Code season is upon us — as if it ever ends — and ASSE has once again been actively involved, representing our motto, “Prevention Rather Than Cure,” to the code community and highlighting the intended purposes of all ASSE’s product and professional standards. Under the direction of the ASSE Board of Directors and ASSE staff, ASSE, through the ASSE Code Development Committee (ASSE CDC) took part in the code development process for the 2027 versions of the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC®) produced by IAPMO, as well as the International Plumbing Code (IPC) and the International Residential Code (IRC) produced by ICC.
Before we get into some of the proposals and code changes ASSE reviewed, commented on, and proposed for these codes, I wanted to make sure we all understand a bit of the history of the ASSE CDC and its purpose/mission today. ASSE has always had, in some form or fashion, a code committee that discussed and gave opinions or guidelines on how ASSE standards should be used in the codes and in practical applications. This has been in the blood of ASSE since the beginning of the organization, remains so today, and I believe it always should be. Previously, the work of the Code Committee focused primarily on ASSE’s product standards arm and a little on professional qualifications standards. These opinions were mostly asked by other industry partners and offered by ASSE when there was a question regarding health or safety concerning a standard and its application or use.
As ASSE progressed in developing standards, so too did its work with the codes. In or around the 2015 code development cycle for the UPC and IPC, ASSE decided the Code Committee would start to be more proactive in representing ASSE Standards and advocating for their inclusion in the codes. This is when the Code Committee started to review and discuss all proposals from others in the ICC and IAPMO code processes involving ASSE standards (both professional and product). The committee then would offer a consensus opinion — approved by the ASSE Board of Directors — on these proposed changes in a public forum during the IAPMO and ICC code hearings. This was a big step for ASSE, as it had mostly stayed silent during these hearings in the past.
Building on the progress made in the 2015 code cycle, ASSE took another step forward in the 2021 code development cycles by submitting its own proposals on ASSE standards, while still coming to a consensus opinion on others proposals related to ASSE standards. With this development, the Code Committee updated its procedures, expanded the committee membership to involve the industry, and adopted a new name – the ASSE Code Development Committee. Although the ASSE CDC’s mission and purpose have remained fundamentally the same through these changes, ASSE is no longer a silent voice in the room when it comes to ASSE standards. That brings us up to today and my “old man history lesson” on ASSE — for this article at least. With this in mind, we will shift gears to what the CDC has and is working on for the 2027 code development cycle for the UPC, IPC and IRC.
UNIFORM PLUMBING CODE 2027 DEVELOPMENT
Before the UPC proposals were released in early April 2024, the CDC reviewed the 2024 UPC for potential issues with ASSE standards in the UPC and to identify which new and existing ASSE standards should be included in the 2027 version. After review and debate within the CDC, the ASSE Board of Directors agreed that ASSE would submit 10 code proposals for consideration in the 2027 UPC.
One of the changes submitted by ASSE involved ASSE 1052, Hose Connection Backflow Connector. Interestingly, while ASSE 1052 has been listed in the UPC’s Backflow Prevention, Devices and Assembles Table 603.2, a description of ASSE 1052 was never included in section 603.2 like other backflow devices and assemblies in that table. Through the work of the CDC members in finding this missed information and then creating the language for the proposal to be submitted, this language might be included in the 2027 UPC. Though this may seem like a small accomplishment, when viewed in a larger picture it is one fitting in an entire drain waste and vent system, without that one fitting, a part of that DWV system could be unusable.
Along with the other nine submitted proposals for the UPC, the ASSE CDC reviewed more than 350 proposals submitted by other individuals or organizations, identifying 42 that involved an ASSE standard (product or professional) in some way. The ASSE CDC went to work reviewing and debating these proposals, and reached a consensus on all 42 of them. This process takes a lot of “me” time and “virtual” or “on the line” time from the ASSE CDC members, but in doing so the shared knowledge of the committee grows every time, which in turn increases a committee member’s knowledge. Out of the 42 proposals the ASSE CDC seeks to come to one of three outcomes: support, non-support or neutral. A vote for support or non-support means the ASSE will speak for or against that proposal at the code hearing, while a neutral position means the proposed language or intent does not affect the ASSE standard(s) and ASSE will not speak on this proposal. For this round of proposals, the ASSE CDC found 15 proposals to support, one non-support and 26 neutral.
Now it was off to the UPC Technical Committee hearings in early May 2024 to advocate for ASSE’s positions on not only ASSE’s proposals, but also the support/non-support positions on others’ proposals.
We were successful on most of our positions, but the UPC Committee had some other thoughts on a few. This is not unusual during the code development process, and the ASSE CDC will have another opportunity in May 2025 at the second UPC hearings for the 2027 UPC. That means we will start this process again as the ASSE CDC and speak to ASSE’s positions again. After this hearing, the ASSE CDC’s part in the process is complete and we will begin to look at the code development cycle for the 2030 UPC.
THE INTERNATIONAL PLUMBING AND INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE 2027 DEVELOPMENT
The IPC and IRC process is very much the same as the described in the UPC section of this article for the ASSE CDC. The ASSE CDC started out looking at possibilities for proposals to be submitted to the 2027 IPC and IRC, and identified eight proposals that included older ASSE standards where we thought the current code language in the code doesn’t represent the standard’s intent, as well as some new standards for inclusion in the code.
As before, the next step called for reviewing and coming to a position on others’ proposals that involved ASSE standards. Out of more than 150 proposals submitted by others, 26 involved ASSE standards; the ASSE CDC identified eight of these it wished to support, two that it opposed and 16 on which it was neutral. ASSE headed to the IPC and IRC hearings in early April 2024 and was very successful in securing votes in line with its positions on other proposals, including the two non-supports being rejected by ICC’s Code Development Committees. On the other hand, ASSE’s proposals were turned away mostly because the standards being proposed had not completed the ANSI process before the hearings, nor had the committees been able to review them. This is not an uncommon occurrence; if these proposals had not been submitted, we would have had to wait until the 2030 code development cycle to propose them.
Following these hearings, the CDC reviewed the results and comments from the hearings and public comments. We then made recommendations for others who have made comments on the results involving ASSE standards in order to attend the second code action hearings for the IPC and IRC in late October 2024. Again, as you can guess by now, at these hearings it was a mixed result for ASSE. A bright spot for one of our newest product standards was assisting one of our industry partners, Watts Water Technologies, in getting its proposal for adding ASSE 1103, Pilot Operated Water Pressure Reducing Valves for Potable Water, into 2027 IPC section 604.8. This was rejected at the April hearings due to the ASSE 1103 not being a completed ANSI standard, but it was completed before the October hearing and was accepted. It now looks to be another option for pressure reducing valves in the 2027 IPC.
As I conclude this article (and if you are still reading it), I would like to thank everyone from the past and present at ASSE for their hard work and support in getting the ASSE CDC to this point in ASSE’s storied history. There is always a new standard to be brought into the codes, another development cycle around the corner, changing technologies, and many opinions on what is right and wrong with, well, everything. The CDC should continue to serve as a forum to discuss, resolve and amplify ASSE’s voice, providing “Prevention Rather Than Cure” for all.
