Table 2902.1 was revised in the 2015 Construction Code to align the Houston amendment for drinking fountains with the base code requirements.
The Houston amendment for Table 2902.1, footnote “i” was originally based on provisions of the Uniform Plumbing Code (Section 415) and the International Plumbing Code (Section 410) that exempt drinking fountains in certain occupancy conditions. It was never the intent of the previous Houston amendment to exempt larger occupancies and structures from the drinking fountain requirements of the code, and instead, was intended for small office settings or similar occupancies with an occupant load of 30 or less.
The wording of the previous amendment allowed for high occupancy structures to be exempt from the drinking fountain requirements of the code. Because bottled water coolers are not an adequate or feasible means of supplying drinking water to occupants in these high occupancy buildings/structures, it was recommended to change the wording of this amendment to better match its original intent, and the intent of the aforementioned model plumbing codes.
This change is not retroactive and existing conditions may continue until the existing structure is remodeled or altered. Drinking fountains will only need to be supplied when required by the Houston Existing Building Code.
For questions about this revision, please contact Code Development.