# Ohio's plumbing code update: what the 2021 IPC adoption means for a repipe > Ohio's plumbing code rules effective October 15, 2025 incorporate the 2021 International Plumbing Code. What that means for a repipe in a Columbus house. URL: https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/blog/ohio-plumbing-code-update/ Ohio's current plumbing rules, effective October 15, 2025, build on the 2021 International Plumbing Code with state amendments. Here is who they cover, which water supply sections Ohio amended, and what changes and what doesn't for a homeowner planning a repipe. Last Updated: October 29, 2026 Ohio's current plumbing rules, effective October 15, 2025, build on the 2021 International Plumbing Code with state amendments. Here is who they cover, which water supply sections Ohio amended, and what changes and what doesn't for a homeowner planning a repipe. Last Updated: October 29, 2026 Ohio’s plumbing rules were updated with an effective date of October 15, 2025. The Ohio Plumbing Code, Ohio Administrative Code 4101:3, now incorporates chapters 2 through 15 of the 2021 International Plumbing Code, with Ohio’s own amendments layered on top. For most homeowners the news is quiet, but it sets the rules every repipe permit is inspected against. [Slate Repiping Columbus](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/) offers and manages permitted repipes across Columbus and nearby Franklin County communities, carried out by licensed and insured plumbing contractors, so here is what the update covers and what it means in practice. ## Who the code covers The Ohio Plumbing Code is not only for commercial buildings; the Residential Code of Ohio points to it. Section 2501.1 of the residential code makes the Ohio Plumbing Code govern plumbing in 1, 2 and 3 family homes, and the residential code’s own water supply sections are deleted in favor of the plumbing code. So a repipe in a Columbus single-family house, a double or a triplex is built to the same plumbing code as a larger building, with the residential details the code provides. Enforcement runs through certified building departments or the state’s Division of Industrial Compliance. Inside the City of Columbus that is Building and Zoning Services. In many suburbs, Franklin County Public Health reviews and inspects plumbing under contract while the city issues the permit. The [Columbus repiping permit guide](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/repiping-permit-columbus/) maps which office covers which address. ## What Ohio amended in the water supply chapter Chapter 6 of the International Plumbing Code covers water supply and distribution, the part a repipe lives in. Ohio’s amendments to that chapter touch several sections: - **603.2:** separation of the water service from the building sewer. - **605.2.1:** exceptions in the lead content requirements. - **605.3:** the language on listed materials. - **606.1 and 606.2:** where shutoff valves go. Ohio’s text calls for separate shutoffs for each unit in multi-unit buildings other than 1, 2 and 3 family homes, and fixture shutoffs in 1, 2 and 3 family homes, except at tubs and showers. - **607.5:** pipe insulation. No Ohio amendment was found to section 604.8, the model code’s pressure-reducing valve requirement, so the general rule stands: where static pressure inside a building exceeds 80 psi, a pressure-reducing valve belongs on the supply. The guide to [Columbus water pressure and hard water](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/columbus-water-pressure-hard-water/) explains how to check your own pressure. The amended text is long and specific. This post names the sections; the inspector and the code text decide how they apply to a given house. ## What it means for a repipe **Materials.** The 2021 International Plumbing Code lists PEX, CPVC and copper tube for water distribution. In Columbus, the choice between them is about the house, not the law. The [PEX vs copper guide](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/pex-vs-copper/) compares them, and [PEX repiping](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/pex-repiping/) and [copper repiping](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/copper-repiping/) explain each. **Lead-free parts.** Pipe, fittings and valves for drinking water have to meet lead-free requirements. That matters most in older Columbus houses, where, according to the City, brass fittings could contain up to 8% lead until 2014 and copper joints made before 1986 may hold lead solder. A repipe replaces those parts in the runs it covers. **Shutoffs.** With fixture shutoffs called for in 1, 2 and 3 family homes, a repipe includes stops at sinks and toilets, and the scope should say how tubs and showers are handled. In a building with four or more units, each unit’s shutoff becomes part of the design; see [commercial and multi-unit repiping](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/commercial-repiping/). A [manifold layout](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/manifold-vs-trunk-and-branch/) puts many of these valves in one place. **Insulation and testing.** Ohio’s amendment to the pipe insulation section is one more reason to ask how exposed runs will be insulated. Every repipe is also pressure tested before walls close and inspected while the pipe is visible. ## What does not change A code update does not, by itself, require anyone to replace plumbing that was lawfully installed under an earlier code. It applies to new work. A house with old galvanized pipe that still works is not out of compliance because the code moved on; it becomes a question when the pipe is replaced, extended or altered. The permit process also stays the same. Inside Columbus, the plumbing permit for a 1, 2 or 3 family home costs $275 with two inspections. A separate change came from Franklin County Public Health: since February 9, 2026, plumbing permit applications in the cities it serves have to include its plan review approval with a matching fixture count. That is a county procedure, not part of the state code update. For a full picture of the work the code governs, start with the [repiping guide](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/repiping-guide/), or call Slate Repiping Columbus with a question about your house. ## Questions about this post ### Does the Ohio plumbing code update mean my existing pipes have to be replaced? No. A plumbing code governs new work and alterations. It does not by itself require a house's existing, lawfully installed piping to be torn out. It matters when you repipe, because the new piping, valves and connections have to meet the code in force when the permit is issued. ### Does the Ohio Plumbing Code still allow PEX for a repipe? Yes. The Ohio Plumbing Code incorporates the 2021 International Plumbing Code, which lists PEX, CPVC and copper tube for water distribution. The choice between them comes down to the house, the route and the owner, not the code. ## Keep reading - Learn [Do you need a permit to repipe a house in Columbus?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/repiping-permit-columbus/)Which office issues the permit for your address, who is allowed to pull it, what it costs, what changed with county plan review in February 2026, and what happens when a repipe is done without one. - Decision Guide [PEX vs copper repiping: which fits your house?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/pex-vs-copper/)Both are allowed by the Ohio Plumbing Code. The choice turns on the house: its access, its exposure to cold and sunlight, the budget, and how long the owner plans to stay. - Learn [Does Columbus have hard water, and do you need a pressure-reducing valve?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/columbus-water-pressure-hard-water/)The City's own treatment numbers for each of its three plants, how that water treats old and new pipe, why nobody can quote you a Columbus street pressure, and how to tell whether your house needs a pressure-reducing valve. - Decision Guide [Should a PEX repipe use a manifold or trunk-and-branch layout?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/manifold-vs-trunk-and-branch/)How a home-run manifold and a trunk-and-branch layout each carry water to the fixtures, how they differ on flow, hot water wait, shutoffs and openings, and the house details that tip the choice. - Learn [How does repiping a house work?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/repiping-guide/)The whole picture in one place: what the water supply system is, why galvanized and older copper give out, how a repipe is scoped, permitted, installed and tested in Columbus, and what to ask before agreeing to one.