The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO®) Standards Council has issued the 2015 editions of the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC®) and Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC®), each designated as American National Standards for the fifth time.
Developed by IAPMO using a three-year consensus process accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the new codebooks will be available for purchase in both hardcopy and digital format through IAPMO in February 2015.
IAPMO was granted Audited Designator Status by ANSI in September 2011, enabling the 88-year-old code development body to designate the UPC and UMC as American National Standards without receiving prior approval by the ANSI Board of Standards Review. The 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2012 editions of each code were designated in the previous manner.
ANSI accreditation signifies that the procedures used by standards setting organizations such as IAPMO meet the Institute’s requirements for openness, balance, consensus and due process. This process brings together volunteers representing a variety of viewpoints and interests to achieve consensus on plumbing and mechanical practices. The UPC and UMC are the only plumbing and mechanical codes of practice to be named American National Standards.
Significant changes to the UPC include:
• New product standards for plumbing fixtures such as lavatories, showers, bathtubs and whirlpool bathtubs, bidets, urinals, drinking fountains, and sinks (Chapter 4).
• Lead-content provisions have been revised to address the minimum acceptable percentage lead content for pipes and fittings (Chapter 6)
• New provisions for residential fire sprinkler systems (Chapter 6)
• New requirements for the insulation of hot water piping (Chapter 6)
• New requirements for medical gas and vacuum systems based on NFPA 99
• New testing and inspection provisions for nonpotable alternate water source systems (Chapter 15)
• New requirements for testing, inspection, and maintenance of nonpotable rainwater catchment systems (Chapter 16)
Significant changes to the UMC include:
• New general requirements for condensate wastes and control, installation of appliances on sloped roofs, and clearances to combustible constructions (Chapter 3)
• New ventilation provisions, such as the classification of recirculated and transferred air, parking garages exhaust, and natural ventilation (Chapter 4)
• New exhaust provisions for clothes dryers, Type I hoods and grease ducts, dishwashing machines, and downdraft appliances (Chapter 5)
• New duct systems requirements for factory-made air ducts, plastic ducts, and for ducts used in
underground installations (Chapter 6)
• New appliances provisions, such as electric duct heaters, electric ranges, refrigeration appliances, and ductless mini-split systems (Chapter 9)
• New refrigeration system requirements, such as the refrigeration concentration limit, ventilation for refrigeration machinery rooms, pressure vessels, and pressure relief valve discharge (Chapter 11)
• New hydronic systems provisions (Chapter 12)
Introduced in Los Angeles in 1928 and formally published as the Uniform Plumbing Code in 1945, the UPC is developed to govern the installation and inspection of plumbing systems as a means of promoting the public’s health, safety and welfare. Later published by IAPMO in 1967, the UMC provides the same governance for mechanical (HVAC, combustion, exhaust, refrigeration) systems. Developed and subsequently republished at the conclusion of each three-year code cycle, the UPC and UMC are designed to provide consumers with safe plumbing, heating and mechanical systems while, at the same time, allowing latitude for innovation and new technologies.
The public at large is encouraged and invited to participate in IAPMO’s open consensus code development process. A code development timeline and other relevant information are available at IAPMO’s Website.
Sponsor of the Uniform Codes, IAPMO – The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials – works in concert with government and industry for safe, sanitary plumbing and mechanical systems. Learn more about IAPMO at www.iapmo.org.
IAPMO
IAPMO develops and publishes the Uniform Plumbing Code®, the most widely recognized code of practice used by the plumbing industry worldwide; Uniform Mechanical Code®; Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code®; and Uniform Solar Energy, Hydronics and Geothermal Code™ — the only plumbing, mechanical, solar energy and swimming pool codes designated by ANSI as American National Standards — and the Water Efficiency Standard (WE-Stand)™. IAPMO works with government, contractors, labor force, and manufacturers to produce product standards, technical manuals, personnel certification/educational programs and additional resources in order to meet the ever-evolving demands of the industry in protecting public health and safety.
Last modified: December 30, 2022