California: New closet flange code?

I was picking up a new flange and some ABS at Home Depot earlier today (remodeling a bathroom) and one of the guys who works there (retired plumber who actually knows what he's talking about) asked me what I was doing, then mentioned something about the new code specifying flanges should be flush with the finished floor.

This goes against what I've been told by at least 10 people, so I said I was pretty sure it should be ON the finished floor. He took me to his desk and showed me the latest revision to the code, complete with an illustration, showing that the flange shoould be attached to the subfloor, with the finished floor (tile in my case) cut up to the flange.

How new is this?

This has been around for over 30 years, but now they started putting in the code book. I have been putting my flanges : top surface of flange ~ 1/8" higher than finished floor surface for as long as I can remember. Never failed me yet. I have never had a problem with them.

Maybe putting it on top of the floor, (which is the ONLY practical way if the tile is going to be installed first, which it is in the majority of cases), caused cancer. Or the code was revised by a mechanical engineer who has NEVER installed a flange, and only read about them in his school's textbook. I will keep on installing them on top of the floor. But since the inspectors only check AFTER the toilet is installed, they won't know the difference anyway.

Yeah...California.

I don't know what he is looking at. From the 2007 CA plumbing code ( I don't think 2010 is out yet) 316.3.1> ......The bottom of the flange shall be set on an approved firm base.


But I could understand a change: we get questions on the forum about "rocking" toilets, and it does seem that for whatever reason, we are starting to see some toilets where the depth from floor level, up around the horn to the sealing surface, is shallow!