Surprise Adopted Building Codes: The 2024 I-Codes That Apply to Your Build

A new house in Surprise is checked against a set of national model codes that the City Council voted to adopt, then edited with local amendments. The edition matters, because a detail drawn to the 2018 codes and one drawn to the 2024 codes can call for different framing, wiring, or energy work. This page lists the codes Surprise enforces today, when they took effect, and how the city handled the switch from the older edition.

Which codes Surprise enforces

Surprise adopted the 2024 family of International Codes (often called I-codes) plus the 2023 electrical code, by Ordinance 2025-14. Here is the list the city publishes, effective January 1, 2026:

• 2024 International Residential Code (IRC): one- and two-family homes and townhouses. This is the main code for a custom house.
• 2024 International Building Code (IBC): larger and commercial buildings.
• 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC): insulation, air sealing, duct tightness, and lighting efficiency.
• 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC): water supply, drains, and fixtures.
• 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC): heating, cooling, and ventilation.
• 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC): gas piping and gas appliances.
• 2024 International Fire Code (IFC) and 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC).
• 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC): all wiring and electrical work.
• 2017 ICC A117.1: the accessibility standard.

The IRC is the one a single-family builder works in day to day. The City of Surprise is the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) inside city limits, so its Building Safety Division reviews the plans and inspects the work.

What the city says

The city's code page states when and how the new codes were adopted:

On December 2, 2025, the City of Surprise adopted the nationally recognized building and fire safety standards developed by the International Code Council (ICC).

Each model code carries Surprise amendments, collected in one document titled Local Amendments to the 2024 International Codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code, dated January 1, 2026. The rule you build to is the published 2024 edition as changed by that document. A few residential amendments show how local the edits get:

• Design criteria. The amended IRC Table R301.2 sets a 0 ground snow load, a 105 mph design wind speed (Exposure B unless the building official says otherwise), Seismic Design Category B, a 0 inch frost line, and moderate to heavy termite risk. Flood hazards follow Maricopa County flood control requirements.
• Small structures. A one-story detached accessory structure of 200 square feet or less, and a fence of 6 feet or less, need no building permit. The 2024 model code allows a 7 foot fence; Surprise lowered it to 6.
• Energy testing. Third-party testing by RESNET certified raters is accepted for the air barrier checklist, the air leakage test, and the duct tightness test.
• Permit life. A permit expires if work does not start within 180 days of issue or if 180 days pass between inspections, and every permit expires 24 months after issue unless the work has passed final inspection.

When this comes into play

The switch date is what decides which edition your plans follow. The city's implementation notice says the 2024 codes apply to applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026, while permits already submitted, in review, or under construction were not affected. For a custom home the rule is direct:

Custom Home Plans submitted on or after January 1, 2026, will need to comply with the 2024 Codes.

Production builders were given more room. Standard plans approved under the 2018 I-codes stay valid until January 1, 2027, and a subdivision is not treated as a whole, so two houses in the same neighborhood can be built under different editions depending on when each application went in.

Here is a concrete example. Suppose you bought a set of plans that a designer drew for a Surprise lot in 2024, and you submit them in spring 2026. Because the application is new, the plan reviewer checks the house against the 2024 IRC, the 2024 energy code as amended, and the 2023 NEC. Sheets copied from the 2018 edition can come back with corrections before a permit issues.

What this means for you

Give your designer, engineer, and trades one clear instruction: build to Surprise's 2024 I-codes and the 2023 NEC, with the January 1, 2026 local amendments applied. That prevents the most common plan review correction, a sheet drawn to the wrong edition. When you compare bids, ask each contractor to confirm the price covers current-code work, including the third-party energy tests.

This entry is the anchor for the Surprise building-codes module. See Surprise Residential Building Permit Requirements for how these codes are checked in plan review, and Surprise Residential Zoning and Setbacks for where the house can sit on the lot. For how Surprise compares with other cities, see Arizona building code editions by city .

Source

The adopted codes, the ordinance number, and the effective date are published by the City of Surprise: Currently Adopted Building Codes on surpriseaz.gov . The amendments are in the city's Local Amendments document , and the transition rules are in its 2024 Building Code Implementation Process .

This page is general information, not a code interpretation. Editions and amendments change, so confirm the current adopted code with the City of Surprise Community Development Department before you rely on a specific edition.