Article 01: Plumbing Code & Regulations

97-1.  Purpose.

The purpose of these regulations is to provide practical safeguards for sanitation to protect the public health against inadequate, defective or unsanitary plumbing installations and to enhance both the Town’s public water supply capacity and resiliency and the efficient functioning of its wastewater treatment facility and the related delivery and collection systems.

(Section 971 amended by Ord. #2013-04 dtd 4/1/13).

97-2.  Title.

These regulations shall be known and cited as the Plumbing Code of the Town of Durham, NH.

97-3.  Authority.

A.  Pursuant to RSA 674-51 New Hampshire State Statutes, the Town of Durham, N.H. hereby adopts the following regulations for the control of all matters concerning the design, demolition, alteration and installation of all components of water distribution systems and all components of waste disposal systems.

B.  The Town Administrator is hereby given the authority to enforce the provisions of this ordinance.

C.  Administrative Responsibility: The authority to administer this Ordinance is hereby vested in the Town Administrator who is also empowered to appoint a Code Enforcement Officer.

D.  Definitions:

           1.  Town Administrator: The Town employee who is appointed by the Council to manage the Town affairs.

           2.  Code Enforcement Officer: The Town employee who enforces and administers the Building, Electrical and Plumbing Codes.

           3.  Owner: The person or persons listed as the owner(s) of record of a property.

           4.  Plumbing Contractor: The Master Plumber responsible for obtaining the permit, supervising the work, and contacting the Code Enforcement Officer for inspection of work.

           5. WaterSense: A program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designed to identify and promote water-efficient products and practices. (Added by Ord. #2013-04 dtd 4/1/13).

97-4.  Plumbing code.

All work on water distribution systems and waste disposal systems, whether the removal, alteration, enlargement, or installation thereof, within the Town of Durham, NH, shall conform to the current International Plumbing Code and the International Mechanical Code as adopted by the State of New Hampshire  with the State of New Hampshire Plumbing Board Amendments and Town of Durham amendments. However, the standards in the table below shall be the standards for “Maximum Fixture and Fitting Flow Rates” for all connections to public water and/or sewer systems when associated with a new building permit, unless otherwise approved by the Director of Zoning, Building Codes & Health. All work shall be performed by a plumber licensed by the State of New Hampshire Plumbing Board as prescribed in RSA 329-A.

Maximum Fixture and Fitting Flow Rates for Reduced Water Consumption

For SI:   1 foot =304.8 mm, 1 gallon per cycle (gpc) = 3.8 Lpc, 1 gallon per flush (gpf) =3.8 Lpf, 1 gallon per minute (gpm) = 3.8 Lpm.

a.  Includes hand showers, body sprays, rainfall panels and jets. Showerheads shall be supplied by automatic compensating valves that comply with ASSE 1016 or ASME A112.18.l/CSA B125.1 and that are specifically designed to function at the flow rate of the showerheads being used.

b.  Gallons per cycle of water volume discharged from each activation of a metered faucet.

c.  A remote water closet is a water closet located not less than 30 feet upstream of other drain line connections or fixtures and is located where less than 1.5 drainage fixture units are upstream of the drain line connection.

d. The effective flush volume for a dual-flush water closet is defined as the composite, average flush volume of two reduced flushes and one full flush.

e.  In public settings, the maximum water use of a dual flush water closet is based solely on its full flush operation; not an average of full and reduced volume flushes.

(Section 97-4 amended  by Ord. #2013-04 dtd 4/1/13)

97-5.  Additional requirements.

A.  The casings of drilled wells shall be metallic. PVC and ABS plastic or other non-metallic casings are not acceptable.

B.  A building that is connected to a private well and/or a private water system shall have the water tested by a state certified laboratory for safe drinking quality prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy.

(Section 97-5 amended  by Ord. #2013-04 dtd 4/1/13)