The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) Board of Directors has announced a significantly earlier timeline for the development of the 2021 editions of the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) and Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC®) than previously employed. Whereas past practice was for IAPMO to publish the codes early in the edition year, the 2021 UPC and 2021 UMC will be available in the first quarter of 2020.

 

The IAPMO consensus development process is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), gathering the largest assembly of plumbing and mechanical experts in the world at its annual education and business conference and technical committee meetings, and enabling anyone — members and non-members alike — to have a voice on new proposals to the code. The 2021 editions of the UPC and UMC will mark the seventh time these codes have been developed under this ANSI-accredited process. 

 

Under the new timeline, the 2021 development process will begin with the Call for Proposals on Oct. 2, 2017, with a closing deadline of March 16, 2018. The entire 2021 code cycle timeline, as well as background on IAPMO’s ANSI-accredited consensus development process, can be found at http://codes.iapmo.org. 

 

IAPMO was granted Audited Designator Status by ANSI in September 2011, enabling the 91-year-old code development body to self-designate the UPC and UMC as American National Standards (ANS) and forgo approval by the ANSI Board of Standards Review. The 2015 and 2018 editions of each code were designated by IAPMO as ANS in this manner.

 

ANSI accreditation signifies that the procedures used by standards setting organizations such as IAPMO meet the Institute's Essential Requirements for openness, balance, consensus, and due process. This process brings together volunteers representing a variety of viewpoints and interests to achieve consensus on plumbing and mechanical practices. The UPC and UMC are the only plumbing and mechanical codes of practice to hold the designation of American National Standards. 

 

IAPMO urges its members and other interested parties to get involved in the code development process to ensure effectiveness in preserving the public health, safety, and welfare through strict governance of the Uniform Codes. Installers, plumbing and mechanical officials, the construction industry, engineers, and manufacturers all benefit from a cooperative effort in developing codes. For more information, direct your browser to IAPMO’s website, www.iapmo.org.