Provides that the New York state uniform fire prevention and building code shall address standards requiring the use of a water demand calculator to determine pipe and fixture sizing for use in new construction and substantial renovations of single-family and multi-unit residential buildings; directs the chairperson of the state fire prevention and building code council to appoint an advisory board to monitor the use of water demand calculators in new construction and substantial renovations and to monitor and keep records of cost savings resulting from the use of such water demand calculators.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10505
IN SENATE
May 15, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. KAVANAGH -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Housing, Construction and
Community Development
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to requiring the use of a
water demand calculator in new construction and substantial reno-
vations and establishing an advisory board to monitor such usage
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 378 of the executive law is amended by adding a new
2 subdivision 21 to read as follows:
3 21. a. Standards for the use of a water demand calculator in new
4 construction and substantial renovations requiring that:
5 (i) all plumbing system designers, architects, and builders shall use
6 a water demand calculator to determine pipe and fixture sizing for use
7 in all covered buildings;
8 (ii) calculations for pipe and fixture sizing based on a water demand
9 calculator shall be submitted as part of any construction permit appli-
10 cation for a covered building;
11 (iii) building permit approval for covered buildings shall be contin-
12 gent upon verified use of a water demand calculator; and
13 (iv) failure to comply with the requirements of this paragraph shall
14 result in design rejection or delayed permits for covered buildings.
15 b. The council shall be authorized to certify water demand calculators
16 deemed technically sound for use in covered buildings.
17 c. As used in this subdivision, the following terms shall have the
18 following meanings:
19 (i) "Water demand calculator" shall mean an algorithm, such as the
20 uniform plumbing code appendix M water demand calculator, certified
21 pursuant to paragraph b of this subdivision to be used to estimate the
22 water demand of a building.
23 (ii) "Covered building" shall mean any new construction or substantial
24 renovation of a single-family or multi-unit residential building.
25 (iii) "Substantial renovation" shall mean a project that involves the
26 full replacement of a plumbing system, significant changes to existing
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13879-01-5
S. 10505 2
1 plumbing systems, and renovations or conversions that require new plumb-
2 ing layout permits. "Substantial renovation" shall not include struc-
3 tural or cosmetic renovations which require permitting but are unrelated
4 to plumbing systems.
5 § 2. Section 374 of the executive law is amended by adding a new
6 subdivision 10 to read as follows:
7 10. a. The chairperson of the council shall appoint an advisory board
8 on water demand calculator usage in covered buildings.
9 b. Such advisory board shall monitor the use of water demand calcula-
10 tors in new construction and substantial renovations of covered build-
11 ings pursuant to the provisions of subdivision twenty-one of section
12 three hundred seventy-eight of this article, and shall monitor and keep
13 records of cost savings resulting from the use of such water demand
14 calculators in covered buildings.
15 c. As used in this subdivision, the following terms shall have the
16 following meanings:
17 (i) "Water demand calculator" shall mean an algorithm, such as the
18 uniform plumbing code appendix M water demand calculator, certified
19 pursuant to paragraph b of subdivision twenty-one of section three
20 hundred seventy-eight of this article to be used to estimate the water
21 demand of a building.
22 (ii) "Covered building" shall mean any new construction or substantial
23 renovation of a single-family or multi-unit residential building.
24 (iii) "Substantial renovation" shall mean a project that involves the
25 full replacement of a plumbing system, significant changes to existing
26 plumbing systems, and renovations or conversions that require new plumb-
27 ing layout permits. "Substantial renovation" shall not include struc-
28 tural or cosmetic renovations which require permitting but are unrelated
29 to plumbing systems.
30 § 3. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
31 law.
