Plumbing codes establish standards for the installation, maintenance, and repair of plumbing systems. They dictate the size and material of supply lines, drain pipes, fittings, and fixtures. Most states in the US adopt a model code and modify it as deemed appropriate. Plumbing practices are constantly evolving, and existing model codes serve as a clearinghouse for relevant plumbing information. Plumbing systems installed in new or existing buildings must comply with the existing code, which can be obtained when obtaining permission to carry out the plumbing work.
A plumbing code establishes standards and guidelines for the installation, maintenance, and repair of systems installed in a building for the purpose of supplying water or gas, and for draining or discharging waste products created in their use. Plumbing codes are usually promulgated by state or provincial governments or regulatory authorities, although some countries establish national plumbing codes.
Plumbing codes set standards, sometimes very specific, for each element of a plumbing system, dictating the size and material of all supply lines, drain pipes, fittings and fixtures, based on the population to be served or the size of the structure. Sometimes it will identify prohibited materials. In the 1970s, newly developed polybutylene tubing was used for the feed tubes; many of these pipes malfunctioned over the next two decades. The circumstances that led to the malfunctions were later identified and fixed, but many local plumbing codes still ban polybutylene fuel lines. The different materials that can be used for the installation, repair and maintenance of plumbing systems are also specified in great detail in the plumbing codes. As soon as lead-free solder became available, for example, it became standard in plumbing codes and lead-containing solder was outlawed.
There is no uniform way to establish and enforce plumbing codes. In the United States, most states have established a plumbing code, usually by adopting a model code, such as the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC). After making the code changes they deem necessary, many states give the municipalities under their jurisdiction the authority to impose more stringent requirements. Most jurisdictions use the plumbing code to set all standards for all types of systems; other jurisdictions have codes that address different aspects of plumbing. New York State, for example, has a plumbing code, boiler code, and gas code.
When a jurisdiction adopts a plumbing code, it is generally not written from scratch. Instead, a model code such as the UPC or the International Plumbing Code (IPC) is adopted in whole or in part and modified by the legislator or regulatory body as deemed appropriate. These model codes are developed by industry professionals and generally represent a professional consensus of “best practices” in plumbing systems.
Other nations operate similarly; some legislate a national plumbing code, with or without the ability for localities to make changes as they see fit. Other countries leave the establishment and enforcement of plumbing codes to their provincial or municipal authorities.
Plumbing practices are constantly evolving. The first water supply pipes, built over many centuries BC, were of lead, a practice discouraged from the 1st century AD but continued worldwide into the 19th and 20th centuries. Existing model codes serve as a clearinghouse for relevant plumbing information for regulators and legislators, and as model codes are updated, legislation and regulations based on them can also be updated.
Plumbing systems installed in new or existing buildings must comply with the existing code, which in the United States is the state code modified by local ordinance or regulation. Specific information on the relevant code can be obtained when obtaining permission to carry out the plumbing work. The permit, required by law, is usually obtained from a special department, often called the buildings department, of a local government.
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