POLICY Codes and Standards and Statutes, Oh My! Understanding the Green Plumbing Code

The Federal Government has little direct involvement with the construction of your home or other buildings, including decisions about the water fixtures that require a lot of energy, or the fixtures (such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning or “HVAC” systems) that use a lot of water.   These fixtures must be in compliance with codes that are adopted on a local or state level. 

The federal involvement is typically limited to things like research and development funding for more water efficient fixtures, and programs such as EnergySTAR and WaterSense to guide purchasing decisions by you, the consumer, or development of codes by professional organizations and adoption of those codes by local and state goernemnts.  Federal agencies also adopt codes to oversee their own activities, such as construction of federal buildings by the General Services Administraiton or Department of Defense.  

After his testimony at a hearing the Senate Water and Power Subcommittee on water and energy in buildings, Russ Chaney - Chief Executive Officer of the International Associaiton of Plumbers and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) – spoke with Water Citizen on the difference between a standard and a code, how codes are adopted and made legally binding, and where IAPMO’s new Green Supplement fits in:

A standard usually contains performance criteria for a product, whereas a code contains numerous performance standards.  Standards are embedded into a code.  A code becomes a legal requirement when it’s adopted by a local jurisdiction - typically a state.  It is not “legal” until it becomes adopted and is implemented by statute or regulation by the adopting state. The federal agencies don’t adopt codes nationally, although various federal agenices that have some level of construction, such as the Departmetn of Defense and US Army Corps of Engineers, will typically adopt one code or another for their own needs.  This approach is different from most countries, which adopt codes on a national basis.  The US and Australia typically adopt codes on a state-by-state basis.

The Uniform Plumbing Code is the only American National Standard designated by ANSI for Plumbing Instiallation, adopted by about 50% US states (as well as a number of other countries).  (ANSI doesn’t develop standards, but “designates” standards developed by entities like IAPMO)

The Green Plumbing and Mehcanical Code Suppliment (for BOTH Uniform Plumbing Code and Uniform Mechanical Code), we created this supplement very quicly to address emerging green technologies, high efficiency air conditioning units, low flow toilets and so forth, did not use ANSI process, usually takes about 3 years.  For this supplement, we wanted to expeditiously create advanced environmental technologies.  no different from base code.  with supplement, various states have an advanced document, very high efficiency, water saving technologies, you can adopt to supplement UPC and any other plumbing code you may use.  because it contains those high efficiency, amny states adopting supplement.  a number of states already adopted.