OT : installing drains for a garage. Any restrictions for residential zoned area?

Spud · Jul 4, 2021

Say I want to put up a pole-barn house + hobby shop in an area zoned residential. Can I have floor drains installed for the garage area, for when I wash vehicles ? Is the grease and dirt run-off subject to special restrictions ? Isn't it the same as washing your car or truck in the driveway ?

Vecair · Jul 4, 2021

We cannot put floor drains here in Arizona or Calif without approval from the building dept and they must have catch basins for contaminates such as oil, fuel etc. You might want to check with your local building dept to make sure before proceeding. Most will want them depicted on your plans and approved. A garage is not a driveway.

SteveF · Jul 5, 2021

If you want an answer that is valid for your jurisdiction, the only way you are going to get it is to call your local building inspections office and ask one of the inspectors. Helping people do things that are code compliant is what they do.

Steve

john.k · Jul 5, 2021

Funny this is mentioned......today ,the roofwater drainage to street was completed on my new shed ......this drainage must be code compliant ,and recieve a certificate ,for the final certification of my new shed......So hows this .....two young tradies (qualified plumbers) arrive at 8 ish,after telling me to be there at 7 sharp,exacavator is already there (young tradies DO NOT dig!).....drains finished at just after 2pm,say 2.30 to be generous .....much fooling about,working in slow motion,and one hour lunch ......maybe 3 hours easy work......cost $6150 .00.....and thats with our special discount! says the youngest ......young tradies in $100k 4x4 dualcabs are the new kings of the world.

moonlight machine · Jul 5, 2021

john.k said:
Funny this is mentioned......today ,the roofwater drainage to street was completed on my new shed ......this drainage must be code compliant ,and recieve a certificate ,for the final certification of my new shed......So hows this .....two young tradies (qualified plumbers) arrive at 8 ish,after telling me to be there at 7 sharp,exacavator is already there (young tradies DO NOT dig!).....drains finished at just after 2pm,say 2.30 to be generous .....much fooling about,working in slow motion,and one hour lunch ......maybe 3 hours easy work......cost $6150 .00.....and thats with our special discount! says the youngest ......young tradies in $100k 4x4 dualcabs are the new kings of the world.

Same shit on this side of the globe.......

workin stiff · Jul 5, 2021

SteveF said:
If you want an answer that is valid for your jurisdiction, the only way you are going to get it is to call your local building inspections office and ask one of the inspectors. Helping people do things that are code compliant is what they do.

Steve

Helping people, ya thats the ticket.

john.k · Jul 5, 2021

The council inspector school.....practice sucking back thru the teeth....and then say "cowboys"......then "all this work is non compliant..it will have to come out!"....."And this notice gives you 14 days to answer the "Show Cause" you will recieve in the mail"......And remember ,at council,were here to help"

tdmidget · Jul 5, 2021

workin stiff said:
Helping people, ya thats the ticket.

Where else will you get an answer that is compliant with your local codes? What, read John K whose bullshit is probably not relevant across the street in Australia?

john.k · Jul 5, 2021

Young plumber is wearing unusual work boots...I comment on the colored thread.....These boots are custom made ,he says,they cost over $1000 a pair ....perfect fit and style...I wont wear anything else on the job.....I mention the possibilty of excrement contacting the costly footwear......no way ,he says,I only do new work....So there you have it ,young tradies are kings of the world.

thermite · Jul 5, 2021

Spud said:
Say I want to put up a pole-barn house + hobby shop in an area zoned residential. Can I have floor drains installed for the garage area, for when I wash vehicles ? Is the grease and dirt run-off subject to special restrictions ? Isn't it the same as washing your car or truck in the driveway ?

The information is published online for each jurisdiction.

Most US States have a statewide "uniform building code" as basic standard starting-point.

County and municipal authorities adopt those, cite from,

Chapter 15.12 PLUMBING CODE

...then ADD further restrictions TO that, never loosen them. Job security for be-you-rock-rats as it were. Here's an example - see the attached exhibits:

https://www.ci.brookfield.wi.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4593

EPAIII · Jul 5, 2021

I built an addition to my house in south Florida. Strictly a residential area and in a city that was not known for being "user friendly". I called the building department and asked for help. They talked me through the process: what paper work they needed, what drawings, etc. They even gave me samples to follow. They WERE VERY helpful. And the permit was not all that expensive; under $100 if I recall correctly. My project was well over $10,000 so that was a truly minor expense.

Of course, I did not build it first and then seek approval. Nor did I attempt to circumvent the code: I worked with it. And when it was done, the final inspection went by in just a few minutes with zero problems.

As for a pole barn in a residential area, all I can say is WTF? Not in any residential area that I ever lived in, but perhaps yours is more rural. Again, just ask them. Some areas do not even have a city or county permit office. The town and county where I worked in Iowa did not. In that case, talk to city hall or the county courthouse.

If you are so far out in the country, I would wonder what choices you may have for a drain. Do you have city drainage and sewage? You could talk to them also, but I would try the permit route first. You are more likely to get a straight answer there.

john.k said:
The council inspector school.....practice sucking back thru the teeth....and then say "cowboys"......then "all this work is non compliant..it will have to come out!"....."And this notice gives you 14 days to answer the "Show Cause" you will recieve in the mail"......And remember ,at council,were here to help"

projectnut · Jul 5, 2021

As a word of caution. Check with local builders, contractors, plumbers, etc. before approaching anyone connected with the government. You need to be precise in your language and use the proper terminology before speaking to an inspector.

I made the mistake of talking to a town inspector about refurbishing the lawn at the family cottage. Apparently I used the wrong terminology and he became very adamant that we could not do any work within 25' of the lake. After several phone calls and personal conversations I finally got across to him I was not intending to install a new lawn, but rather "Repair" the lawn that had been there since the 1930's. Once I used the proper terminology he not only approved the project, but also told me no permit was required since I was only restoring it to what it had been for over 70 years.

Scottl · Jul 5, 2021

It may vary by jurisdiction but generally any drains inside a garage will have to terminate in a sump so the fluid can be processed for oil separation. It's not the same as a drain at the end of a driveway, which not only sees wash water that may have some oil in it but also gets periodically flushed with rainwater.

Superbowl · Jul 5, 2021

No one can answer without knowing where you live. In much of rural Texas (and other places) there are no building permits or inspections required. In other places they are very strict. If you are in a strict area I would just not show a drain on the plans but would put the drain grate and pipe in with the concrete, cover the drain grate (blue taped closed) with a half inch of concrete on top. Bury the pipe end just outside the wall. Then once the final inspection is done, cut open the drain grate with a 4" diamond grinder blade and dig just outside to the end of the pipe.

4GSR · Jul 5, 2021

Superbowl said:
No one can answer without knowing where you live. In much of rural Texas (and other places) there are no building permits or inspections required..........................

Oh yeah there is!!!!! Not for building permits, but for any septic system or aerobic system for treating of waste water, county permits have to be pulled, for any new builds.

Water as this, with oil and other chemicals per say, has to pass thru a grease pit, then pass thru a aerobic system for treating before it can drain into a water way or sprayed on the yard, for any rural areas in the state of Texas. And there are inspection services that come around and inspect on regular intervals to make sure your system is within specs.

Failure to do so will cost you dearly in fines by the county, state, and EPA!

Ken

CITIZEN F16 · Jul 5, 2021

Like many said, contact either the city if you live in town or the county if you live out of town. Regulations vary greatly by locale, even within the same state. Usually the denser the population the more restrictions.

Spud · Jul 5, 2021

Vecair said:
We cannot put floor drains here in Arizona or Calif without approval from the building dept and they must have catch basins for contaminates such as oil, fuel etc. You might want to check with your local building dept to make sure before proceeding. Most will want them depicted on your plans and approved. A garage is not a driveway.

Last year I talked to a homeowner in a neighboring county who had just put up a pole barn , for homeshop and vehicle repair duties. When I asked about a floor drain he either said the county wouldn't allow it or it was a huge hassle to get the permit. This was in a county 1 hour away. I do intend to ask the surrounding counties their laws on floor drains. I was wondering if there was a national EPA law on this matter.

CITIZEN F16 · Jul 5, 2021

Spud said:
Last year I talked to a homeowner in a neighboring county who had just put up a pole barn , for homeshop and vehicle repair duties. When I asked about a floor drain he either said the county wouldn't allow it or it was a huge hassle to get the permit. This was in a county 1 hour away. I do intend to ask the surrounding counties their laws on floor drains. I was wondering if there was a national EPA law on this matter.

The only thing I could find is if the floor drain was associated with vehicle maintenance, then it is 100% no.

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-06/documents/compliance-vehiclewastedisp.pdf

APD · Jul 5, 2021

Spud said:
Say I want to put up a pole-barn house + hobby shop in an area zoned residential. Can I have floor drains installed for the garage area, for when I wash vehicles ? Is the grease and dirt run-off subject to special restrictions ? Isn't it the same as washing your car or truck in the driveway ?

Any response to this question from people on the internet is completely irrelevant. The ONLY person that this question matters to is the person approving or failing the inspection. Even if the inspector has no idea what the code is, whether or not he allows it is all that matters.

Bill D · Jul 5, 2021

What they did in my garage is they installed a flush floor cleanout with screw in plug. Unscrew the plug and there is your drain.
Bill D

OT : installing drains for a garage. Any restrictions for residential zoned area?

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