For a building permit in Utah, check that the code analysis cites the State Construction Code in Utah Code 15A-2-103, which since July 1, 2026 has adopted the 2024 IBC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, and IEBC, the 2023 NEC, and the 2021 IRC, together with the statewide amendments in Chapter 3 and any local amendments in Chapter 4 of Title 15A. Fire protection follows the State Fire Code, which adopts the 2024 IFC, and an emergency amendment in September 2026 deleted three commercial energy sections, so confirm the code basis with the local building official on your application date. AI can flag conflicts; the design professional and the building official decide compliance.
Which Utah codes apply to a set of drawings?
The State Construction and Fire Codes Act, Title 15A of the Utah Code, sets the codes the state and every political subdivision follow. Section 15A-2-103, in the version effective July 1, 2026, incorporates by reference the 2024 International Building Code with Appendices C and J, the 2021 International Residential Code with Appendix AQ, the 2024 International Plumbing, Mechanical, and Fuel Gas Codes, the 2023 National Electrical Code, the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code, the 2024 International Existing Building Code, the residential provisions of the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, and Modular Building Institute Standards 1200 and 1205, along with the HUD Code and other manufactured housing references. The codes apply together with the statewide amendments in Chapter 3, which has parts for the IBC, IRC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, NEC, IECC, IEBC, and swimming pool and spa code, and the local amendments for named jurisdictions in Chapter 4. The State Fire Code, 15A-5-103, also effective July 1, 2026, adopts the 2024 International Fire Code without its appendices, as amended in Part 2 of Chapter 5, plus NFPA 1 Chapter 38, NFPA 54, and NFPA 58, each at its 2024 edition.
The update came from H.B. 65, Construction Code Amendments, in the 2026 General Session. Its enrolled text changes the IBC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, IEBC, and swimming pool and spa code references from the 2021 to the 2024 editions, leaves the IRC and its appendices at 2021, and takes effect July 1, 2026, except for two IBC amendment sections that took effect earlier. A further version of 15A-2-103, effective January 1, 2027, replaces the 2006 Utah Wildland Urban Interface Code reference with the 2024 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code, and a new Chapter 3 part adds statewide amendments to that code. On September 9, 2026, according to the Division of Professional Licensing’s notice to the Business and Labor Interim Committee, the Uniform Building Code Commission amended the State Construction Code by emergency rule under 15A-1-204(6) to delete IECC Sections C405.12, C405.13, and C405.15, the commercial receptacle control, electrical service and raceway, and on-site renewable energy provisions. The notice says the amendment is filed as R156-15A-402 and expires unless the Legislature adopts it, and the Commission’s meeting records show the August 12, 2026 vote recommending deletion and the September 9 emergency agenda item. All checked October 29, 2026. Ask the building official which edition governs an application submitted near July 1, 2026, and whether the emergency amendment is still in effect on your filing date.
Section 15A-1-204 says the Legislature adopts the State Construction Code by legislation, generally effective on the July 1 after enactment. The Uniform Building Code Commission reviews each model code update and reports its recommendations to the Business and Labor Interim Committee, and it may amend the code by rule only where waiting for the next general session would cause an imminent peril or put a person in violation of other law. Title 15A also limits state agencies and local governments from adopting requirements more restrictive than the State Construction Code, apart from listed exceptions. The Division of Professional Licensing administers the codes, but under 15A-1-205 it does not inspect, issue permits, or set permit fees, so plan review and permits run through the local building department. The Commission’s DOPL page lists its members and advisory committees. Permit routing is on the Utah page, and the model codes have their own guides: IBC, IRC, IEBC, IECC, IFC, and NFPA 70.
Gather the code analysis, the amendments, and each discipline’s sheets
Collect the cover sheet and code analysis with the codes and years cited, the life safety and egress plans, building sections and wall types, structural general notes, accessibility plans and details, the mechanical, plumbing, fuel gas, and electrical drawings and general notes, fire sprinkler and fire alarm drawings or deferred submittal notes, the energy compliance documentation, and the specifications. For work in an existing building, add the existing building code compliance method the team chose and the scope of alterations, additions, or change of occupancy.
Add the planned application date, the jurisdiction and any local amendments in Chapter 4 that name it, whether the site is in a wildland-urban interface area the jurisdiction has designated, and the Title 15A sections you rely on, downloaded from le.utah.gov.
Trace the Title 15A editions through the set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Building code edition | Cover sheet, code analysis, general notes, 15A-2-103 | Confirm the 2024 IBC with Utah’s statewide amendments is cited for an application under the July 1, 2026 code, and flag a 2021 IBC citation unless the building official confirms the earlier code governs. |
| Residential or commercial path | Project description, occupancy data, dwelling type, code analysis | Record whether the building follows the 2021 IRC or the 2024 IBC, and check that the residential sheets cite the 2021 IRC rather than the 2024 edition. |
| Discipline code years | Mechanical, plumbing, fuel gas, electrical, and fire protection notes and specifications | Check each discipline against Title 15A: the 2024 IPC, IMC, and IFGC, the 2023 NEC, and the 2024 IFC, with the Utah amendments in Chapters 3 and 5. |
| Energy path and amendments | Energy compliance forms, electrical plans, panel schedules, renewable energy notes | Match the energy documentation to the 2024 IECC as amended in 15A-3, and confirm with the building official whether the September 2026 emergency deletion of three commercial sections applies on the filing date. |
| Existing building work | Code analysis, scope of work, existing and proposed plans, 15A-3 Part 8 | Confirm the 2024 IEBC and its Utah amendments are cited, with one compliance method stated and applied across the sheets. |
| Local amendments and wildland areas | Jurisdiction, site plan, Chapter 4, local wildland-urban interface map | Check whether a Chapter 4 local amendment names the jurisdiction, and whether the site is in a designated interface area under the wildland code in effect on the filing date. |
Sprinkler and alarm sheets continue in the NFPA 13 guide and the NFPA 72 guide, mechanical and fuel gas in the IMC and IFGC guides, plumbing in the IPC guide, pools in the ISPSC guide, wildland-urban interface construction in the IWUIC guide, accessible details in the ICC A117.1 guide, and the full set in the architectural drawing checklist. Other state codes with their own adoption rules are in the Indiana guide and the Washington guide.
Example: a set started under the 2021 codes
Hypothetical example. A three-story office building in Utah County is designed in late 2025 and submitted for permit in August 2026. The code analysis cites the 2021 IBC, IECC, and IEBC as amended in Title 15A, the plumbing and mechanical notes cite the 2021 IPC and IMC, and the electrical sheets show a rooftop solar array and receptacle controls labelled as required by the 2024 IECC. The fire protection notes cite the 2021 IFC, and the drawings do not state which code edition the application was reviewed under.
The code analysis and the plumbing, mechanical, energy, and fire protection notes cite 2021 editions, while 15A-2-103 and 15A-5-103 have adopted the 2024 IBC, IPC, IMC, IECC, and IFC since July 1, 2026. The electrical sheets attribute receptacle control and on-site renewable requirements to the 2024 IECC, but DOPL’s September 9, 2026 notice says those sections were deleted by emergency amendment. Confirm with the building official which code governs this application and whether the emergency amendment is in effect, then coordinate the code analysis, discipline notes, and energy documentation.
The architect confirms the governing edition with the building department, revises the code analysis and discipline references, and the owner decides whether to keep the solar array and receptacle controls as voluntary features. The finding is a citation conflict; the building official decides compliance.
Review a Utah set with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Title 15A of the Utah Code is free on le.utah.gov, including the statewide and local amendments and the future versions that take effect on later dates. Upload the Title 15A sections you need as code files, with the 2024 International Codes, the 2021 IRC, and the 2023 NEC from copies you are licensed to use where the license permits uploading them, and add DOPL’s emergency amendment notice if it applies. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the cover sheet, code analysis, and every discipline’s general notes with the architectural, life safety, accessibility, structural, mechanical, plumbing, fuel gas, electrical, fire protection, and energy documents. Flag citations to 2021 editions of the IBC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, IEBC, or IFC, residential sheets that cite the 2024 IRC, energy notes that rely on IECC Sections C405.12, C405.13, or C405.15, existing building work without a stated compliance method, and references that ignore a supplied Utah statewide or local amendment. Use the supplied Title 15A sections and model codes and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the note or sheet and to the Title 15A section or model code you uploaded. It compares what the documents state; it does not decide which edition governs an application or whether an emergency amendment is in effect.
Document review does not certify compliance, issue a permit, or replace the design professional, the local building official, or the fire code official.