PLUMBING

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland pt. THREE, pt. IIIE, tit. XIII, ch. 3133

in effect

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 3133.01 Scope and Application

§ 3133.01 Scope and Application (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) hereof, the provisions of OAC Chapter 4101:2-51 and this chapter shall govern the installation, alteration, removal, replacement, and repair of all drainage systems, plumbing systems, water supply systems, and gas piping, and of all parts thereof in all buildings including non-industrialized single-family, two (2) family and three (3) family dwelling houses. (b) The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to gas service mains from the street main to the meter, nor to the installation of gas meters by the utility organization supplying gas; nor to gas piping installations of the utility organization made on their own or public premises and part of the general gas supply and distribution system for the City of Cleveland and surrounding communities; nor to the installation of sewers or water mains by City authorities having jurisdiction over public sewers and public water distribution systems.

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 3133.02 Permit Required; Exception for Minor Repairs

§ 3133.02 Permit Required; Exception for Minor Repairs (a) Except as provided in division (b) of Section 3133.01, no drainage system, plumbing system, water supply system, or part of one, shall be installed, altered, removed, replaced, or repaired without a permit from the Commissioner, except that “minor repairs”, shall not require a permit. “Minor repairs” means the repairing of an existing fixture; the replacement of faucets or valves or parts thereof with like material or material serving the same purpose; the clearance of stoppages; the stopping of leaks; the relieving of frozen pipes; and other minor replacement or repairs classified as “minor repairs” by the Commissioner, provided no changes other than those specifically permitted are made in the piping to the fixtures or in the drainage, vent or water supply system, and provided further that the permitted clearance of stoppages can be done without the use of power driven equipment or cutting into piping or fittings, and the permitted stopping of leaks can be effected without replacement of drainage or vent piping. Except as otherwise provided in these Codified Ordinances, all plumbing for which a permit is required shall be done by installers licensed or authorized to do such work under the applicable provisions of Chapter 3107. (b) Except as provided for “minor repairs” in division (a) of this section, no fixture, device, appliance or equipment shall be connected to a plumbing system or water supply system without a permit from the Commissioner. No water-connected air conditioning equipment, water treatment equipment, water operated devices, or other water connected equipment or devices shall be installed or connected without a permit from the Commissioner. (Ord. No. 377-03. Passed 5-19-03, eff. 5-27-03)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 3133.03 Drawings Required

§ 3133.03 Drawings Required (a) Whenever necessary to adequately indicate or explain the scope or manner of a proposed installation, replacement or repair, or its relation to existing installations or equipment; and whenever a new soil stack, vent stack, house drain or any part thereof is to be installed, drawings showing the proposed work shall be submitted with the application for a permit. (b) Application for permit to install sanitary or storm drainage, regulated under provisions of Section 3133.05(b) shall be accompanied by plans prepared by and which bear the seal of a registered architect, registered landscape architect, or a registered professional engineer.

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 3133.04 Ohio Plumbing Code

§ 3133.04 Ohio Plumbing Code All plumbing shall be in accordance with the Ohio Plumbing Code, being OAC Chapter 4101:2-51 as adopted in Chapter 3111, unless other regulations are specified in this chapter or in other ordinances of the City.

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 3133.05 Required Sanitary Drainage, Storm Drainage and Water Supply Systems

§ 3133.05 Required Sanitary Drainage, Storm Drainage and Water Supply Systems (a) Sanitary Drainage. (1) Every building or other structure or premises in or on which plumbing fixtures are installed or in or on which liquid or water-borne wastes accumulate shall be equipped with an approved drainage and plumbing system to convey all liquid or water-borne wastes to a public sewer; provided that where a public sewer is not available, other approved provisions shall be made for disposing of such wastes in conformity with the provisions of this chapter and other applicable laws, ordinances, rules or regulations. (2) Every cellar, basement and other space wholly or partly below grade level within a building shall be kept free from ground or surface water. Where necessary for the removal of ground or surface water, floor drains shall be installed with drainage therefrom conducted to the public sewer or, where a public sewer is not available, to an approved place of disposal. (3) The drainage and plumbing system for each building or other structure shall be entirely separate and independent of every building drainage or plumbing system serving another building or other structure, except that buildings or other structures on the same premises and under the same ownership may be connected to the same building sewer, and except that where one (1) building stands in the rear of another building on an interior lot and a separate building sewer cannot be provided for the rear building through an alley, yard, or other open public space, the building drain of the front building may be connected to serve the rear building when such building drain of the front building is of adequate size and in suitable condition to serve both front and rear buildings and such dual use is approved by the Director of Building and Housing. (4) Existing building drains and building sewers shall not be used to serve new buildings or new plumbing until examined and tested under the direction of the Commissioner and approved for such use. (b) Storm Water Drainage. Roofs and paved areas, yards, courts, and open shafts and every open excavation or part of a lot or premises where water stands or accumulates shall be drained into a storm- sewer system or a combined sewer system or, they shall be drained to an approved receptacle or conducted to a point of disposal approved by the Director of Building and Housing; except that roof gutters or drains and downspouts shall not be mandatory on buildings or structures of miscellaneous occupancy classification. (c) Water Supply Systems. All buildings or other structures or premises equipped with plumbing fixtures shall have provisions for supplying fixtures with an adequate supply of water. (Ord. No. 1767-07. Passed 4-21-08, eff. 4-28-08)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 3133.06 Responsibility for and Correction of Violations

§ 3133.06 Responsibility for and Correction of Violations (a) As provided by Section 3101.09, the owner of a building or other structure or premises in or on which drainage, plumbing, water supply, or gas piping is installed, altered, replaced, repaired or maintained shall be responsible for every violation of any provisions of this chapter. (b) Any person, firm, or corporation who performs work for which a permit is required by OBBC or this Building Code, without first having obtained a permit therefor, and every person, firm, or corporation who violates or assists in the violation of any provision of this chapter, shall also be responsible and liable for such violation and subject to the penalty provided in Section 3103.99. (c) Whenever deemed necessary in the public interest the Commissioner may order the immediate removal or disconnection of any device, appliance, or installation forming part of a drainage, plumbing, water supply, or gas piping installation found to be in an unsafe or insanitary condition or hazardous to the health of the occupants, or to the public health. (d) Whenever any installation of drainage, plumbing or water supply is found to be in an unsafe or insanitary condition, and whenever any installation of gas piping is found to be in an unsafe condition, the owner of such installation shall, when ordered to do so by the Commissioner, promptly correct such unsafe or insanitary condition within the time limit specified in such order. Whenever an unsafe or insanitary condition is not corrected within the time limit specified by the Commissioner and such condition is deemed hazardous to the occupants, the Commissioner shall post a placard on the premises stating “DANGEROUS AND INSANITARY PLUMBING”, or “DANGEROUS: GAS PIPING IN UNSAFE CONDITION”, whichever shall apply. Such placard shall not be removed without the authorization of the Commissioner. Whenever such placard is posted the Commissioner shall have the authority to order that the building or part of the building or the premises on which such unsafe or insanitary condition exists be vacated and not occupied or re-occupied until the condition has been corrected and authority for the removal of the placard has been given in writing by the Commissioner.

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 3133.07 Classifications of Sanitary Drainage Systems

§ 3133.07 Classifications of Sanitary Drainage Systems (a) For the purposes of OBBC and this Building Code, sanitary drainage systems and parts thereof and the fixtures connected thereto shall be classified according to the assumed frequency of use as determined by location and occupancy as either private installations, public installations, or dual occupancy installations. (b) Private Installations. Private installations are installations where the plumbing fixtures are installed within a dwelling unit or habitable room or within a private bathroom, water closet compartment or wash room and are accessible to and intended for use only by a family or a limited number of individuals, and include installations where the plumbing fixtures are installed in dwelling houses, apartments, private bathrooms in hotels, private toilet rooms accessible to not more than five (5) persons, or are similarly located and subject to correspondingly limited use only. (c) Public Installations. Public installations are installations where the plumbing fixtures are not located and intended for use as described for private installations, and include all installations, except in dwelling houses, where the fixtures are located in general toilet rooms. (d) Dual Occupancy Installations. Dual occupancy installations are plumbing installations which are in part private installations and in part public installations where the plumbing fixtures are served by drainage or vent systems common to both installations.

Source: City of Cleveland, Ohio, Codified Ordinances and City Charter (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/cleveland/latest/cleveland_oh/0-0-0-20882Fetched: 11/1/2026