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Chapter 5 — NONRESIDENTIAL MANDATORY MEASURES

Section 5.303

California Green Building Standards Code (Title 24, Part 11) · 2022 edition · updated 2026-09-12 · California

INDOOR WATER USE 5.303.1 Meters. Separate submeters or metering devices shall be installed for the uses described in Sections 5.303.1.1 and 5.303.1.2. 5.303.1.1 New buildings or additions in excess of 50,000 square feet. Separate submeters shall be installed as follows:

  1. For each individual leased, rented or other tenant space within the building projected to consume more than 100 gal/day (380 L/day), including, but not limited to, spaces used for laundry or cleaners, restaurant or food service, medical or dental office, laboratory, or beauty salon or barber shop.

  2. Where separate submeters for individual building tenants are unfeasible, for water supplied to the following subsystems:

a. Makeup water for cooling towers where flow

through is greater than 500 gpm (30 L/s).

b. Makeup water for evaporative coolers greater

than 6 gpm (0.04 L/s).

Copyright © 2022 by, or licensed to, International Code Council, Inc. (ALL RIGHTS RESERVED); licensed to California Building Standards Commission pursuant to License Agreement. No further reproductions is authorized. Any unauthorized reproduction or distribution is a violation of the federal copyright act and the license agreement, and subject to civil and criminal penalties thereunder.

NONRESIDENTIAL MANDATORY MEASURES

c. Steam and hot-water boilers with energy input

more than 500,000 Btu/h (147 kW). 5.303.1.2 Excess consumption. A separate submeter or metering device shall be provided for any tenant within a new building or within an addition that is projected to consume more than 1,000 gal/day.

5.303.2 Reserved. 5.303.3 Water conserving plumbing fixtures and fittings. Plumbing fixtures (water closets and urinals) and fittings (faucets and showerheads) shall comply with the following:

5.303.3.1 Water closets. The effective flush volume of all water closets shall not exceed 1.28 gallons per flush. Tank-type water closets shall be certified to the performance criteria of the US EPA WaterSense Specification for Tank-Type Toilets.

Note: The effective flush volume of dual flush toilets is defined as the composite, average flush volume of two reduced flushes and one full flush. 5.303.3.2 Urinals.

5.303.3.2.1 Wall-mounted urinals. The effective flush volume of wall-mounted urinals shall not exceed 0.125 gallons per flush.

5.303.3.2.2 Floor-mounted urinals. The effective flush volume of floor-mounted or other urinals shall not exceed 0.5 gallons per flush. 5.303.3.3 Showerheads.

5.303.3.3.1 Single showerhead. Showerheads shall have a maximum flow rate of not more than 1.8 gallons per minute at 80 psi. Showerheads shall be certified to the performance criteria of the US EPA WaterSense Specification for Showerheads.

5.303.3.3.2 Multiple showerheads serving one shower. When a shower is served by more than one showerhead, the combined flow rate of all showerheads and/or other shower outlets controlled by a single valve shall not exceed 1.8 gallons per minute at 80 psi, or the shower shall be designed to allow only one shower outlet to be in operation at a time.

Note: A hand-held shower shall be considered a showerhead. 5.303.3.4 Faucets and fountains.

5.303.3.4.1 Nonresidential lavatory faucets. Lavatory faucets shall have a maximum flow rate of not more than 0.5 gallons per minute at 60 psi.

5.303.3.4.2 Kitchen faucets. Kitchen faucets shall have a maximum flow rate of not more than 1.8 gallons per minute at 60 psi. Kitchen faucets may temporarily increase the flow above the maximum rate, but not to exceed 2.2 gallons per minute at 60 psi, and must default to a maximum flow rate of 1.8 gallons per minute at 60 psi.

PRODUCT CLASS
[spray force in ounce force (ozf)]		 MAXIMUM FLOW RATE
(gpm)
Product Class 1 (≤ 5.0 ozf) 1.00
Product Class 2 (> 5.0 ozf and ≤ 8.0 ozf) 1.20
Product Class 3 (> 8.0 ozf) 1.28

Title 20 Section 1605.3(h)(4)(A): Commercial prerinse spray valves manufactured on or after January 1, 2006, shall have a minimum spray force of not less than 4.0 ounces-force (ozf) [113 grams-force (gf)]. 5.303.4 Commercial kitchen equipment. 5.303.4.1 Food waste disposers. Disposers shall either modulate the use of water to no more than 1 gpm when the disposer is not in use (not actively grinding food waste/noload) or shall automatically shut off after no more than 10 minutes of inactivity. Disposers shall use no more than 8 gpm of water.

Note: This code section does not affect local jurisdiction authority to prohibit or require disposer installation. 5.303.5 Areas of addition or alteration. For those occupancies within the authority of the California Building Standards Commission as specified in Section 103, the provisions of Sections 5.303.3 and 5.303.4 shall apply to new fixtures in additions or areas of alteration to the building. 5.303.6 Standards for plumbing fixtures and fittings. Plumbing fixtures and fittings shall be installed in accordance with the California Plumbing Code, and shall meet the applicable standards referenced in Table 1701.1 of the California Plumbing Code and in Chapter 6 of this code.

5.303.3.4.3 Wash fountains. Wash fountains shall have a maximum flow rate of not more than 1.8 gallons per minute/20 [rim space (inches) at 60 psi].

5.303.3.4.4 Metering faucets. Metering faucets shall not deliver more than 0.20 gallons per cycle.

5.303.3.4.5 Metering faucets for wash fountains. Metering faucets for wash fountains shall have a maximum flow rate of not more than 0.20 gallons per cycle/ 20 [rim space (inches) at 60 psi].

Note: Where complying faucets are unavailable, aerators or other means may be used to achieve reduction.

5.303.3.4.6 Pre-rinse spray valve. When installed, shall meet the requirements in the California Code of Regula- tions, Title 20 (Appliance Efficiency Regulations), Section 1605.1(h)(4) Table H-2, Section 1605.3(h)(4)(A), and Section 1607(d)(7), and shall be equipped with an integral automatic shutoff.

FOR REFERENCE ONLY: The following table and code section have been reprinted from the California Code of Regulations, Title 20 (Appliance Efficiency Regulations), Section 1605.1(h)(4) and Section 1605.3(h)(4)(A).

TABLE H-2 STANDARDS FOR COMMERCIAL PRE-RINSE SPRAY VALVES

MANUFACTURED ON OR AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019

5-10 2022 CALIFORNIA GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS CODE

Copyright © 2022 by, or licensed to, International Code Council, Inc. (ALL RIGHTS RESERVED); licensed to California Building Standards Commission pursuant to License Agreement. No further reproductions is authorized. Any unauthorized reproduction or distribution is a violation of the federal copyright act and the license agreement, and subject to civil and criminal penalties thereunder.

NONRESIDENTIAL MANDATORY MEASURES

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▸Contents — California Green Building Standards Code (Title 24, Part 11)
California Green Building Standards Code (Title 24, Part 11)
  1. Chapter 1 — ADMINISTRATION
  2. Chapter 2 — DEFINITIONS
  3. Chapter 3 — GREEN BUILDING
  4. Chapter 4 — RESIDENTIAL MANDATORY MEASURES
  5. ▸Chapter 5 — NONRESIDENTIAL MANDATORY MEASURES
    Overview
    1. Section 5.101
    2. Section 5.102
    3. Section 5.103
    4. Section 5.104
    5. Section 5.105
    6. Section 5.106
    7. Section 5.201
    8. Section 5.301
    9. Section 5.302
    10. Section 5.303
    11. Section 5.304
    12. Section 5.305
    13. Section 5.401
    14. Section 5.402
    15. Section 5.403
    16. Section 5.404
    17. Section 5.405
    18. Section 5.406
    19. Section 5.407
    20. Section 5.408
    21. Section 5.409
    22. Section 5.410
    23. Section 5.501
    24. Section 5.502
    25. Section 5.503
    26. Section 5.504
    27. Section 5.505
    28. Section 5.506
    29. Section 5.507
    30. Section 5.508 OUTDOOR AIR QUALITY
  6. Chapter 6 — REFERENCED ORGANIZATIONS AND STANDARDS
  7. Chapter 7 — INSTALLER AND SPECIAL INSPECTOR QUALIFICATIONS
  8. Chapter 8 — COMPLIANCE FORMS, WORKSHEETS AND REFERENCE MATERIAL
  9. Appendix A4
  10. Appendix A5

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