# Plumbing Appliance: Building Code Definition > How the IRC 2009, IPC 2009 define plumbing appliance, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term. - Canonical: https://harth.build/resources/glossary/plumbing-appliance/ - Last updated: 2026-09-07 - Data source: 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. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | | --- | --- | | Defined in | IRC 2009, IPC 2009 (2009 editions transcribed in this corpus) | | Primary source | IRC 2009 Definitions (model text, not a jurisdiction's adopted text) | | Chapters using the term | 3 (counted across the codes hosted here) | | Wording identical across codes | No (compare before citing one code's wording under another) | ## Direct answer Plumbing appliance is a defined term in the International Residential Code (IRC) 2009, in Definitions. The code's own words are: “An energized household appliance with plumbing connections, such as a dishwasher, food-waste grinder, clothes washer or water heater.” The IPC 2009 words it differently, in Definitions: “Anyone of a special class of plumbing fixtures intended to perform a special function. Included are fixtures having the operation or control dependent on one or more energized components, such as motors, controls, heating elements, or pressure- or temperature-sensing elements.” 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 3 chapters of this corpus, most often in Building Planning (IRC 2009), Definitions (IPC 2009), Definitions (IRC 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](https://nz.linkedin.com/in/barrington), Harth founder and architectural technology specialist · Published 2026-09-07 · Updated 2026-09-07.* ## What does this term mean? **Plumbing Appliance** — IRC 2009, Definitions: > An energized household appliance with plumbing connections, such as a dishwasher, food-waste grinder, clothes washer or water heater. ![Labeled code-term definition diagram: Plumbing Appliance: Building Code Definition](https://efwwel0vyt9vy5so.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/glossary/plumbing-appliance/diagram-1344.webp) *How the IRC 2009, IPC 2009 define plumbing appliance, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.* ## What must be verified before using this guidance? Two of the I-Codes in this corpus define **Plumbing Appliance**, and the wording is not identical — read the version that governs your question. | Code | Where it is defined | Definition | | --- | --- | --- | | IRC 2009 | [Definitions](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/irc-2009/definitions.md) | An energized household appliance with plumbing connections, such as a dishwasher, food-waste grinder, clothes washer or water heater. | | IPC 2009 | [Definitions](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/new-hampshire/ipc-2009/definitions.md) | Anyone of a special class of plumbing fixtures intended to perform a special function. Included are fixtures having the operation or control dependent on one or more energized components, such as motors, controls, heating elements, or pressure- or temperature-sensing elements. | ## Where plumbing appliance 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 | | --- | --- | --- | | [Building Planning](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/irc-2009/building-planning.md) | IRC 2009 | 7 | | [Definitions](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/new-hampshire/ipc-2009/definitions.md) | IPC 2009 | 3 | | [Definitions](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/irc-2009/definitions.md) | IRC 2009 | 3 | ## The terms plumbing appliance is built out of The definition above leans on 5 other defined terms. Each carries its own code definition, and a local amendment to any of them changes what plumbing appliance covers: - **[Water Heater](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/water-heater.md)** — IRC 2009: Any heating appliance or equipment that heats potable water and supplies such water to the potable hot water distribution system. - **[Appliance](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/appliance.md)** — IRC 2009: Utilization equipment, normally built in standardized sizes or types, that is installed or connected as a unit to perform one or more functions such as clothes washing, air conditioning, food mixing, deep frying, etc. - **[Energized](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/energized.md)** — IRC 2009: Electrically connected to, or is, a source of voltage. - **[Plumbing](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/plumbing.md)** — IRC 2009: For the purpose of this code, plumbing refers to those installations, repairs, maintenance and alterations regulated by Chapters 25 through 33. - **[Control](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/control.md)** — IRC 2009: A manual or automatic device designed to regulate the gas, air, water or electrical supply to, or operation of, a mechanical system. ## Plumbing Appliance: what to open, and in what order Every row is a document this term depends on. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-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 | Building Planning (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 | Water Heater | | | Confirm the dependent definition | Appliance | | | Confirm the dependent definition | Energized | | | 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](https://harth.build/resources/glossary.md) - [Water Heater: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/water-heater.md) - [Energized: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/energized.md) - [Appliance: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/appliance.md) - [Plumbing: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/plumbing.md) ## 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](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. ### Source links - [codes.iccsafe.org](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) - [iccsafe.org](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the code definition of plumbing appliance? The International Residential Code (IRC) 2009 defines it in Definitions as: “An energized household appliance with plumbing connections, such as a dishwasher, food-waste grinder, clothes washer or water heater.” 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 plumbing appliance? In this corpus the term is used across 3 chapters, led by Building Planning in the IRC 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 definition of a plumbing appliance? In the 2009 I-Codes hosted here it is a defined term rather than a description. The IRC 2009 states, in Definitions: “An energized household appliance with plumbing connections, such as a dishwasher, food-waste grinder, clothes washer or water heater.” 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. --- - Continue in Harth (open this topic in the Harth agent): https://app.harth.build/agent?context=%2Fresources%2Fglossary%2Fplumbing-appliance%2F - View this page in a browser: https://harth.build/resources/glossary/plumbing-appliance/ - All resources for agents: https://harth.build/llms.txt