/ Field knowledge · IMC 304.6–304.7
A water heater on the garage slab is not 304.6.
A water heater on the garage slab is not 304.6. IMC 304.6 public garages: mount appliances 8 ft or higher above the floor. If vehicles pass below, meet the manufacturer’s installation instructions (MI) and set the unit 1 ft above the tallest garage-door opening. The exception is impact protection plus 304.3, and NFPA 30A (Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code) on the public-garage path. IMC 304.7 private garages and carports: 6 ft or higher — or impact protection plus 304.3. A note that says “per manufacturer” with no height is the comment.
Educational 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) 304.6–304.7 from Daily Code Talk. Confirm the adopted edition. Distinct from 304.1–304.4 listing, 18-in ignition, and Flammable Vapor Ignition Resistant (FVIR), from 404 garage ventilation, and from 502.13 pit exhaust. This is not a mounting design and not a bollard design. Packet: 304.6 PDF · ES.
- Public garage: pick one path and write it. 8 ft above the floor. Or vehicles-pass-below: MI clearances and +1 ft above the tallest door. Or impact protection + 304.3 + NFPA 30A.
- Private garage / carport: 6 ft above the floor, or impact protection + 304.3. Rooms that open to a private garage are still garage for 304.3 — that path lives on the 304.1–304.4 page.
- Dimension the height on the plan. “High enough” is not a dimension.
- 304.12: if the appliance serves rooms beyond the one it sits in, mark it permanently (unique ID + area served) on the unit and in the schedule.
On the set: mounting height, which of the three public paths you took, impact protection if used, and the MI page. A unit over a drive lane without the +1 ft door dimension is the redline.
A condensing unit at 5 ft over the parking stall
Or a water heater on the private-garage slab with no FVIR listing and no 6-ft mount. 404 fans do not set the mounting height. Impact protection is a drawn path, not a hope that the column is close enough.
Source: Daily Code Talk — IMC 304 Part 3 · also the 304 kickoff · tool: 8 ft / 6 ft screen · 304.1–304.4: listing / 18 in / FVIR · 304.8: boiler/furnace room · 304.12: area served · 404: garage ventilation · guards: 304.11.
What to send
Public or private garage (or carport), how high the appliance sits, whether vehicles pass under it, and whether impact protection is drawn — not only specified.
If the unit is over the stall with no height on the plan
Send a photo and whether this is public parking or a private garage. Masterbuild will say whether 304.6 still has no 8-ft (or +1 ft above the door) path — or 304.7 still has a slab-mounted water heater with no 6-ft / impact / 304.3 story.
Send Project Background+1 (786) 398-6940 · osmany.portal@masterbuildconsulting.com
Masterbuild provides engineering services under a written scope. Nothing on this page is project-specific engineering advice, a code interpretation for your project, a mounting design, or a representation about permit approval. Confirm the adopted edition. Public-garage 8 ft (or MI + 1 ft above the tallest door, or impact protection + 304.3 + NFPA 30A) and private-garage 6 ft (or impact protection + 304.3) are 2024 IMC 304.6–304.7 education from Daily Code Talk. Ignition elevation and FVIR are 304.3, not this section. This page is not legal advice.