Tempe does not publish a work-exempt-from-permit list at all. On windows the city's own answer is to ask the permit center, and that is the honest answer to pass on rather than one inferred from what neighboring cities do, because those cities disagree with each other. Tempe is also mid-transition between code editions, so which rules apply depends on when the application goes in.
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Tempe adopted the 2024 International Code Council codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code, effective 1 July 2026. Through the end of 2026 an application can use either the 2018 or the 2024 codes, and from 1 January 2027 everything has to comply with the 2024 editions. A project spanning that date can land under either.
Tempe's building safety, permit center, single-family residential, plan review and forms pages carry no exempt-work list and no window guidance. The city's amendments live in its municipal code, and its published instruction is direct: "how do I know if I need a permit? Please email permitcenter@tempe.gov with your questions." The permit center is on 480-350-4311.
We could infer a rule from what neighboring cities do. Neighboring cities disagree with each other, so the inference would be worthless. Ask the city.
With nothing published to read, every question here is about getting the city's answer rather than a contractor's assumption.
No. The city's building safety, permit center, single-family residential, plan review and forms pages carry no exempt-work list and no window guidance. Its amendments live in the municipal code.
Ask the city. Tempe's published instruction is direct: email permitcenter@tempe.gov with your questions. The permit center is on 480-350-4311.
No, and it is worth being blunt about why. Neighboring cities disagree with each other on this exact question, so an inference drawn from them would be worthless for a Tempe address.
The 2024 International Code Council codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code, effective 1 July 2026. Through the end of 2026 an application can use either the 2018 or the 2024 codes, and from 1 January 2027 everything has to comply with the 2024 editions.
It can land under either, which makes the submission date worth planning rather than leaving to chance. The permit center can say which applies.