Building Code Glossary
Bathroom Group: Building Code Definition
How the IRC 2009, IPC 2009 define bathroom group, 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.
Direct answer
Bathroom group is a defined term in the International Residential Code (IRC) 2009, in Definitions. The code's own words are: “A group of fixtures, including or excluding a bidet, consisting of a water closet, lavatory, and bathtub or shower. Such fixtures are located together on the same floor level.” The IPC 2009 defines the same term with different wording, so the controlling text depends on which code governs the question in front of you — the comparison below sets the versions side by side. The term is used in 4 chapters of this corpus, most often in Vents (IPC 2009), Vents (IRC 2009), Definitions (IPC 2009). These pages transcribe the 2009 model text; verify the definition against the edition and amendments your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
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?
Bathroom Group — IRC 2009, Definitions:
A group of fixtures, including or excluding a bidet, consisting of a water closet, lavatory, and bathtub or shower. Such fixtures are located together on the same floor level.
What must be verified before using this guidance?
Two of the I-Codes in this corpus define Bathroom Group, and the wording is not identical — read the version that governs your question.
| Code | Where it is defined | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| IRC 2009 | Definitions | A group of fixtures, including or excluding a bidet, consisting of a water closet, lavatory, and bathtub or shower. Such fixtures are located together on the same floor level. |
| IPC 2009 | Definitions | A group of fixtures consisting of a water closet, lavatory, bathtub or shower, including or excluding a bidet, an emergency floor drain or both. Such fixtures are located together on the same floor level. |
Where bathroom group is used in the code
The term appears in 4 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next.
| Chapter | Code | Mentions |
|---|---|---|
| Vents | IPC 2009 | 6 |
| Vents | IRC 2009 | 6 |
| Definitions | IPC 2009 | 1 |
| Definitions | IRC 2009 | 1 |
The term in use
How the code actually writes about bathroom group, quoted from the 2009 text hosted here:
The dry-vent connection for a horizontal wet-vent system shall be an individual vent or a common vent for any bathroom group fixture, except an emergency floor drain.
The terms bathroom group is built out of
The definition above leans on 3 other defined terms. Each carries its own code definition, and a local amendment to any of them changes what bathroom group covers:
- Emergency Floor Drain — IPC 2009: A floor drain that does not receive the discharge of any drain or indirect waste pipe, and that protects against damage from accidental spills, fixture overflows and leakage.
- Floor Drain — IRC 2009: A plumbing fixture for recess in the floor having a floor-level strainer intended for the purpose of the collection and disposal of waste water used in cleaning the floor and for the collection and disposal of accidental spillage to the …
- Drain — IRC 2009: Any pipe that carries soil and water-borne wastes in a building drainage system.
Bathroom Group: 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 IRC | Definitions | |
| Read the definition in the adopted IPC | Definitions | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Vents (IPC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Vents (IRC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Definitions (IPC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Definitions (IRC 2009) | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Emergency Floor Drain | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Floor Drain | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Drain | |
| 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.
Where can you explore related guidance?
- Explore all glossary guidance
- Emergency Floor Drain: Building Code Definition
- Floor Drain: Building Code Definition
- Drain: Building Code Definition
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 bathroom group?
The International Residential Code (IRC) 2009 defines it in Definitions as: “A group of fixtures, including or excluding a bidet, consisting of a water closet, lavatory, and bathtub or shower. Such fixtures are located together on the same floor level.” 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 bathroom group?
In this corpus the term is used across 4 chapters, led by Vents 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 considered a bathroom group?
In the 2009 I-Codes hosted here it is a defined term rather than a description. The IRC 2009 states, in Definitions: “A group of fixtures, including or excluding a bidet, consisting of a water closet, lavatory, and bathtub or shower. Such fixtures are located together on the same floor level.” It is defined in IRC 2009, 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 IRC plumbing code?
Plumbing is a separate defined term. The IRC 2009 defines it as: “For the purpose of this code, plumbing refers to those installations, repairs, maintenance and alterations regulated by Chapters 25 through 33.” That is not the same as bathroom group, which the IRC 2009 defines as “A group of fixtures, including or excluding a bidet, consisting of a water closet, lavatory, and bathtub or shower. Such fixtures are located together on the same floor level.” — read both before applying either, and confirm the wording in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted.
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