International Building Code
Arizona leaves the IBC to cities and counties
Arizona leaves the IBC to cities and counties. Adopted by County boards of supervisors and city or town councils (each may adopt its own code). The legal citation is A.R.S. 9-802 (municipal adoption by reference); A.R.S. 11-861 (county adoption by reference); A.R.S. 34-461 (public buildings).
Record of adoption
Edition in force
Local adoption
Verified
- Legal citation
- A.R.S. 9-802 (municipal adoption by reference); A.R.S. 11-861 (county adoption by reference); A.R.S. 34-461 (public buildings)
- Adopted by
- County boards of supervisors and city or town councils (each may adopt its own code)
- Second reading
- Applies
- Local option
A.R.S. 34-461 sends even public buildings to local codes, and A.R.S. 9-802 and 11-861 let cities, towns, and counties adopt codes by reference. For context, Tucson lists the 2024 IBC effective Jan 1, 2026.
Exceptions
- Factory-built buildings and manufactured homes are regulated by the Arizona Department of Housing, Office of Manufactured Housing (4 A.A.C. 34); R4-34-102 lists the 2018 IBC.
- State-owned buildings are excepted from the local-code requirement for public buildings in A.R.S. 34-461.
How Arizona adopts the IBC
Each county board of supervisors (A.R.S. 11-861) and each city or town (A.R.S. 9-802) adopts model codes by ordinance, usually by reference, and sets its own amendments and timing. No statewide adoption step or schedule for private construction was found. For public buildings, A.R.S. 34-461 points to the codes of the local jurisdiction, or to those of the largest city in the county where none are adopted.
Cycle. Set by each jurisdiction with no state schedule; adoption dates vary by city, town and county.
Laws, rulings, and other actions
- Other actionOffice of Manufactured Housing adoption of the 2024 I-Codes and 2023 NEC for factory-built buildings (reported; effective date shown)
Reportedly replaces the 2018 I-Codes and 2017 NEC that 4 A.A.C. 34 lists for factory-built buildings and manufactured homes; it does not govern site-built construction.
How it was checked
Verified
Two separate readings of the state’s own record agree, and the passage is on file word for word.
Read twice: a second, blind reading of the state’s record agreed with the first on .
The state’s record was last read on , from eight source pages.
Evidence 8 sources
Sources for the record itself come first, the state’s own records ahead of others. A label marks a source about something else, such as an exception. A source marked secondary is not the state’s own record.
“A municipality may enact the provisions of a code or public record theretofore in existence without setting forth the provisions”
9-802. Procedure for adoption by referenceArizona Legislatureazleg.gov (opens in a new tab)StatuteRetrieved “11-861. Adoption of codes by reference; limitations; method of adoption; fire sprinklers; fire apparatus access roads”
11-861. Adoption of codes by reference; limitations; method of adoption; fire sprinklers; fire apparatus access roadsArizona Legislatureazleg.gov (opens in a new tab)StatuteRetrieved “any new or modified residential or commercial building code or other related code that is adopted by a municipality does not apply to a residential or commercial building”
9-805. Building code moratorium on residential and commercial buildingsArizona Legislatureazleg.gov (opens in a new tab)StatuteRetrieved “Also, you must keep in mind that you are still subject to compliance with local permit and building code requirements.”
Before You Hire a ContractorArizona Registrar of Contractorsroc.az.gov (opens in a new tab)Agency pageRetrieved About an exception
“International Building Code (IBC), 2018 edition”
“International Residential Code (IRC), 2018 edition”
“International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), 2018 edition”
“National Electrical Code (NEC), 2017 edition”
Arizona Administrative Code, Title 4, Chapter 34 (Board of Manufactured Housing, Supp. 21-3), R4-34-102 Materials Incorporated by ReferenceArizona Secretary of Stateapps.azsos.gov (opens in a new tab)Administrative codeRetrieved About an exception
“Subsections A and B of this section do not apply to state owned buildings”
34-461. Applicability of local codes; exceptions; definition (state owned buildings)Arizona Legislatureazleg.gov (opens in a new tab)StatuteRetrieved About an exception
Office of Manufactured Housing: Current Adopted Codes (as of February 1, 2021)Arizona Department of Housing (Office of Manufactured Housing)housing.az.gov (opens in a new tab)Agency pageRetrieved About the note
“2024 International Building Code (effective 1/1/26)”
“2024 International Residential Code (effective 1/1/26)”
“2024 International Energy Conservation Code (effective 7/1/26)”
“2023 National Electric Code (effective 1/1/26)”
Building Codes (City of Tucson Planning and Development Services); context only, not a state valueCity of Tucsontucsonaz.gov (opens in a new tab)Agency pageRetrieved
Tracker cross-checks
Code adoption trackers are a cross-check. They are not Arizona’s own record.
ICC’s code adoption mapCross-checkAgrees with the record
Codes are adopted locally in Arizona and are predominantly the I-codes.
BCAP’s code status pageCross-checkAgrees with the record
Arizona has no single statewide building code (page description); body text says Arizona generally follows the 2018 International Codes for commercial construction, while the description says most cities adopt the 2021 IBC.