UPC Section 707 requires access points, called cleanouts, on a building's drain system so a plumber can clear a clog. Code calls for cleanouts near where the drain leaves the house, at each long horizontal run, and at sharp changes of direction, sized to match the pipe.
The Uniform Plumbing Code is published and copyrighted by IAPMO. This page explains the section in our own words with a short excerpt only. Read the full official text at the source.
Every drain line clogs eventually, and when it does, a plumber needs a way in. A cleanout is that way in: a capped fitting that opens the drain so a cable or a jetter can reach the blockage. UPC Section 707 decides where those access points have to be, so no part of the drain system is sealed off with no way to clear it.
What this section says
The code places cleanouts where clogs are most likely and where a plumber needs reach. The core requirement covers three situations: near where the building drain leaves the house, along long horizontal runs, and at sharp turns. The code states the direction-change rule directly:
Each horizontal drainage pipe shall be provided with a cleanout at its upper terminal, and each run of piping that is more than 100 feet in total developed length shall be provided with a cleanout for each 100 feet.
Beyond that, cleanouts are required at an aggregate change of direction of more than a set amount (a sharp bend a cable cannot easily pass), and near the connection to the building sewer so the main line out to the street can be rodded or jetted. A cleanout also has to be the same size as the pipe it serves, up to a maximum (commonly 4 inches), and it has to stay accessible, since a cleanout buried behind a finished wall or under a deck cannot be used when it is needed.
When this comes into play
This rule shapes where cleanout caps end up in and around a house. Picture a home with a long drain running from a back bathroom out to the street: code requires a cleanout near where that line exits the building, and another roughly every 100 feet along the run, so a plumber can clear a main-line clog from the closest access instead of pulling a toilet. A kitchen remodel that adds a long drain run, or a bend tighter than the code allows, triggers a new cleanout at that point.
What this means for you
Knowing where your cleanouts are saves time and money on a backup. If your yard has a capped pipe sticking up near the foundation, that is almost certainly your main sewer cleanout, and it is where a plumber will start. For the full list of where code requires them and how they are sized, see cleanout code requirements, and for what the fitting itself is, see what is a sewer cleanout. If a remodel ever seals a cleanout behind drywall, flag it, because that access has to stay reachable.
Full text and source
UPC Section 707 is part of the Uniform Plumbing Code. IAPMO publishes and holds the copyright on it. The excerpt above reflects the rule as adopted; Phoenix enforces the 2024 UPC with local amendments. Read the current section on UpCodes, or confirm local amendments through the City of Phoenix Planning & Development Department: phoenix.gov/pdd.
Keep Reading
- UPC 1003: Which Fixture Traps Are Allowed (and Banned)
- UPC Section 1101: Storm Drainage and Roof Runoff
- UPC Section 603: Cross-Connection Control and Backflow Protection
- UPC 705: Joints and Connections in Drainage Piping
- Where are sewer cleanouts required by code?
- What is a sewer cleanout and where is it located?
- How do I tell a main sewer line clog from a single drain clog?