Navigating U.S. Plumbing Code Changes, Part 5
Last Chance for Changes in this Code Cycle – January 2025
The code development processes are scheduled two or three years in advance and follow their schedules with minor date changes. The ICC Code Development Schedule and the IAPMO Code Development Timeline are live documents that code professionals rely on to stay on top of the processes.
The ICC code development process provides three dates to support or oppose a code change: the initial code hearing (held in April 2024), the second code hearing (held in October 2024), and the public comments hearing (to be held in April 2026). The public comments submission process tentatively opens on January 20th, 2025, with a deadline of March 14, 2025. ICC accepts public comments through its cdpACCESS website.
IAPMO offers two instances to support or oppose code changes: the initial code hearing (held in May 2024), the second code hearing (to be held in September 2025). The window for submission of public comments is open, closing on January 17, 2025. The comments must be submitted through its Codes Portal website.
Both ICC and IAMPO require online accounts to submit public comments.
Public comments serve as a mechanism to support or oppose code modifications. You cannot submit comments directly on the code, only on proposed modifications, but you can comment on your own proposals to provide additional arguments. Once published, the code is no longer open to comments, changes, or public review until the following cycle.
Both code developers will spend most of 2025 working through the submissions. IAPMO will hold the second code hearing during its technical meeting convention in September 2025, and ICC will meet for its public comments hearing in April 2026.
Meanwhile, it is not too early to start planning for the 2030 code editions. Code changes are highly strategic, and success depends on meticulous preparation and project management. You cannot be spontaneous when it comes to code development!
Contact me today to learn more about the code development process and the steps toward making a change in the 2030 edition.