In the Field · Part 4
Fixtures and conservation: CALGreen flow rates, SB 407 retrofit-on-alteration and disclosure-on-sale, 1.28 gpf, and the ADA basics a plumber needs
California's fixture rules decide what a plumber may install and what a plumber must replace. The plumbing code sets the flow rates for anything new: 1.28 gallons per flush, 1.8 gallons per minute at the showerhead and the kitchen sink, 1.2 at the bathroom sink. And a separate law, SB 407 in the Civil Code, reaches back into every house built before 1994: any permitted alteration triggers replacement of every old toilet, showerhead, and faucet in the house as a condition of the final inspection, and every seller must disclose whether old fixtures remain. This lesson gives both sets of numbers with their sections, explains what the SB 407 trigger means for a plumber pulling a permit in an older house, and covers the accessibility basics that apply the moment the customer is a business.
What the full lesson covers
- New fixture maximums (2025 CPC, from CALGreen): water closets 1.28 gpf; showerheads 1.8 gpm at 80 psi, WaterSense; residential lavatory faucets 1.2 gpm at 60 psi (minimum 0.8 at 20 psi); kitchen faucets 1.8 gpm with a temporary 2.2 boost; public lavatory faucets 0.5 gpm.
- SB 407 (Civil Code 1101.1 to 1101.8) applies to property built on or before January 1, 1994. Noncompliant means a toilet over 1.6 gpf, a urinal over 1.0 gpf, a showerhead over 2.5 gpm, or an interior faucet over 2.2 gpm.
- In a single-family house, any permitted building alteration or improvement requires replacement of all noncompliant fixtures as a condition of final permit approval (1101.4(a)); all were to be replaced by January 1, 2017 (1101.4(b)); sellers must disclose in writing (1101.4(c)). Building departments enforce (a) at final; your permit can be the trigger.
- A "compliant" replacement is one meeting current new-construction standards, which means 1.28 gpf, not 1.6, when you replace a toilet today.
- Accessibility (CBC Chapter 11B) applies to public accommodations and commercial work, not private homes; when the customer is a business, fixture heights, clearances, and controls are inspected items and the tenant's architect is your first call.
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More lessons in The Field: Method, Code, and Cases
- 1The diagnostic method: verify, isolate, cheapest test first, cause not symptom, the options ladder, document
- 2Permits: when one is required, what is exempt, pulling it online, the inspection sequence, what inspectors look for, and handling corrections
- 3Daily-use code: drainage slope, venting, water sizing, cleanouts, trap arms, and fixture units, with the section for each
- 4Gas piping in practice: sizing, CSST bonding, the pressure test, appliance connectors and shutoffs, sediment traps, and seismic shutoff valves
- 5Water heaters I: tank. Seismic strapping, the T&P discharge line, expansion tanks, sediment traps, pans, venting, and the garage rules
- 6Water heaters II: tankless and heat pump. Gas sizing, venting, condensate, the 2025 Energy Code direction, and where the gas-ban ordinances stand
- 7Sewer and drain I: the camera, the locator, hydro-jetting vs. cabling, and when each is the right tool
- 8Sewer and drain II: trenchless vs. open trench, whose lateral it is (it varies by city), backwater valves, and point-of-sale lateral ordinances
- 9Case: the hissing line. The meter test, the supply leak that fed the roots, the lateral to the city tap, and the contract and permit trail
- 10Leak detection: slab leaks, acoustic and pressure methods, thermal imaging, and repipe vs. reroute
- 11Low pressure: the PRV, galvanized pipe, and the sequence that finds which one it is
- 12Sewer gas: trap seals, trap primers, vents, and the sequence that finds the smell
- 13Water treatment: where softeners are restricted in California, filtration, pressure regulators, and thermal expansion
- 14Fixtures and conservation: CALGreen flow rates, SB 407 retrofit-on-alteration and disclosure-on-sale, 1.28 gpf, and the ADA basics a plumber needsYou are here
- 15Materials and methods: PEX vs. copper vs. CPVC, ABS vs. PVC (it is regional), cast iron, and the transitions that fail
- 16Commercial basics: grease interceptors, the backflow program, and the tester certification that opens a second line of work
- 17Cal/OSHA for a small shop: the IIPP every employer must have, heat illness prevention, trenching and the 5-foot permit, confined space, silica, and ladders
- 18Environmental rules: EPA lead-safe certification for any pre-1978 home, asbestos and transite pipe, and stormwater
- 19Job-site craft: sequencing with the other trades, protecting the home, and the punch list that ends the job
- 20Case: the water heater that failed inspection twice
- 21Case: the gas leak call. The protocol, and the walk-away
- 22Case: the "customer doesn't want a permit" job
- 23Template: the job-site checklist, from the truck to the walk-through
- 24Template: the pre-inspection checklist by stage. Underground, rough, water heater final, gas, and trim
- 25Template: the Injury and Illness Prevention Program starter for a plumbing shop of one to five
- 26Template: the Heat Illness Prevention Plan for a plumbing shop, outdoor and indoor
- 27Template: the customer options sheet (good / better / best) with the cost band, the permit path, and the code trail on each rung