Updated 2026-09-07

Building Code Glossary

Area Drain: Building Code Definition

How the IPC 2009 define area drain, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.

On this page

Last updated September 7, 2026 · Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control.

Add to Harth agentView as markdown

Direct answer

Area drain is a defined term in the International Plumbing Code (IPC) 2009, in Definitions. The code's own words are: “A receptacle designed to collect surface or storm water from an open area.” No other I-Code in this corpus defines it, so the IPC 2009 definition is the one to work from. The term is used in 3 chapters of this corpus, most often in Definitions (IPC 2009), Storm Drainage (IPC 2009), Storm Drainage (IRC 2009). These pages transcribe the 2009 model text; verify the definition against the edition and amendments your authority having jurisdiction has adopted. Record the jurisdiction, the adopted edition, the application date and any local amendment that rewrites the definition before you use it on a live project, because a term redefined by amendment changes every requirement that depends on it.

Content and cited inputs reviewed by Scott Barrington, Harth founder and architectural technology specialist · Published 2026-09-07 · Updated 2026-09-07.

What does this term mean?

Area Drain — IPC 2009, Definitions:

A receptacle designed to collect surface or storm water from an open area.

Labeled code-term definition diagram: Area Drain: Building Code Definition — How the IPC 2009 define area drain, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.

What must be verified before using this guidance?

Area Drain is defined once in this corpus, in the Definitions chapter of the International Plumbing Code (IPC) 2009:

A receptacle designed to collect surface or storm water from an open area.

Where area drain is used in the code

The term appears in 3 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next.

Chapter	Code	Mentions
Definitions	IPC 2009	1
Storm Drainage	IPC 2009	1
Storm Drainage	IRC 2009	1

The term in use

How the code actually writes about area drain, quoted from the 2009 text hosted here:

Subsoil drains shall discharge to a trapped area drain, sump, dry well or approvedlocation above ground.

— IPC 2009 §1111.1

The terms area drain is built out of

The definition above leans on 1 other defined term. Each carries its own code definition, and a local amendment to any of them changes what area drain covers:

Receptacle — IRC 2009: A receptacle is a contact device installed at the outlet for the connection of an attachment plug.

Area Drain: what to open, and in what order

Every row is a document this term depends on. The ICC code library and the ICC adoption maps cover the middle rows.

Check	Where	Confirmed
Read the definition in the adopted IPC	Definitions
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Definitions (IPC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Storm Drainage (IPC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Storm Drainage (IRC 2009)
Confirm the dependent definition	Receptacle
Local amendment to any of the above	Jurisdiction's amendment list

A research aid, not a code determination. The authority having jurisdiction decides which edition and which amendments apply.

Sources and method

Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The ICC code library publishes the current model text and the ICC adoption maps show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control.

Source links

Frequently asked questions

What is the code definition of area drain?

The International Plumbing Code (IPC) 2009 defines it in Definitions as: “A receptacle designed to collect surface or storm water from an open area.” The 2009 model text is reproduced here; the definition that binds your project is the one in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted, as amended locally.

Which parts of the code depend on area drain?

In this corpus the term is used across 3 chapters, led by Definitions in the IPC 2009. Those are the sections whose scope moves if the definition is amended locally, so read them together with Chapter 2 rather than on their own.

What is the purpose of an area drain?

In the 2009 I-Codes hosted here it is a defined term rather than a description. The IPC 2009 states, in Definitions: “A receptacle designed to collect surface or storm water from an open area.” It is defined in IPC 2009. Because it is a defined term, whatever the adopted edition says it means is what every section using it means — so check Chapter 2 of that edition and any local amendment before relying on this wording.

What is the definition of a building drain?

Building Drain is a separate defined term. The IRC 2009 defines it as: “The lowest piping that collects the discharge from all other drainage piping inside the house and extends 30 inches (762 mm) in developed length of pipe, beyond the exterior walls and conveys the drainage to the building sewer.” That is not the same as area drain, which the IPC 2009 defines as “A receptacle designed to collect surface or storm water from an open area.” — read both before applying either, and confirm the wording in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted.

Related pages

The AI-powered workspacefor architects.

Get started for free Continue in Harth