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.