Thread: Definition of a bathroom

What is the definition of a bathroom? I inspected a home where a "bathroom" had no toilet - just a shower and a sink. Does a shower and a sink constitute a full bathroom, half bath, or quarter bath, or not a bathroom?

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Depends on what code you are referring to.

From the IRC: (underlining and bold are mine)
- BATHROOM GROUP. A group of fixtures, including or

excluding a bidet, consisting of a water closet, lavatory, and
bathtub or shower. Such fixtures are located together on the

same floor level.

I.e., the IRC does not recognize it as a "bathroom group" unless it has a toilet AND a sink AND a bathtub or a shower.

From the NEC: (underlining and bold are mine)
- Bathroom. An area including a basin with one or more of the following: a toilet, a tub, or a shower.

I.e., the NEC does not recognize it as a "bathroom" unless there is a sink AND (one or more of the following: toilet, tub, shower).

Keep in mind that both require A SINK as THE ESSENTIAL fixture.

Originally Posted by fritzkelly

(well there's a sink in the laundry room, it MUST be a bathroom) (maybe in a REAL emergency!)

You are missing the requirement in the NEC for a sink AND ... then take your pick ... ... guess that is what the shower is for?

Originally Posted by fritzkelly

So... the pool patio I inspected today with an outdoor shower and an outdoor sink is a BATHROOM??
Well, maybe a MEN'S room!

Did you write it up for NOT having a receptacle within 3 feet of the sink?

Bathrooms don't have sinks; they have lavatories, commonly called lavys.
Bathrooms are for bathing, toilet rooms are for nature calls and an occasional “Praying to the Porcelain Princess.” Also, there is a difference between a pissoire and a water closet, and how many know why the English call it the ‘Loo?”.


JP: Isn't a receptacle a sink?

Originally Posted by brianmiller

What is the definition of a bathroom? I inspected a home where a "bathroom" had no toilet - just a shower and a sink. Does a shower and a sink constitute a full bathroom, half bath, or quarter bath, or not a bathroom?

Why is this important? Is your client a linguist? Simply call it a bathroom, half-bath, or powder room.

Jerry, Didn't the word "loo" come from the times when they litterally through their waste out the window from a pot and they would holler from the window "Look out below"?

Yes Rick, some believe that the term 'gardyloo' (from the French regardez l'eau 'watch out for the water') which was shouted by medieval servants as they emptied the chamber-pots out of the upstairs windows into the street. It was a very good idea to be quite nimble when walking down the street, especially in the morning.

For our local history buffs: The History of Plumbing - Roman and English Legacy

Refer to this
www(dot)evstudio(dot)info/2009/12/24/new-definition-of-habitable-attic-space-under-2009-irc/