# Partitions between fixtures - 2006 IBC & IPC



## Papio Bldg Dept

I know I have seen a requirement for partitions between urinals in the code, but I am unable to find it today.  Is there a section of the code that regulates when partitions are required.  I have even looked in the accessibility chapter for scoping, and coming up blank.  Looking for a refresher.  Thanks.


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## Moscow

2009 IBC section 2903 will give you your answer

Good Luck

Justin

OOPS guess I should of read your post I also can not find it in the 2006


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## Papio Bldg Dept

Moscow said:
			
		

> 2009 IBC section 2903 will give you your answerGood Luck
> 
> Justin
> 
> OOPS guess I should of read your post I also can not find it in the 2006


Thx.  That is a new section in the 2009 code.  I swear I have seen the urinal partition requirement in the 2006 when more than one urinal is provided.  The search continues.


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## Papio Bldg Dept

Found it!  IPC 310.4 for water closets & 310.5 for urinals...sandwiched between 309 (Flood Hazard Resistance) and 311 (Toilet Facilities for Workers) in the General Requirements Chapter.  I can think of no better place to put it.  No wonder they moved it in the 2009 codes.  Thx again Moscow.  Your 2903 reference actually helped me to find it.


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## steveray

Hunhhh.....No 310.5 in my 2003,,,,,I will have to wait to catch up with the rest of the world....or do you think I can get there because the urinals are a substitution for the W/C....?


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## Examiner

Now take a look at the urinal screen's size especially the distance from the floor to the bottom and to the top of the urinal screen.  Manufacturers do not make the urinal screen tall enough.  Now look at the requirement for how far the urinal screen must project beyond the urinal basin.  It takes a 24" wide urinal screen to comply.


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## Papio Bldg Dept

Examiner said:
			
		

> Now take a look at the urinal screen's size especially the distance from the floor to the bottom and to the top of the urinal screen.  Manufacturers do not make the urinal screen tall enough.  Now look at the requirement for how far the urinal screen must project beyond the urinal basin.  It takes a 24" wide urinal screen to comply.


I wonder how many urinal troughs comply with the privacy requirements....one big urinal, no partition required.


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## peach

It's not a matter of partition spacing; it's a matter of center to center spacing of the fixtures. always 30".. not less than 15" from side wall, partition or vanity. IPC 405. hasn't changed in forever.

No requirement to separate urinals by code.. health department sometimes requires it.


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## mark handler

2010 CALIFORNIA PLUMBING CODE CPC TABLE 4-3

Each water closet shall occupy a separate compartment which shall be equipped with a door, door latch and clothes hook. The door and the walls or partitions between fixtures shall be sufficient to assure privacy.


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## peach

talking about urinals, not water closets


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## mark handler

peach said:
			
		

> talking about urinals, not water closets


My bad...........


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## peach

as long as you have at least 30" c/c of the urinals and at least 15" from c/l of urinal to partition (if installed - does not appear to be a code requirement), you're good.  IF you install partitions, your c/c of the urinals will be more than 30".

I don't know (and don't profess to know or CARE to know) how you guys do your business.


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## Pcinspector1

papio, I think there is a IBC2009 code change requiring the divider between a urinal be 6" past the lip, but I don't have a 2009 code book to confirm.

pc1


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## Examiner

_2006 IPC Section 310.5 Urinal partitions Each urinal utilized by the public or_

_employees shall occupy a separate area with walls or partitions to provide privacy....._

Yes urinal screens are required.

Trough urinals are no longer legal to install.  Existing installation are allowed to remain.


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## Yikes

In theory, a trough urinal is a single urinal ("each urinal").  A wall at each end of the trough would provide privacy from the sink area or from other urinal troughs.

Perhaps I'm making this into a code p*ssing contest.


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## Papio Bldg Dept

peach said:
			
		

> as long as you have at least 30" c/c of the urinals and at least 15" from c/l of urinal to partition (if installed - does not appear to be a code requirement), you're good.  IF you install partitions, your c/c of the urinals will be more than 30".I don't know (and don't profess to know or CARE to know) how you guys do your business.


Peach,  urinal partitions are required by the 2006(310.5) & 2009 IPC.  There are also female urinals (thx google images).  It seems the code allows urnials to be substituted for water closets regardless of sex.  I am not sure it's functionality is any of my business either.


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## peach

thanks... guess I was looking at the pretty diagram that doesn't show the partitions.


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## Papio Bldg Dept

steveray said:
			
		

> Hunhhh.....No 310.5 in my 2003,,,,,I will have to wait to catch up with the rest of the world....or do you think I can get there because the urinals are a substitution for the W/C....?


I think that is a reasonable extension as to the intent of the code, especially since later editions have added to the code to provide for privacy, which I believe to be the key noted intent of the code.  Whether or not you actually enforce it as a policy or as an amendment to the code is the question I would ask myself.  For designers, it is helpful to know all of the policies and amendments, as change orders do not often make for happy clients/owners/tenants.


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## steveray

I have a hard time getting hard, smooth,non-absorbant wall finishes on the plans we get.....on the first try at least....add another one to the review list...


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## Papio Bldg Dept

I agree. Getting fully code compliant details or specifications on first submittal is not typical for me either, unless I have spoken directly to the designer in the past.  I used to provide them with the code number (short of listing the actual code verbatum), and request them to clarify their means of compliance, in a hope that they would actually read it and commit some portion of it to memory.  No such luck here.  It almost has to be verbally and visually reviewed with the designer at the same time, usually by asking if they have their code book, have they read their code book, and then have them follow along as I read it out loud over the phone.


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## Builder Bob

One thing that you will have to keep in mind, I can have a wc and a urnial in a restroom with a privacy lock on the main door and it is still considered an unisex restroom . No partitions required.


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## Examiner

Bob, yes a urinal screen is not required in a private restroom or a unisex restroom.  However, we do not know if separate sex restrooms are required.

I was in an farily new office building some months ago that required separate sex restrooms and the restrooms were labeled Unisex.  There were two of these on the same floor close to each other.  I my opinion that was a code violation because the occupant load required separate sex restrooms prior to any Unisex.  Do not know if the building Owner or someone else allowed that signage.


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## peach

in our jurisdiction, single user restrooms CAN NOT LEGALLY be designated male or female.


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## Papio Bldg Dept

peach said:
			
		

> in our jurisdiction, single user restrooms CAN NOT LEGALLY be designated male or female.


That is actually an intriguing idea.  Has your jurisdiction always done this?  What is your general impression of not designating the sex, but rather providing two uni-sex restrooms?


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## thillhouse

Examiner said:
			
		

> Now take a look at the urinal screen's size especially the distance from the floor to the bottom and to the top of the urinal screen.  Manufacturers do not make the urinal screen tall enough.  Now look at the requirement for how far the urinal screen must project beyond the urinal basin.  It takes a 24" wide urinal screen to comply.


Does anyone know why the requirement for starting height and height above floor was added for the urinal screen in the 2009 IBC  310.5?  Its difficult to find a MFG that make a 48" high urinal screen.  Is it a privacy issue? accessibility issue or hygene issue?  Why is this in the plumbing code and not the building code?

Tim


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## north star

$ $

thillhouse,



1st, ...Welcome to The Building Codes Forum!

2nd, ...



> "Does anyone know why the requirement for starting heightand height above floor was added for the urinal screen in the 2009 IBC 310.5?"


 `09 IPC.

3rd, ...IMO, ...the requirement for the increased size of the partitions

is both for privacy & hygiene.....I would not want to be using a urinal

next to someone whose aim includes my shoes!

*$ $*


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## lunatick

I would like to know how often a plumber is installing or the engineering specifying the compartments and screens?

all they need to know is these items are about 1 inch thick.

It really belongs in the ibc.


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## lunatick

Papio Bldg Dept said:
			
		

> That is actually an intriguing idea.  Has your jurisdiction always done this?  What is your general impression of not designating the sex, but rather providing two uni-sex restrooms?


If I remember to on Monday, I will look up in one states code about Unisex. I recall that in one, for certain uses, a unisex would also have a urinal.


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## Paul Sweet

One more complication I just got hit with on a project nearing completion.  The code now requires urinal screens to project 2" from the wall.  If a 24" wide screen panel is installed, the anchors make it stick out to 24 1/2" or 25" from the wall, so the accessible urinal requires a 36" clear width.


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## lunatick

Paul Sweet said:
			
		

> One more complication I just got hit with on a project nearing completion.  The code now requires urinal screens to project 2" from the wall.  If a 24" wide screen panel is installed, the anchors make it stick out to 24 1/2" or 25" from the wall, so the accessible urinal requires a 36" clear width.


Should the clear floor for this really be measured from the rear wall? or from the effective front of the urinal?

I have seen graphics on clear floor space for wc, like to see if same for urinal.


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## mark handler

lunatick said:
			
		

> Should the clear floor for this really be measured from the rear wall? or from the effective front of the urinal?I have seen graphics on clear floor space for wc, like to see if same for urinal.


IT DEPENDS ON YOUR URINAL. Not all urinals are created equal. Does your urinal have knee and toe clearance complying with 306

ADASAD

304.3.1 Circular Space. The turning space shall be a space of 60 inches (1525 mm) diameter minimum. The space shall be permitted to include knee and toe clearance complying with 306


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## mark handler

There is no way every issue can be illustrated, just like every code issue is not illustrated in the code.

Sometimes brains must be used.....


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## mark handler

ICCI ANSI A 117.1

306.2 Toe Clearance.

306.2.1  General.  Space  beneath  an  element  between the floor and 9 inches (230 mm) above  the floor shall be considered toe clearance and  shall comply with Section 306.2.


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## lunatick

Examiner said:
			
		

> Now take a look at the urinal screen's size especially the distance from the floor to the bottom and to the top of the urinal screen.  Manufacturers do not make the urinal screen tall enough.  Now look at the requirement for how far the urinal screen must project beyond the urinal basin.  It takes a 24" wide urinal screen to comply.


http://www.bobrick.com/Documents/1080_td.pdf

They have one that starts at 12 and is 48 tall. so it would start at no more than 12 inches and extend up to 60 inches above the finish floor.

Where does it state the 24" wide screen?

I have seen 18 inch minimum and at least to extend out 6 inches from lip. But unless you are using a a large bowl urinal, It isn't going to be an issue.

I have seen provisions for surrounding materials. but that is just stating the finish on materials within a range of the urinal, etc needs to be so finished.

That stated, if you do have a screen extending out 24" or more, you will end up with clear floor space of 36 wide due to alcove requirements.

BTW,

1. put this crap in the IBC. It is where it belongs.

2. quit relocating this crap every edition.


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## lunatick

mark handler said:
			
		

> There is no way every issue can be illustrated, just like every code issue is not illustrated in the code. Sometimes brains must be used.....





			
				mark handler said:
			
		

> There is no way every issue can be  illustrated, just like every code issue is not illustrated in the code. Sometimes brains must be used.....


SAD elimated some of the helpful illustrations that existed in ADAAG.

That  stated, I don't believe there really is an issue here. I do not see  that the screens have to be 24 inches deep. IMO I think they are  confusing the requirements for finishes with the actual depth of the  screen.

But I do thank you for your posting.


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## mark handler

lunatick said:
			
		

> SAD eliminated some of the helpful illustrations that existed in ADAAG.


Many dimensions and clearances have changed in the new standards.  Especially as it relates to side clearances for toilets. So Yes it is good that those illustrations are deleted.

And exceptions which are, many times the rule, would also need to be illustrated.


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## peach

I found the privacy provisions in 2006 IPC (Third printing); it was a new provision in 2006 and may have been inadvertently excluded from the first 2 printings.

Papio, the law in the in the jurisdiction has something to do with the transgender community.. and they are starting to enforce it.


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