Sugar Land council adopts 2024 International Codes, adds conduit requirement to deter copper‑wire theft

Sugar Land —2—8— The City Council on Dec. 23 approved the first reading of an ordinance to update the city's building regulations by adopting the 2024 International Codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code with local amendments.

City staff said the update is intended to keep the city's building standards aligned with industry best practices and state and federal requirements. "By adopting the 2024 ICC and the 2023 codes, we are ensuring we can continue to protect health, safety, and welfare of our community," said Josh Dole, chief building official, during the council presentation.

The code package includes hundreds of changes that are adopted every three years; staff gave examples such as a new tracer‑wire requirement for private sewer laterals to ease locating buried utilities, an alternate vacuum testing method for plastic piping, and a new requirement related to roof‑hatch landings. City staff said most existing local amendments will be carried over and that the presentation was intended to explain the most consequential changes rather than list every technical edit.

One new local amendment drew extended discussion: city staff proposed requiring rigid metal conduit on the service riser (the pipe coming out of the ground where a meter or service connection is made) for certain installations to deter recent copper wire thefts. Staff described multiple theft incidents in which thieves rapidly removed PVC service risers and caused dangerous outages and costly damage. "By requiring that service riser —2—8—8 a pipe coming out of the ground —2—8—8 to be rigid metal conduit, you could hit that 200 times with a sledgehammer, you could ram it with your car, you're not breaking that pipe," Dole said, adding that incidents to date occurred only where PVC risers were used.

Fire and code enforcement staff also outlined changes to fire and property‑maintenance codes that will be included in the package: new alert systems for active‑shooter events distinct from fire alarms, expanded sprinkler protections for certain mercantile occupancies and modifications to how exit signage and kitchen hood suppression inspections are handled; and clarifications in the International Property Maintenance Code concerning notices of violation, condemnation language (to be aligned with the city's Building Standards Commission), and minimum boarding standards.

Staff said public outreach included an online project page, contractor focus groups and permit‑system notifications; they reported receiving mainly procedural questions and no significant negative feedback during outreach.

Council voted 7‑0 on the motion for first reading; staff said a second reading and final adoption will be scheduled at the January meeting. The ordinance was introduced as City of Sugar Land Ordinance No. 2,395.

The council also asked staff to continue outreach explaining changes that may affect contractors, homeowners and property owners prior to final adoption.