Building Code Glossary
Emergency Floor Drain: Building Code Definition
How the IPC 2009 define emergency floor 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.
Direct answer
Emergency floor drain is a defined term in the International Plumbing Code (IPC) 2009, in Definitions. The code's own words are: “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.” 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), Vents (IPC 2009), Vents (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?
Emergency Floor Drain — IPC 2009, Definitions:
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.
What must be verified before using this guidance?
Emergency Floor Drain is defined once in this corpus, in the Definitions chapter of the International Plumbing Code (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.
Where emergency floor 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 | 2 |
| Vents | IPC 2009 | 2 |
| Vents | IRC 2009 | 2 |
The term in use
How the code actually writes about emergency floor drain, 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 emergency floor drain is built out of
The definition above leans on 4 other defined terms. Each carries its own code definition, and a local amendment to any of them changes what emergency floor drain covers:
- Indirect Waste Pipe — IRC 2009: A waste pipe that discharges into the drainage system through an air gap into a trap, fixture or receptor.
- 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 …
- Waste — IRC 2009: Liquid-borne waste that is free of fecal matter.
- Drain — IRC 2009: Any pipe that carries soil and water-borne wastes in a building drainage system.
Emergency Floor 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 | Vents (IPC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Vents (IRC 2009) | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Indirect Waste Pipe | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Floor Drain | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Waste | |
| 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
- Indirect Waste Pipe: Building Code Definition
- Floor Drain: Building Code Definition
- Waste: 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 emergency floor drain?
The International Plumbing Code (IPC) 2009 defines it in Definitions as: “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.” 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 emergency floor 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.
Is a floor drain considered a cleanout?
Cleanout is a separate defined term. The IBC 2009 defines it as: “An opening to the bottom of a grout space of sufficient size and spacing to allow the removal of debris.” That is not the same as emergency floor drain, which the IPC 2009 defines as “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.” — read both before applying either, and confirm the wording in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted.
Related pages
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