Clean out drain in garage against code?

Question

Was looking at a place that has had a garage built into the home. It appears the sewer clean out that is normally located outside the home is in the middle of the floor in the garage. The garage is a concrete slab. Is building a sewer clean out in your garage against code or illegal? Also there should be a permit for the garage correct? What are the issues if there is no permit and the trap is not up to code?

Maybe a contractor will know the answer to this.

James Wilcox · Answer

@Rob Beland thank you. I do realize that every state is probably a little different. Your opinion is helpful and IK that you can't put the clean outs inside your home anymore here because of the sewer back up that could happen in your basement, for example. They are normally located outside the home for ease of use and so it would not cause problems like a back up into the home. However, I was unsure about a garage. I would probably wager good money that it is wrong and there is no permit for the garage either. I was told the first house on the lot burnt down and the former owner built this house on the lot and built the garage at a separate time even after the initial build.

I am not a contractor or home inspector, but if I notice things that seem off I would say they are probably wrong. The sellers agent is looking into the permits for the home for me at least. :)

Rob Beland · Answer

@Jim WilcoxI don't know Kentucky law but Im in MA and a sewer cleanout in a garage is a big no-no. That would allow for motor oil and automotive fluids to flow freely into the municipal sewage system. You want to check with the local code enforcement officer/department before you move forward with this property. If you don't have a municipal sewer/water system it may not be an issue but either way the pipe goes somewhere and you want to be sure it was legally installed.