Pierre, S.D. — The state of South Dakota, home of Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills, has formally adopted the 2009 edition of the Uniform Plumbing Code® (UPC), as well as the new IAPMO Green Plumbing and Mechanical Code Supplement (GPMCS) — the first state to do so.
Updating from the 2003 edition of the UPC, South Dakota’s first statewide adoption of IAPMO’s code, the provisions of the 2009 UPC will govern the design, installation and maintenance of plumbing systems throughout the predominantly rural state and protect the health and safety of the more than 800,000 South Dakotans who utilize them.
After receiving authority from the South Dakota legislature and subsequent public hearings, the South Dakota State Plumbing Commission adopted the 2009 UPC with state amendments, all of which became effective Sept. 21, 2010. Part of the adoption process also included the 2010 GPMCS; however, the supplement was deemed to be a non-mandatory referenced standard and is applicable only when plumbing systems or installation methods are not referenced in the 2009 UPC. Recognizing the GPMCS is a step toward allowing the new technology in water reuse systems to be utilized while maintaining public health and safety.
South Dakota’s choice to continue with the UPC is a tool to continue licensing reciprocity agreements with neighboring states and states afar that also utilize the UPC, as well as to assure conformity among in-state and out-of-state engineers designing projects in South Dakota according to Mike Richards, executive director of the South Dakota State Plumbing Commission. The commission recognizes the fact that the UPC is adopted, written and revised by plumbers and inspectors who best know installation practices and maintenance of plumbing systems.
“South Dakota requires continuing education for its tradespeople, so as a user of the UPC and a member of IAPMO, we have been able to utilize code training from IAPMO, as well as utilizing IAPMO’s on-site training programs,” Richards said. “With the UPC in place, South Dakota will continue to provide consumers with safe and sanitary plumbing systems while at the same time allowing for future latitude for innovation and new technologies.”
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.
Released in February, the IAPMO GPMCS serves as a complement to any adopted plumbing and mechanical code, smoothly bridging the previously troublesome gap between existing codes and established green building programs. Where code language and green building concepts lack cohesion, the GPMCS creates harmony by addressing such areas as alternate water sources, high-efficiency plumbing products, conservation of hot water and training/education.
Last modified: October 18, 2010