The Beaumont, Texas, city council has rejected the International Plumbing Code after decades of use and instead voted in favor of adopting the 2021 edition of the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) as the plumbing code of practice protecting the health and safety of the city's more than 100,000 residents. The UPC represents the most resilient plumbing code on the market today.

"We support the adoption and implementation of the Uniform Plumbing Code as it ensures that the highest standards of safety, health, and sanitation are maintained in Beaumont," said Damian Diaz of Beaumont Plumbing, licensed master plumbers specializing in residential and commercial plumbing services.

The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), publisher of the UPC since 1928, appreciates the support of the Beaumont mayor and city council in shepherding the adoption process to its completion.

"It has been a pleasure to work alongside the local plumbing industry, city staff, and city council as they deliberated this important topic," said John Mata, IAPMO senior director of field services. 

There are many significant resilient provisions that communities can enjoy in the UPC, such as specifications to address the impact of water temperature on the potential for scalding and Legionella growth. The UPC also includes holistic provisions for storm piping materials and sizing methodologies, along with domestic water right-sizing through the addition of the Water Demand Calculator (WDC) (https://www.iapmo.org/water-demand-calculator/).

The UPC is the only national model plumbing code with significant updates for water pipe sizing in buildings since the development of Hunter's Curve more than 80 years ago. It is the result of a multiyear, IAPMO-led effort to develop a new statistically-based pipe sizing method stemming from a need to address profound water safety and wasted water and energy concerns due to oversized water supply pipes in homes and buildings.

Other noteworthy updates in the 2021 edition include the following:

• Alternate Water Sources for Nonpotable Applications
• Nonpotable Rainwater Catchment Systems
• Alternate Plumbing Systems
• Potable Rainwater Catchment Systems
• Sustainable Practices

The UPC was introduced in 1928 and formally published as the Uniform Plumbing Code in 1945. It is developed using IAPMO's consensus development procedures accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This process brings together volunteers representing a variety of viewpoints and interests to achieve consensus on construction practices. Developed and subsequently republished at the conclusion of each three-year code cycle, the Uniform Codes are designed to provide consumers with safely functioning systems while, at the same time, allowing latitude for innovation and new technologies.