Waterless Urinals: Are They Permitted Under NYC Building Code?

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Q: Are waterless urinals permitted in commercial buildings under the current NYC building code regulations? According to your website, some are restricted. I have heard that Bank of Amercia building (One Bryant Park) has such urinals already in place? Do you know of any publicly accessible venue where one can evaluate a waterless urinal?

A: One Bryant Park does use waterless urinals throughout the base building and in some tenant spaces. The presence of waterless urinals in tenant spaces is discretionary based on tenant buildout requirements.

In many cities and towns, waterless urinals are incorporated into the city's building code. However, in New York City, they are only allowed with prior approval. According to Edwards, Platt & Deely, Inc. in North Babylon, New York, a distributor for Sloan Valve Company (a manufacturer of waterless urinals), approval to install waterless urinals in Manhattan must come from the New York City Department of Buildings.

According to a representative who worked on the One Bryant Park construction project, the UA1 New York Plumber's Union may have also been involved in negotiations with the developers of One Bryant Park. Apparently, if waterless urinals are being considered, even though the urinals are better for the environment, they may be met with objections because the installation of them may result in less work for the union.

One Bryant Park may have appeased the UA1 because of its sophisticated greywater reclamation system which required much more plumbing work to take place than simply installing traditional urinals and not installing the greywater system.

Sloan Waterless urinals are also in use at the Bronx Zoo.