Minnesota Adopts Provisions of 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code

St. Paul, Minn.— The state of Minnesota has formally adopted the 2018 edition of IAPMO’s Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC^®), with state-specific amendments, to form the 2020 Minnesota Plumbing Code. It is available for purchase from the IAPMO Online Store. As Chapter 4714 of the Minnesota State Building Code, it will be enforced as law effective Dec. 17.

Some of the key updates to the Minnesota Plumbing Code include:

• New sound transmission provisions for plumbing piping systems. New provisions for trenching excavation and backfill, rehabilitation of piping systems, and Schedule 40 PVC and ABS DWV and storm pipe expansion table (Chapter 3)
• New product standards for plumbing fixtures such as wall hung fixtures, waste fittings, lavatories, showers, bathtubs and whirlpool bathtubs, flushometer valves, sinks and eyewash stations; and signage for single-use toilet facilities (Chapter 4)
• New backflow protection provisions for chemical dispensers, new material provisions for pipes, tubes, fittings and joint methods for water supply and distribution, piping insulation, and new pressure testing for the hot- and cold-water supply system (Chapter 6)
• New material requirements for drain, waste, vent pipe and fittings (Chapter 7)
• New provisions for condensate waste and control (Chapter 8)
• Circuit venting (Chapter 9)
• Methods of testing storm drainage systems (Chapter 11)
• Updated ASSE Series 5000 testing procedures
• Appendix I — Installation standard for PEX tubing systems for hot- and cold-water distribution
• New Useful Tables

The UPC was introduced in Los Angeles 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