PRESS RELEASE

Plumbing Product Manufacturers to Heed NYC Plumbing Code Changes Effective July 1

Plumbing Product Manufacturers to Heed NYC Plumbing Code Changes Effective July 1

Ontario, Calif. — A 2010 amendment to the New York City Plumbing Code requiring that a wide range of plumbing fixtures bear the WaterSense® label (or have been certified as meeting the same efficiency standards) if they are to be sold or installed within city limits will go into effect on July 1, giving manufacturers one more month to make proper preparations.

Approved by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in October 2010, Section PC 604 of the code was amended by adding a new subsection 604.4.1 that reads: WaterSense program label required: Showerheads, private lavatory faucets, water closets and for urinals, the urinal flush valve or fixture/valve combination, shall meet the specifications required for the WaterSense program label and shall bear such label, or shall be approved in accordance with this code. Exception: Water closets in public restrooms.”

The new requirements for each product (with the previous requirements in parentheses) are: Showerheads, 2.0 gallons per minute (2.5 gpm); Private Lavatory Faucets, 1.5 gpm (2.2 gpm); Water Closets, 1.28 gallons per flush (1.6 gpf); Urinals, 0.5 gpf (1.0 gpf). The new requirements represent a 20‐50 percent reduction in water usage from the previous standards.

Launched by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in January 2007, the WaterSense product‐labeling program helps consumers identify high‐performance, water‐efficient fixtures. Products bearing the WaterSense label must not only save water, but also perform as well or better than conventional models on the market.

IAPMO R&T, North America’s premier third-party certification body for plumbing and mechanical products, has been a licensed provider of WaterSense certification since 2007, certifying the first high‐efficiency toilet (HET) to the standard in April of that year. To date, IAPMO R&T has certified thousands of lavatory faucet, toilet, urinal and showerhead models to the WaterSense specifications.

IAPMO R&T is well positioned to help manufacturers meet the deadline and have their products properly labeled to comply with the updated New York City Plumbing Code. For more information on having products listed, contact Brenda Madonna (brenda.madonna@iapmort.org) at (877) 4‐UPC‐MARK, or direct your Web browser to www.iapmort.org.


Austin, Texas, Adopts 2024 Uniform Codes

11 April 2025

The Austin, Texas, city council has formally adopted the 2024 editions of the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC®) and Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC®) as the plumbing and mechanical codes of practice protecting the health and safety of the city’s nearly 1 million residents. The Texas state capital and 11th most populous city in the United States has utilized the Uniform Codes since 1974. 

Iowa Updates State Plumbing Code to 2024 UPC

08 April 2025

The Iowa Public Health Department has updated Chapter 25 of the Iowa Administrative Code, “State Plumbing Code,” from the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC®) to the 2024 edition. The update went into effect on March 26. 

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