Interpretation #: CEB-2020-13-2012 IPC-708.3.3

Building or Fire Safety Law Interpreted

Issue

Whether a water closet qualifies as a compliant cleanout under Section 708.3.3 of the 2012 Indiana Plumbing Code.

Interpretation of the State Building Commissioner

A water closet does qualify as a compliant cleanout under Section 708.3.3 of the 2012 Indiana Plumbing Code.

Rationale

Section 708 regulates cleanouts in waste systems. Subsection 708.3 describes the circumstances under which such cleanouts are required to occur, stating in subsection 708.3.3, "Cleanouts shall be installed at each change of direction greater than 45 degrees (0.79 rad) in the building sewer, building drain and horizontal waste or soil lines. Where more than one change of direction occurs in a run of piping, only one cleanout shall be required for each 40 feet (12,192 mm) of developed length of the drainage piping."

To determine whether a water closet is an acceptable cleanout under the circumstances described under 708.3.3, one must look to the code's definition of "cleanout", which is "An access opening in the drainage system utilized for the removal of obstructions. Types of cleanouts include a removable plug or cap, and a removable fixture or fixture trap." A water closet is considered a removable fixture, a point reinforced by the code commentary offered for the "cleanout" definition, and therefore qualifies as a cleanout under the code. If its location in the waste system meets the requirements of 708.3.3, it is a compliant cleanout.