reduced pressure principle assembly. Our page on backflow preventers for sprinklers in Arizona explains why.
Do HOA rules or other cities' rules matter?
HOA rules do. Scottsdale's page says that subdivision covenants, conditions and restrictions "may govern some of these items even though they are not regulated by the city." The city does not maintain or monitor CC&Rs. If your neighborhood has an association, check with it before you add an irrigation system or place a softener on an exterior wall. A city permit does not replace HOA approval.
Other cities differ too. Phoenix, for example, exempts some jobs that Scottsdale asks a permit for. Our guide on what plumbing work needs a permit in Phoenix shows the Phoenix list, and our page on water heater permits in Phoenix covers a job that Scottsdale lists as Minimum Permit work. If you work across the Valley, do not assume one city's rule applies in the next.
When should you call a plumber?
Call a plumber when the job cuts into your supply piping or your sewer drain, and when you are not sure which permit fits. A repipe touches every fixture in the house. A softener tie-in changes your water line and adds a drain connection that has to meet the air gap rule. A new irrigation system needs the right backflow assembly.
Call HQ Plumbing and Air if you want a second set of eyes on a repipe, softener or irrigation project before you apply for the permit. We are licensed and insured, and our estimates are free.