HEALTH DEPARTMENT, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 
KE0-XJLA.TI01TS 
GOVERNING 
Plumbing, House Drainage, and the Ventilation 
of House Sewers. 
• / O. 
[AC T authorizing the employment of an Inspector of Phw$iiio' in anc] 
for the District of Columbia, and for other purpostbsj* 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there 
shall be appointed by the Commissioners of the District of 
Columbia an Inspector of Plumbing for said District, whose 
duty it shall be to inspect all houses in course of erection, 
and pass upon the plumbing and sewerage of said houses. 
And the Health Officer of the District of Columbia is hereby au- 
thorized, under direction of the Commissioners, to execute and 
enforce regulations governing plumbing, house drainage, and 
the ventilation of house servers ; and any person who shall ne- 
glect or refuse to comply with the requirements of the said 
regulations when promulgated shall be punishable by a fine 
of from twenty-five to two hundred dollars for each and every 
such offense, or m default of payment of fine to imprisonment 
for thirty days. 
Approved January 25, 1881. 
In accordance with the foregoing act of Congress, and in 
pursuance of authority thereby conferred, the following reg- 
ulations are made and promulgated for the information and 
guidance of all concerned : 
Section 1. These regulations governing plumbing, house 
drainage, and the ventilation of house sewers, shall take effect1 
■ Act authoriz- 
ing appoint- 
ment ot Inspec- 
tor and execu- 
tion and en- 
forcement of 
regulations. 
Regulations to 
take effect. and be in force in the District of Columbia from and after 
June 15, 1881, and all work of the character named, placed 
in or upon any structure in the said District, shall be done 
in accordance with the provisions of the same. 
Sec. 2. 1. It shall be the duty of the Inspector of Plumbing, 
under direction of the Health Officer, to sign and issue all 
notices and certificates, to keep a daily record of his work, in- 
cluding all notices and applications received, violations of 
these regulations noted, and all other matters which may per- 
tain thereto ; to make daily, weekly, and quarterly reports, 
and an annual report of his operations to the Health Officer. 
2. He shall inspect all houses in course of erection, altera- 
tion, or repair, as often as may be necessary, and shall see 
that all plumbing, drainage, and sewerage work is done in 
accordance with the provisions of these regulations. 
3. He shall take and subscribe an oath or affirmation that he 
will faithfully perform the duties of his office, and shall, be- 
fore entering upon its duties, execute a bond to the District 
of Columbia in the sum of five thousand dollars with three 
sureties, to be approved by the Commissioners, conditioned 
upon the faithful performance of the duties of his office and 
for the benefit of all persons aggrieved by his acts or neglect. 
* Sec. 3. It shall be the duty of every person doing business 
as a plumber, or engaged in conducting plumbing or house 
drainage in the District of Columbia, to register his or her 
name in a book to be provided for that purpose at the Health 
Department, giving full name, residence, and place of busi- 
ness, and in case of removal from one place to another, in said 
District, to make change in said register accordingly. 
Sec. 4. Before proceeding to lay or construct any portion 
of the drainage system of any house the plumber shall file 
with the Health Officer, for the Inspector of Plumbing, a 
plan thereof, showing the said drainage system entire, from 
its connection with the main sewer to terminus in house, to- 
gether with the location of all branches, traps, ventilating 
pipes, &c. 
Duties of the 
Inspector of 
Plumbing. 
Report to be 
made. 
Houses to be 
inspected. 
Oath to be tak- 
en and bond 
entered into. 
Plumbers to 
be registered. 
Planofplumb- 
ing work to be 
filed at the 
Health Depart- 
ment. Sec. 5. 1. Every soil, drain, or waste pipe, aboveground, 
shall be of metal. All soil pipes above ground shall be of 
iron, with leaded joints, not less than three inches in diame- 
ter, and shall be extended, full size, through roof of house. 
2. No soil or drain pipe shall be laid under the house, unless 
absolutely unavoidable ; when necessary to lay a soil or drain 
pipe under house, said pipe shall be of iron, with leaded 
joints, and so located as to be accessible for inspection. 
3. All soil, drain, waste, and supply pipes shall he concen- 
trated as much as possible, protected from exposure, and shall 
be so located as to be readily accessible for inspection. 
4. All “safes” under basinsor refrigerators shall bedrained 
bv special pipes not directly connected with the sewer. 
5. No rain-water leader shall be used either as a soil pipe or 
as a ventilator for sewer. 
6. No brick or sheet metal flue shall be used as a sewer 
ventilator. 
7. Rain-water leaders, when used in connection with any 
part of the drainage system of a house, shall be of iron with 
leaded joints. 
8. All ironj soil, and sewer pipes shall be coated inside and 
out with coal tar pitch, asphalt, or some equivalent therefor, 
applied hot. 
9. The weight of all iron pipe used shall be not less than: 
For six-inch pipe, pounds per lineal foot. 
For five-inch pipe, “ “ “ “ 
For four-inch pipe, u “ “ 
For three-inch pipe, “ “ “ “ 
For two-inch pipe, “ “ “ “ 
10. All iron pipes before being concealed shall have open- 
ings stopped, and shall be filled with water and allowed to 
stand twenty-four hours for inspection. 
Sec. 6. 1. No traps shall be placed on or at the foot of 
vertical soil pipes. 
2. All water-closets, sinks, basins, wash-trays, &c., shall 
have suitable and approved traps placed as near as practica- 
ble to said fixtures. 
Material of 
soil, drain, or 
waste pipes. 
Soil and drain 
pipes not to be 
laid under 
house. 
Pipes to be 
concentrated as 
much as possi- 
ble. 
“Safes” to be 
drained by 
special pipes. 
Rain-water 
leaders not to be 
used as soil 
pipes or venti- 
lators. 
No brick or 
metal flue to be 
used as venti- 
lator. 
Leaders to be 
of iron when 
used in connec- 
tion with drain- 
age system. 
Iron pipes to 
be painted. 
Weight of 
pipe to be used. 
Iron pipes to 
be tested. 
No traps on 
vertical soil 
pipes. 
When traps 
shall be used. Double trap 
on main drain. 
3. A double trap,shall be placed on every main drain at 
an accessible point. 
Sec. 7. 1. Every main drain shall have an inlet for fresh 
air entering between the double trap and carried to such point 
on the outside of house as may be approved by the Inspector. 
2. Each and every trap shall have a special vent pipe, ot 
cast iron, extending either above roof of house or into soil 
pipe above highest fixture. 
3. The vent pipe for each water-closet trap shall be not less 
than two inches in diameter, and for traps under other fix- 
tures not less than one and one-lialf inches. 
Sec. 8. 1. All underground sewers shall be laid in 
trenches, cut at a uniform grade, and on a hydraulic 
base of four inches thickness. % - 
2. All sewer pipes shall have a fall of at least one-half 
inch to the foot. 
3. They shall be laid in straight lines. All changes in 
direction shall be made with curved pipes and all connections 
with Y-branch pipes. 
4. All connections of lead with iron pipes shall be made 
with brass thimbles, full size of iron pipe, and plumbers/' 
wiped joints. • 
Sec. 9. 1. No vault, sink, cesspool, or dry-well shall be 
in any way connected with the drainage system of any house. 
2. All overflow pipes from tanks and cisterns shall be pro- 
vided with traps as required in section six. 
3. All pipes from sinks, wash-trays, &c., shall be provided 
with strong metallic strainers, the meshes not exceeding one- 
sixteenth of an inch in diameter. 
Sec. 10. 1. Where water supply is not ample for proper 
flushing of water-closets, &c., the Inspector of Plumbing 
may, in his discretion, order the erection of a tank or cistern 
into which water may flow at night, or into which it may be 
pumped. 
Main drain to 
be ventilated. 
Ventilation of 
traps. 
Size of vent 
pipes. 
Manner in 
which sewers 
shall be laid. 
Fall pre- 
scribed. 
Changes in 
direction and 
branches. 
Connections of 
lead with iron 
pipes. 
Vaults, sinks, 
and cesspools 
not to be con- 
nected with the 
drainage sys- 
tem. 
Overflow 
pipes to be 
trapped. 
Strainers to 
be used. 
Tanks or cis- 
terns to be used 
when necessary 2. Cisterns or tanks erected for purposes described in the 
foregoing paragraph shall not have an overflow pipe con- 
nected with any drain, and water supply for domestic purposes 
shall not be drawn therefrom. 
3. Means for thorough flushing of all soil pipes, drain 
pipes, and water-closets, shall be provided in every case. 
Sec. 11. Sub-soil drains shall be provided wherever damp- 
ness of site of any proposed dwelling is known to exist. 
Sec. 12. 1. The Health Officer shall be notified promptly, 
in writing, and upon blank forms to be provided for that 
purpose, when the plumbing work on any house is completed 
and ready for inspection. 
2. The Health Officer shall direct the Inspector of Plumb- 
ing, immediately upon notification by the plumber, to pro- 
ceed at once to inspect and pass upon the work, and all in- 
spections shall be made promptly, not later than twenty-four 
hours after such notification. 
3. No part of the plumbing work of any house shall be 
covered, or in any manner hidden from view, until after such 
inspection has been made and a certificate of approval issued 
by the Inspector. 
4. The Inspector shall promptly condemn and order re- 
moval of any defective material, or of any work done other 
than in accordance with the provisions of these regulations. 
Sec. 13. Prosecutions for infringement upon the provisions 
of these regulations shall be made by information filed in the 
Police Court of the District of Columbia. 
Supply for do- 
mestic pur- 
poses not to be 
drawn from 
tank or cistern. 
Thorough 
flushing to be 
secured. 
Sub-soil drains 
to be provided 
for damp sites. 
Notification to 
be given by 
plumbers. 
Inspection to 
be made at 
once. 
Work to re- 
main exposed 
until after ap- 
proval. 
Workxlone not 
i u accordance 
with the regula- 
tions to be con- 
demned. 1 
How prosecu- 
tions shaii ue 
instituted.