Industry works overtime at 2024 Uniform Codes Technical Committee hearings

IAPMO recently completed the Technical Committee meetings for the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) and the 2024 Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC) development process. The hearings for the UPC were held virtually May 3-7, and May 17-21 for the UMC. The virtual meetings were necessary to protect the public, committee members and stakeholders from COVID-19 pandemic. The meetings were scheduled to be held for about four hours each day, but due to the level and quality of discussion and debate, were much longer than anticipated. The length of the meetings and detailed discussion asked a lot of the committee members and guests alike. To that end, we would like to express our gratitude to the Technical Committee members, guests and speakers for their participation. Everyone came together to address the industry’s biggest challenges.

The UPC committee acted on 347 proposals. Topics generating the most debate included rehabilitation of existing building sewers, Legionella risks, new fixtures and facility requirements, dishwashing machine waste requirements, adult changing stations, water heater connectors, drainage fixture units for bathroom groups, maximum drainage loading and pipe size for drainage piping, horizontal lengths of trap arms and roof drainage systems. 

The UMC committee acted on 349 proposals and generated three committee proposals. A2L systems, exhaust systems and duct systems generated robust debate. Heavy discussion ensued on plastic piping and combustibles within plenums, use of press-connect fittings, fuel gas piping, Legionella risks, hydronic systems and geothermal systems. 

The committee action results from the hearings can be obtained through the IAPMO codes website at www.iapmo.org/codes-standards-development/code-development.

Due to compelling discussion regarding indoor horticultural facilities and condensate waste, both the UPC and UMC technical committees formed two new task groups to address such topics. A call for participation for these task groups will be published soon.

Next steps

The formal votes of committee members, as obtained from the hearings, will be secured by letter ballot. The number of affirmative votes needed for each proposal to carry forward is two-thirds affirmative. The committee action and letter ballot results will be published Sept. 10 in the Report on Proposals (ROP), and will be open for public comments. The deadline for submitting public comments to the ROP is Jan. 4, 2022. All public comments submitted will be available for public review on March 30. The public comments will be discussed by the respective Technical Committee from May 2-5, in Anaheim, California.

The entire timeline may be viewed here. Please visit the IAPMO codes website to obtain the latest information: www.iapmo.org/code-development

Technical Committees

Our gratitude goes out to the chairs and committee members. Julius Ballanco, P.E., president of JB Engineering & Code Consulting and longtime PM Engineer columnist, did a superb job stepping in as chair for the UPC Technical Committee. His knowledge of the procedures and technical understanding of the proposals were instrumental in keeping us on schedule and on task. For the UMC, Lance MacNevin, P.Eng., director of engineering — building and construction division for Plastic Pipe Institute, did an excellent job stepping in as chair for the first part of our meeting. The UMC Technical Committee chair, Harvey Kreitenberg of Kreitenberg and Associates, resumed his position as chair for the final three days and did a great job for us, as well. 

We would also like to thank the Technical Committee members who spent long hours debating and discussing proposals to keep the public safe. We understand that committee membership is a voluntary position and that you have “day jobs” to which you must attend. However, the Technical Committee stood strong and came together to tackle the biggest problems facing the plumbing and mechanical industry. 

Speakers and guests

Lastly, we would like to say thank you to all the speakers and guests who participated in this very important and crucial part of the process. We understand that the virtual setting was unconventional and challenging compared to in-person meetings. The UPC and UMC would not be the safe, innovative codes they are without your professionalism and dedication. We look forward to seeing you in person in Anaheim next year for the committee meetings. Thank you for your participation. 

The UPC and UMC are the only codes recognized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as American National Standards, and are developed via ANSI-accredited procedures. This ensures a fair, balanced and transparent process.