2030 UPC, UMC Development Timeline Now Available

Ontario, Calif. (Dec. 8, 2025) — (IAPMO^®), developer of the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC^®) and Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC^®), has posted online the timeline for the development of the 2030 editions of these prospective American National Standards.

The development timeline can be viewed at 2030 UPC/UMC Timeline. For more information on IAPMO’s code development process, visit the code development homepage at https://www.iapmo.org/codes-standards-development/code-development.

Introduced in Los Angeles in 1928 and formally published as the Uniform Plumbing Code in 1945, the UPC is developed to govern the installation and inspection of plumbing systems as a means of promoting the public’s health, safety and welfare. Later published by IAPMO in 1967, the UMC provides the same governance for mechanical (HVAC, combustion, exhaust, refrigeration) systems. Developed and subsequently republished at the conclusion of each three-year code cycle, the UPC and UMC are designed to provide consumers with plumbing, heating, and mechanical systems that meet all applicable standards while, at the same time, allowing latitude for innovation and new technologies.

IAPMO employs a consensus development process accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), gathering one of the largest assemblies of plumbing and mechanical experts in the world at its annual education and business conference and technical committee meetings, enabling anyone — members and nonmembers alike — to lend their voice to proposed changes to the code.

 IAPMO urges its members and other interested parties to get involved in the process to ensure effectiveness in preserving the public’s health, safety, and welfare through fair and balanced development of its codes and standards. Installers, plumbing and mechanical officials, the construction industry, engineers, and manufacturers all benefit from a cooperative effort in developing codes.

For more information, please contact Alma Ramos at (909) 230-5528 or alma.ramos@iapmo.org.

About IAPMO

IAPMO^®, a global team of experts engaging industry and government for a safer built environment, develops codes and standards, including the flagship Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC^®) and Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC^®), and offers the UPC and UMC certification marks, which serve as a consistent model for building professionals, manufacturers and researchers. Deep expertise in codes and standards is applied to rigorous product testing, certification and inspection services, professional development offerings, policy and advocacy work. IAPMO also serves the market under specialty brands including The IAPMO Group, Construction Products Group, System Certifications Body and IWSH, its nonprofit foundation.

For more information, visit www.iapmo.org.

Contact: Hugo Aguilar
(909) 472-4111
hugo.aguilar@iapmo.org

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¹(Plastics News, Catherine Kavanaugh, Senior Reporter, Plastics News Staff, October 23, 2024, Plastic pipe trade groups launch ‘Truth About Pipes' PR campaign). Read the article.

²(PHCP PROS, Articles, October 23, 2025, ‘PPI Launches Pipe Truth Campaign’). Learn More.

For more information and to learn the facts about plastic pipes, visit plasticpipetruth.org.

The legislation aims to limit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from using data from its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) to create regulations targeting the chemical manufacturing industry. Sponsors argue that this measure is necessary to prevent government overreach and the misuse of the IRIS program, which they believe is intended to identify health hazards rather than drive policy. Supported by the American Chemistry Council, the bill seeks to protect chemical manufacturers from stringent regulations, thereby promoting innovation and competitiveness within the industry. A complete summary of the full text is still being prepared as of the latest updates.

READ MORE

The CSA Group recently released the latest version of its important guidelines, the CSA B137 series, and is looking for public feedback. CSA 137 focuses on the use of special plastic pipes in various areas, like drinking water and gas supplies. PPFA members can review these documents and share their thoughts before the review period closes on April 1, 2025.

LEARN MORE

Exercise caution when selling imported PVC conduit marketed as “equivalent” to domestic PVC conduit, as it has come to our attention that this claim may not be accurate with respect to all manufacturers of PVC conduit. Distributors should be aware that some imported conduit presented as equivalent to domestic conduit does not provide the high temperature resistance required by some wires and conductors.

READ THE FULL NOTICE

For over 70 years, PVC has been the best pipe used in water infrastructure, is fully compliant with the NSF 61 standard, and has transformed the plastic pipe and fittings industry. The Vinyl Institute recently published a comprehensive report on the positive benefits of PVC pipe used in water infrastructure projects.

READ THE REPORT

The Plastic Pipe & Fittings Association encourages the media, building and design professionals, and the public to consider the following facts before giving credence to the Purdue study.

• All building products, including piping systems of all types and materials, are susceptible to failure during extreme wildfire events.
   
•  It is expected for pipe systems of all types and materials to experience back siphonage of  combustion products or runoff once the system loses integrity, and the fire services’ demand on hydrants induce systemic hydraulic pressure drops.
   
• The study did not utilize industry-standard testing protocols designed to represent real-world applications. Such protocols are created in conjunction with third-parties, as well as the industry itself, to ensure fair and representative results and comparisons. Concerns over the study’s tests and conclusions include:
   
  • As reported by the Vinyl Institute (VI), the test only utilized small pieces of plastic pipe.  Piping systems should be tested in the manner in which they are used, as water-filled, intact pipes, representative of how piping systems actually operate.
  •  The test does not take into account that piping installed below ground and containing water never reaches the lab furnace temperatures utilized in the study.
  • The test does not take into account that plastic piping installed above ground in a hot enough fire event will melt and never be capable of further containing or delivering water that could subsequently be contaminated.
  • VI also reports that contaminant levels found in the Santa Rosa and Paradise, Calif., water systems cannot be solely attributed to one material, as the largest source of the contaminants is the massive amounts of wood in the homes and surrounding forests.

• If the concern is about safe water systems, then any test should reflect meaningful representative conditions and investigate all materials types post fire event. As usual, the best solution will be in the building codes. 

The potential for back siphonage of toxic combustion products into the water piping exists for all materials and can be at least partially addressed with a simple change to the International Wildland Urban Interface Code that would require two straight-forward actions: a.) require water service pipe be buried and b.) require a backflow device be installed as close as possible to the water main. The last point concerning location of the backflow device gets into questions of jurisdiction between the construction code and the water supplier, but, protecting the water system is more important than jurisdiction.

A backflow device, such as a simple check valve, would limit contamination and protect the hydraulic performance of the local water system, aiding in firefighting efforts.

We encourage the media, end users, and consumers to reach out to PPFA or Vinyl Institute with questions and suggestions. You can reach us at 630-858-6540.

The Vinyl Institute’s response to the erroneous study can be found here: https://vinylverified.com/blog/2020/12/22/andrew-wheltons-plastic-pipe-study-fails-the-grade

The Plastic Pipe Institute's response to the study can be found here:
https://plasticpipe.org/pdf/whelton-response-news-release-12-20-20.pdf

Plastic Pipe Institute
469-499-1044
https://plasticpipe.org/

The Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association (PPFA) recently commissioned the law firm of Keller and Heckman LLP (K&H) to develop and coordinate testing on acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and chlorinated PVC (CPVC) pipes for the purpose of supporting our members efforts to comply with California’s Proposition 65 warning requirements.

Proposition 65 prohibits any person “in the course of doing business” in California from knowingly and intentionally exposing any individual to any chemical known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity without first providing a “clear and reasonable warning” to such individual (known and commonly referred to as a “Proposition 65 warning”).

While two chemicals commonly found in plastic pipes, carbon black and titanium dioxide (TiO₂), are listed as chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, the mere presence of Proposition 65 listed chemicals in a product does not necessarily lead to exposure requiring a Proposition 65 warning. For purposes of Proposition 65, a person must be exposed to “airborne, unbound particles of respirable size” of carbon black or TiO₂ in a product in order to trigger the Proposition 65 warning requirements. Accordingly, PPFA’s goal in commissioning the testing was to obtain K&H’s assessment of the potential for relevant exposure to these chemicals under the test conditions.

At PPFA’s direction, K&H coordinated screening-level air-sample testing to determine whether the ABS, PVC and CPVC pipes included in the test emitted or generated airborne and respirable particles of TiO₂ or carbon black when cut by various power tools under conditions similar to the typical installation process for such pipes. As expected, the test results did not reveal airborne, unbound particles of carbon black or TiO2 of respirable size.