Phisherman wrote in :

I know that studs need metal plates over studs where there is plumbing
too close to the wall. This is to protect a nail going into the
plumbing. I'm wondering about exceptions. What about plumbing
behind the toilet? There is a stud directly behind the toilet where
plumbing is running horizontally. I can't see anyone wanting to put
a nail or screw in the wall behind the toilet. Is a metal plate still
required here?

We bought a new tract house back in the eighties. About six months
after we moved in, we came home to find the living room carpet flooded.
We reported it to the builder, and he took care of it, but it took a
while to figure out what had happened.

The trim carpenter who installed the baseboard shot a finish nail right
into the center of the cold water pipe for the bathroom on the other
side of the wall. It rusted over immediately, then took six months to
rust away enough for the leak to start.

Don't skimp on the nailing plates.

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX