South Pasadena Municipal Code § 9.3 Plumbing code administration

Except as modified herein, the administration of the plumbing code shall be as set forth in SPMC 9.1 (Building code administration).

101.1 Title. Sections 9.3 and 9.3.1 of Article 1 of Chapter 9 of the SPMC shall collectively be known as the Plumbing Code of the City, may be cited as such, and will be referred to herein as “these Plumbing Regulations” or “these Plumbing Standards “or “this Plumbing Code.”

101.3 SCOPE. The provisions of this Plumbing Code shall apply to the erection, alteration, installation, repair, movement, improvement, removal connection or conversion of any plumbing equipment and/or appliances or any other plumbing work regulated by this Plumbing Code within the City.

Where, in any specific case, different sections of this Plumbing Code specify different materials, methods of construction or other requirements, the most restrictive shall govern. Where there is a conflict between a general requirement and a specific requirement, the specific requirement shall be applicable.

In the event, any differences in requirements exist between the accessibility requirements of this Plumbing Code and the accessibility requirements of the California Code of Regulations, Title 24 (also referred to as the California Building Standards Code).

Where the requirements of this Plumbing Code conflict with the requirements of Mechanical Code of the City, this Plumbing Code shall prevail.

106.1 Plan Check Requirements. When required by the building official to verify compliance with any Code, relevant laws, ordinances, rules and regulations; plans and, when deemed necessary by the building official, calculations, and other required data shall be submitted for plan review. The building official may require plans and calculations to be prepared by an engineer registered by the State to practice as such. Only after the plans have been approved may the applicant apply for a plumbing permit for such work. The building official may also require such plans be reviewed by other departments and/or divisions of the City to verify compliance with the laws and ordinances under their jurisdiction.

Separate Plumbing Code plan review is required for any of the following:

a) For any restaurant which requires a grease trap or a grease interceptor;

b) Any facility which requires a sand/grease clarifier;

• c) Plumbing Systems with more than 216 waste fixture units;

d) Potable water supply piping required to be 2" or larger;

e) Fuel gas piping required to be 2" or larger;

f) Fuel gas piping containing medium- or high-pressure gas;

• g) Combination waste and vent systems;

h) Plumbing fixtures located below the next upstream manhole or below the sewer main;

i) Chemical waste systems;

• j) Rainwater system employing a sump pump;

• k) Grey water systems;

l) Any type of sewer ejection system or lift station;

m) Any installation in a building of Type I-A, Type II-A, Type III-A, Type IV or Type V-A fire-resistive construction where penetrations are required of fire-resistive walls, floors or ceilings.

Plans, calculations, reports or documents for work regulated by any Code, relevant laws, ordinances, rules and regulations shall bear the seal, signature and number of a plumbing engineer when required by the California Business and Professions Code. A seal and number shall not be required for work authorized by the said article to be performed by a person not registered or certified as an engineer or architect.

106.3 Information Required on Plumbing plans. Plans shall be drawn to scale upon substantial paper or other material suitable to the building official shall be of sufficient clarity to indicate the nature and scope of the work proposed, and shall show in detail that the proposed construction will conform to the provisions of any Code and all relevant laws, ordinances, rules and regulations.

The first sheet of each set of plans shall give the street address of the proposed work and the name, address and telephone number of the owner and all persons who were involved in the design and preparation of the plans.

Where the scope of the proposed work involves the following, unless otherwise approved by the building official, the plumbing plans shall indicate the following:

a) A complete floor plan showing the location of all proposed plumbing fixtures;

b) A complete plan showing the layout, diameter and material of all proposed piping;

c) A legend of all symbols used and a list of all abbreviations used;

d) Any other information requested by the building official.

Plans for buildings more than two stories in height of other than Group R-3 and Group U Occupancies shall indicate how required fireresistive integrity will be maintained where a penetration will be made for plumbing piping and similar systems.

When deemed necessary by the building official, the first sheet of each set of plans shall indicate the building Type of Construction as defined in the Building Code and the Plumbing Code in effect on the date of plan check submittal.

107.1 Plumbing permit Required. No person shall erect, alter, install, repair, move, improve, remove, connect or convert, or cause the same to be done, to any plumbing equipment or fixtures without first obtaining a plumbing permit from the building official. A Plumbing Permit is required for any installation, alteration, reconstruction or repair of any plumbing (including fixtures, traps, tailpieces and valves), drainage piping, vent piping, waste piping, soil piping, water piping (potable or nonpotable but which is connected to a potable water source) or gas piping located within or on any building, structure or premises.

107.2 Work Exempted from Plumbing Permit. A Plumbing Permit shall not be required for the following:

a) Clearing of stoppages and stopping of leaks which do not involve the replacement of any plumbing (including fixtures, traps, tailpieces and valves), drainage piping, vent piping, waste piping, soil piping, water piping or gas piping.

b) Change of residential plumbing fixtures which do not involve the replacement of the existing waste and vent piping excluding the trap, to include, residential toilets, residential bathroom hand sinks, bathtub and residential kitchen sinks.

c) Connection of any appliance approved for and intended to be connected by flexible gas piping to a gas shutoff valve which was previously permitted and inspected under a valid Plumbing permit.

Exemption from the permit requirements of any Code shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any work to be done in any manner in violation of the provisions of other laws or ordinances.

The issuance of a permit without first requiring a plan review shall not prevent the building official from requesting plans deemed necessary to verify that the work performed under said permit complies with any Code and all relevant laws, ordinances, rules and regulations.

(Ord. No. 2308, § 1, 2016.)

Division I Sections 1.2.0 through 1.14.0 of Chapter 1, Chapters 2 through 17 and Appendices A, B, D, H, I and J of 2025 California Plumbing Code, Title 24 Part 5 of California Code of Regulations, as published by the California Building Standards Commission, is hereby adopted by reference pursuant to the provisions of Sections 50022.1 through 50022.10 of the Government Code of the state of California as though fully set forth herein and made a part of the South Pasadena Municipal Code with the same force and effect as though set out in full, including all of the regulations, revisions, conditions and terms contained therein.

The administration of the plumbing code shall be as set forth in SPMC 9.1.

In accordance with Section 50022.6 of the California Government Code, not less than one copy of said California Plumbing Code together with any and all amendments thereto proposed by the city, has been and is now filed in the office of the community development department, shall remain on file with the building official, and shall collectively be known as the city of South Pasadena plumbing code and may be cited as Chapter 9, Article 1 Section 9.3.1 of the city of South Pasadena Municipal Code. (Ord. No. 2308, § 1, 2016; Ord. No. 2337, § 4, 2019; Ord. No. 2341, § 4, 2020; Ord. No. 2370, § 4, 2022; Ord. No. 2371, § 4, 2022; Ord. No. 2407, § 6, 2025.)