Plumbers in California

What California changes about plumbing work

Health and Safety Code § 19211 provides that all new and replacement water heaters, and all existing residential water heaters, shall be braced, anchored or strapped to resist falling or horizontal displacement due to earthquake motion. Subsection (b) adds that the seller of any real property containing a water heater shall certify to the prospective purchaser that the section has been complied with. Under subsection (f), a building in violation is deemed to be a nuisance.

The definition is bounded. For the purposes of the section a water heater means any standard water heater with a capacity of not more than one hundred and twenty gallons for which a preengineered strapping kit is readily available.

What makes this worth knowing in California is the word existing. Most codes bind you at the moment you replace equipment. This one applies to the tank already sitting in your garage, and it turns up again at the point of sale, when the certification is due.

On licensing, California runs plumbing through the Contractors State License Board as classification C-36. The regulation describes a plumbing contractor as one who provides a means for a supply of safe water and the proper disposal of fluid waste. Permit requirements for a water heater replacement are set by your local building department rather than by a single statewide rule, so ask.

How to choose a plumber in California

Emergency plumbing is chosen badly by definition, because it is chosen at speed. The fix is to pick a shop before you need one, on a small job, and keep the number.

• Verify the C-36 license on the Contractors State License Board register and check it is active.
• On a water heater job, confirm the quote includes strapping and, if required locally, the permit and inspection.
• If you are selling a California property, get the strapping confirmed before the certification is due rather than during escrow.
• Ask whether the rate is hourly or flat rate per task, and whether there is a trip or diagnostic charge.
• For repiping or a sewer lateral, ask what is being replaced and what is being left, in writing.
• On a camera inspection, ask for the footage. A recommendation to replace a line should come with something you can look at.
• Ask about the warranty on labor separately from the manufacturer warranty on the part.

Questions to ask before work starts

• What is your CSLB license number, and is it a C-36?
• Is there a trip or diagnostic charge, and does it come off the job?
• Is this quoted hourly or flat rate, and what is the estimate for this job?
• On a water heater, does the price include strapping, the permit and the inspection?
• What is the warranty on your labor, as distinct from the part?
• Can I see the camera footage or photographs supporting the recommendation?

General information rather than legal advice. The California section cited above rests on a published code reproduction rather than the Legislative Counsel’s official text, and local permit rules vary by jurisdiction, so confirm with your building department and the Contractors State License Board.