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Chapter 13 — HEALTH CARE FACILITIES AND MEDICAL GAS AND MEDICAL VACUUM SYSTEMS

California Plumbing Code (Title 24, Part 5) · 2022 edition · updated 2026-09-10 · California

Italicized text is a California amendment to the model code, as printed in the official publication.

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2022 CALIFORNIA PLUMBING CODE 267

268 2022 CALIFORNIA PLUMBING CODE

CHAPTER 13

HEALTH CARE FACILITIES AND MEDICAL GAS AND MEDICAL VACUUM SYSTEMS

1302.0 Design Requirements.

1303.0 Health Care Facilities.

1301.0 General Requirements.

1304.0 Medical Gas and Medical Vacuum Piping Sys-

tems.

1305.0 System Performance.

1307.0 Central Supply Systems.

1306.0 System Certification.

1308.0 Pressure-Regulating Equipment.

1309.0 Oxygen Concentrator Supply Units.

1310.0 Category 1 Medical Air Central Supply Sys-

tems.

1311.0 Compressor Intake.

1312.0 Medical Surgical Vacuum Central Supply Sys-

tems.

1313.0 Medical-Surgical Vacuum Exhaust.

1314.0 Valves.

1315.0 Station Outlets and Inlets.

1316.0 Pressure and Vacuum Indicator Locations.

1317.0 Warning Systems.

1318.0 Piping Materials for Field-Installed Positive

Pressure Medical Gas Systems.

1319.0 Piping Materials for Field-Installed Medical-

Surgical Vacuum Systems.

1320.0 Joints and Connections.

1321.0 Brazed Joints.

1322.0 Welded Joints.

1323.0 Installation of Piping and Equipment.

1324.0 Performance Criteria and Testing Category 1

(Gases, Medical Surgical Vacuum).

1326.0 Category 3 Piped Gas and Vacuum Systems.

1325.0 Category 2 Piped Gas and Vacuum Systems.

1327.0 Dental Gas and Vacuum Systems.

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▸Contents — California Plumbing Code (Title 24, Part 5)
California Plumbing Code (Title 24, Part 5)
  1. Chapter 1 — GENERAL CODE PROVISIONS
  2. Chapter 2 — DEFINITIONS
  3. Chapter 3 — GENERAL REGULATIONS
  4. Chapter 4 — PLUMBING FIXTURES AND FIXTURE FITTINGS
  5. Chapter 5 — WATER HEATERS
  6. Chapter 6 — WATER SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION
  7. Chapter 7 — SANITARY DRAINAGE
  8. Chapter 8 — INDIRECT WASTES
  9. Chapter 9 — VENTS
  10. Chapter 10 — TRAPS AND INTERCEPTORS
  11. Chapter 11 — STORM DRAINAGE
  12. Chapter 12 — FUEL GAS PIPING
  13. ▸Chapter 13 — HEALTH CARE FACILITIES AND MEDICAL GAS AND MEDICA…
    Overview
    1. 1302.1 Risk Categories. Activities, systems, or equipment
    2. 1302.2 Patient Care Spaces. The health care facility’s
    3. 1302.3 Anesthesia. It shall be the responsibility of the
    4. 1302.4 Wet Procedure Locations. It shall be the responsibility…
    5. 1303.1 Drinking Fountain Control Valves. Drinking
    6. 1303.2 Psychiatric Patient Rooms. Piping and drain
    7. 1301.1 Applicability. This chapter applies to the special fixt…
    8. 1301.2 Where Not Applicable. This chapter does not apply
    9. 1301.3 Conflict of Requirements. The requirements of
    10. 1301.4 Where Required. Construction and equipment
    11. 1301.5 Existing Systems. Only the altered, renovated, or
    12. 1303.3 Locations for Ice Storage. Ice makers or ice storage co…
    13. 1303.4 Sterilizers and Bedpan Steamers. Sterilizers
    14. 1303.5 Aspirators. Provisions for aspirators or other watersup…
    15. 1303.6 Drains. Drains shall be installed on dryers, aftercoole…
    16. 1303.7 Clinical Sinks. Clinical sinks shall be installed in
    17. 1303.8 Water Supply for Hospitals. Hospitals shall be
    18. 1303.9 Work Performed in Occupied Healthcare
    19. 1304.1 General. The installation of medical gas and medical va…
    20. 1304.2 Certification of Systems. Certification of medical gas …
    21. 1304.3 Construction Documents. Before a medical gas
    22. 1304.4 Extent of Work. Construction documents submitted
    23. 1304.5 Record. A record of as-built plans and valve identifica…
    24. 1305.1 Required Operating Pressures. Medical gas and
    25. 1306.3 Report Items. A report that includes the specific
    26. 1306.4 Components. Functioning of alarm components
    27. 1307.1 Terms. Where the terms medical gas or medical support g…
    28. 1305.2 Minimum Flow Rates. Medical gas and vacuum
    29. 1305.3 Minimum Station Outlets and Inlets. Station
    30. 1306.1 Certification. Prior to a medical gas or vacuum system …
    31. 1306.2 Certification Tests. Certification tests, verified and
    32. 1307.4 Materials. Materials used in central supply systems
    33. 1307.2 Nature of Hazards of Gas and Vacuum Sys-
    34. 1307.3 Permitted Locations for Medical Gases. Central supply s…
    35. 1308.1 Where Required. Pressure-regulating equipment
    36. 1308.2 Pressure Relief Valves. All pressure relief valves
    37. 1308.3 Pressure-Relief Valve Requirements. Central
    38. 1309.1 Oxygen Requirements. Oxygen concentrator supply units f…
    39. 1309.2 Particulate Size. Output shall have less than or
    40. 1309.3 Suitability. Materials of construction on the air side
    41. 1309.4 Compatible Materials. Materials of construction
    42. 1309.5 Oxygen Concentrator Components. The components that mak…
    43. 1309.6 Supply Air Quality. The supply air to the concentrators…
    44. 1309.7 Electrical Components. The oxygen concentrator
    45. 1309.8 Vent Valve. A vent valve shall be provided as follows:
    46. 1309.9 Valved Sample Port. A DN8 (NPS 1/4) valved
    47. 1309.10 Suitable Filter. At least one 0.1 micron filter suitab…
    48. 1309.11 Check Valve. A check valve shall be provided at
    49. 1310.4 Medical Air Receivers. Receivers for medical air
    50. 1310.5 Valves. A medical air receiver(s) shall be provided
    51. 1309.12 Outlet Valve. An outlet valve shall be provided to
    52. 1309.13 Oxygen Concentration Monitor. The oxygen
    53. 1310.1 Quality of Medical Air. Medical air shall be
    54. 1310.2 Uses of Medical Air. Medical air sources shall be
    55. 1310.3 Medical Air Compressors. Medical air compressors shall …
    56. 1312.2 Medical-Surgical Vacuum Sources. Medicalsurgical vacuum…
    57. 1312.3 Vacuum Receivers. Receivers for vacuum shall
    58. 1312.4 Vacuum Filtration. Central supply systems for vacuum sh…
    59. 1311.1 Air Sources. Air sources for medical air compressors sh…
    60. 1311.2 Medical Air Compressor Source. The medical
    61. 1311.3 Air Intakes. Compressor intake piping shall be permitte…
    62. 1311.4 Location. Medical air intakes shall be located as follo…
    63. 1311.5 Separate Compressors. Air intakes for separate
    64. 1311.6 Screening. The end of the intake shall be turned
    65. 1312.1 General. The vacuum plant shall be installed in a
    66. 1312.5 Piping Arrangement and Redundancies. Piping arrangement…
    67. 1312.6 Piping Serviceability. The medical-surgical vacuum rece…
    68. 1312.7 Shutoff Valve. Medical-surgical vacuum central
    69. 1313.1 Vacuum Source Exhausts. The medical-surgical
    70. 1313.2 Location. The exhaust shall be located as follows:
    71. 1313.3 Screening. The end of the exhaust shall be turned
    72. 1313.4 Dips and Loops. The exhaust shall be free of dips
    73. 1313.5 Multiple Pumps. Vacuum exhausts from multiple
    74. 1314.1 Gas and Vacuum Shutoff Valves. Shutoff valves
    75. 1314.2 Security. All valves, except valves in zone valve
    76. 1314.3 Labeled. All valves shall be labeled as to gas supplied…
    77. 1314.4 Accessibility. Zone valves shall be installed in
    78. 1314.5 Valve Types. New or replacement valves shall be
    79. 1314.10 Zone Valves. All station outlets/inlets shall be suppl…
    80. 1314.11 In-Line Shutoff Valves. Optional in-line valves
    81. 1314.12 Valves for Future Connections. Future connection valve…
    82. 1315.1 General. Each station outlet/inlet for medical gases
    83. 1315.2 Required Valves. Each station outlet shall consist
    84. 1314.6 Source Valves. A shutoff valve shall be placed at the
    85. 1314.7 Main Line Valve. A shutoff valve shall be provided
    86. 1314.8 Riser Valves. Each riser supplied from the main line
    87. 1314.9 Service Valves. Service valves shall be installed to
    88. 1315.15 Post Installation. After installation of the piping,
    89. 1316.1 Isolation. A pressure-relief valve shall not be isolate…
    90. 1316.2 Pressure and Vacuum Indicator Locations.
    91. 1317.1 Category 1. All master, area, and local alarm systems u…
    92. 1315.3 Secondary Valve. The secondary valve (or assembly) shal…
    93. 1315.4 Identification. Each outlet/inlet shall be legibly iden…
    94. 1315.5 Threaded Outlets/Fittings. Threaded
    95. 1315.6 Gas-Specific Station Outlet/Inlet. Each station
    96. 1315.7 Common Parts. The use of common parts in outlets/inlets…
    97. 1315.8 Marking of Components. Components of a vacuum station i…
    98. 1315.9 Components Not Specific to a Vacuum. Components of inle…
    99. 1315.10 Factory-Installed Copper Inlet Tubes. Factoryinstalled…
    100. 1315.11 Factory-Installed Copper Outlet Tubes. Factory-install…
    101. 1315.12 Protection from Damage. Station outlets/inlets
    102. 1315.13 Multiple Wall Outlets/Inlets. When multiple wall
    103. 1315.14 Nonstandard Operation Pressures. Station
    104. 1318.1 General. The provisions of this section shall apply
    105. 1318.2 Cleaning. Tubes, valves, fittings, station outlets, and
    106. 1318.3 Delivery. Each length of tube shall be delivered
    107. 1318.4 Tubes for Medical Gas Systems. Tubes shall be
    108. 1318.5 Manufacturer Markings. ASTM B819, medical gas
    109. 1318.6 Documentation. The installer shall furnish documentatio…
    110. 1319.1 Tubes for Medical Vacuum Systems. Piping for
    111. 1320.1 General. This section sets forth the requirements for
    112. 1320.2 Changes in Direction. Positive pressure patient
    113. 1321.1 Brazed Joints and Fittings. Fittings shall be
    114. 1321.2 Tube Joints. Brazed tube joints shall be the socket
    115. 1321.3 Filler Metals. Filler metals shall bond with and be
    116. 1321.4 Copper-to-Copper Joints. Copper-to-copper
    117. 1321.5 Accessible. Joints to be brazed in place shall be
    118. 1321.6 Purging. Braze joints shall be continuously purged
    119. 1321.7 Tube Ends. Tube ends shall be cut square using a
    120. 1321.8 Cleaning Procedures. The interior surfaces of
    121. 1321.9 Brazing Dissimilar Metals. Flux shall only be
    122. 1321.10 Nitrogen Purge. When brazing, joints shall be
    123. 1321.11 Assembling and Heating Brazed Joints. Tube
    124. 1321.12 Inspection of Brazed Joints. After brazing, the
    125. 1322.1 Welded Joints Procedure. Welded joints for
    126. 1322.6 Other Types of Fittings. Listed or approved metallic ga…
    127. 1322.7 Prohibited Joints. The following joints shall be
    128. 1323.1 Required Pipe Sizing. Piping systems shall be
    129. 1322.2 Welding for Stainless Tube. Stainless tube shall
    130. 1322.3 Memory Metal Fittings. Memory metal fittings
    131. 1322.4 Axially Swaged Fittings. Axially swaged, elastic
    132. 1322.5 Threaded Fittings. Threaded fittings shall meet the
    133. 1323.2 Pipe Protection. Piping shall be protected against
    134. 1323.3 Location of Piping. Piping risers shall be permitted to…
    135. 1323.5 Frost Protection. Buried piping outside of buildings sh…
    136. 1323.4 Pipe Support. Piping shall be supported from the
    137. 1323.6 Connectors. Hose and flexible connectors, both
    138. 1323.7 Prohibited System Interconnections. Two or
    139. 1323.8 Manufacturer’s Instructions. The installation of
    140. 1323.9 Changes in System Use. Where a positive-pressure medica…
    141. 1323.10 Qualifications of Installers. The installation of
    142. 1323.11 Qualification of Brazing Procedures and
    143. 1323.12 Breaching or Penetrating Medical Gas Pip-
    144. 1323.13 Labeling, Identification and Operating Pres-
    145. 1323.14 Identification of Shutoff Valves. Shutoff valves
    146. 1323.15 Identification. Station outlets and inlets shall be
    147. 1324.1 Where Required. Inspection and testing shall be
    148. 1324.2 Breached Systems. All systems that are breached
    149. 1324.3 Test Gas. The test gas shall be oil-free, dry nitrogen
    150. 1324.4 Initial Piping Blowdown. Piping in medical gas
    151. 1324.5 Initial Pressure Tests – Medical Gas and Vac-
    152. 1325.11 Category 2 Distribution. Level 2 systems shall
    153. 1325.12 Labeling and Identification. Category 2 systems shall …
    154. 1325.13 Performance Criteria and Testing — Cate-
    155. 1326.1 General. Category 3 piped gas and vacuum systems
    156. 1326.2 Nature of Hazards of Gas and Vacuum Sys-
    157. 1326.3 Medical Air Supply Systems. Category 3 systems shall co…
    158. 1326.4 Oxygen Central Supply Systems Using Con-
    159. 1326.5 Medical–Surgical Vacuum. Category 3 systems
    160. 1325.1 General. Category 2 piped gas or piped vacuum system re…
    161. 1325.2 Nature of Hazards of Gas and Vacuum Sys-
    162. 1325.3 Central Supply Systems. Category 2 systems
    163. 1325.4 Category 2 Medical Air Supply Systems. Category 2 syste…
    164. 1325.5 Oxygen Concentrators. Oxygen supply systems
    165. 1325.6 Category 2 Medical-Surgical Vacuum. Category 2 systems …
    166. 1325.7 Valves. Category 2 systems shall comply with Section 13…
    167. 1325.8 Station Outlets and Inlets. Category 2 systems
    168. 1325.9 Pressure and Vacuum Indicators. Category 2
    169. 1325.10 Warning Systems (Category 2). Warning systems associat…
    170. 1327.4 Initial Pressure Test. Each section of the piping in
    171. 1326.6 Valves. Category 3 systems shall comply with Section 13…
    172. 1326.7 Station Outlets and Inlets. Category 3 systems
    173. 1326.8 Pressure and Vacuum Indicators. Category 3
    174. 1326.9 Warning Systems. Warning systems associated
    175. 1326.10 Distribution. Category 3 systems shall comply
    176. 1326.11 Labeling and Identification. Category 3 systems
    177. 1327.1 General. Dental gas and vacuum systems shall comply wit…
    178. 1327.2 Emergency Shutoff Valves (Oxygen and
    179. 1327.3 Warning Systems (Oxygen and Nitrous
    180. 1327.5 Maximum Copper Tube Support Spacing. The
    181. 1327.8 Verifier Operational Pressure Test. Operational
    182. 1327.6 Maximum Plastic Pipe Support Spacing. The
    183. 1327.7 Standing Pressure Tests for Oxygen and
  14. Chapter 14 — FIRESTOP PROTECTION
  15. Chapter 15 — ALTERNATE WATER SOURCES FOR NONPOTABLE APPLICATIONS
  16. Chapter 16 — NONPOTABLE RAINWATER CATCHMENT SYSTEMS
  17. Chapter 17 — REFERENCED STANDARDS
  18. Appendix A — RECOMMENDED RULES FOR SIZING THE WATER SUPPLY SYS…
  19. Appendix B — EXPLANATORY NOTES ON COMBINATION WASTE AND VENT S…
  20. Appendix C — ALTERNATE PLUMBING SYSTEMS
  21. Appendix D — SIZING STORM WATER DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
  22. Appendix E — MANUFACTURED/MOBILE HOME PARKS AND RECREATIONAL V…
  23. Appendix F — FIREFIGHTER BREATHING AIR REPLENISHMENT SYSTEMS
  24. Appendix G — SIZING OF VENTING SYSTEMS
  25. Appendix H — PRIVATE SEWAGE DISPOSAL SYSTEMS
  26. Appendix I — INSTALLATION STANDARDS
  27. Appendix J — COMBINATION OF INDOOR AND OUTDOOR COMBUSTION AND …
  28. Appendix K — POTABLE RAINWATER CATCHMENT SYSTEMS
  29. Appendix L — SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES
  30. Appendix M — PEAK WATER DEMAND CALCULATOR
  31. Appendix N — IMPACT OF WATER TEMPERATURE ON THE POTENTIAL FOR …

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