The new Massachusetts Uniform State Plumbing Code (248 CMR 10.00) was recently adopted with an effective date of December 8, 2023. Electronic versions of the new and old code can be found here. Listed below are some of the major changes from Section 10.10: Plumbing Fixtures:
- The most significant change to the plumbing code is the new allowance to provide Multi-User / Gender Neutral Toilet Rooms under the following criteria:
- At least one single-user restroom must be provided on the floor within 300 feet of the multi-user restroom.
- Each toilet is required to be separated by lockable partitions that extend from floor to ceiling to provide privacy. This may have implications on fire protection coverage, fire alarm notification, exhaust, etc., that should be reviewed.
- The number of fixtures is required to be calculated based on equal number of individuals per gender.
- Multi-User / Gender Neutral Toilet Rooms are not permitted to be installed for one gender and not the other.
- Existing multi-user restrooms are permitted to be converted to Multi-User / Gender Neutral Toilet Rooms without changing the partitions. Any new partitions installed in the future are required to be full height.
- The code is silent on whether urinals are permitted within these rooms (new or existing).
- New occupancies have been added to the table such as agricultural buildings (occupied/unoccupied), quasi professional stadiums, casino gaming and small structures (occupied/unoccupied).
- In general, the number of required lavatories has increased for most occupancies.
- The travel distance for reach restrooms has increased in most instances to 400 feet.
- All occupancies are permitted to go up or down one story to reach the required restrooms (except core facilities in a house of worship, K-12 student restrooms, and multi-story retail).
- Separate restrooms are no longer required for post-secondary students and staff.
- Urinals are no longer required for K-12 and post-secondary. Instead, urinals are permitted to be substituted for required toilets similar to other occupancies.
- Under the previous code, the number of fixtures was permitted to be calculated based on the actual number of occupants. The new code specifies how to determine the number of occupants for certain occupancies such as hospitals, medical buildings, places of business, retail, and public beaches.
- High/low drinking fountains are only permitted to count as one fixture.
The changes above are specific to plumbing fixture counts only. Contact the plumbing engineer on your projects to determine any code changes which may impact the plumbing system design. For additional information or to request for assistance on your project, please contact us at info@crcfire.com.