The International Plumbing Code is a plumbing code and standard which sets minimum requirements for plumbing systems in their design and function, and which sets out rules for the acceptances of new plumbing-related technologies. It is published by the International Code Council based in Washington, D.C., through the governmental consensus process and is updated on a three year cycle to include the latest advances in technology and safest plumbing practices. The current version of this code is the 2009 edition with the 2012 edition slated for release in Spring of 2011. The IPC protects public health and safety in buildings for all water and wastewater related design, installation and inspection by providing minimum safeguards for people at homes, schools and workplace. Water heaters, anti-scalding devices, backflow prevention methods, water pipe sizing and many other such issues are addressed in the IPC.
The IPC is the most widely used plumbing code in the United States and is also used as the basis for the plumbing code of several other countries. Wide adoptions are important as they help reduce manufacturer and end-user costs by allowing the use of materials across a wide user base, thus allowing economies of scale in production of materials used in construction. Uniformity in the codes adopted across many areas also allows a broader sharing of best building practices and techniques, and improves transferability of experts such as architects, engineers, code officials, building inspectors, and other building professionals among those different areas. More adoptions also invites broader participation in the formulation the codes, which lends to the incoporation of the latest and best building techniques that enhance the safety of citizens in the areas using the codes.
Some jurisdictions have adopted the International Plumbing Code in a way that gives it the force of law, while others have their own codes.[1][2]