Plumbers in City Heights
City Heights was a city of its own, East San Diego, from 1912 until its voters chose to join San Diego at the end of 1923. The City now describes it as a mix of single-family and multi-family housing spread over 16 neighborhoods, from Azalea Park to Teralta West. Buildings that old can still have a toilet, showerhead or faucet from before today’s water limits. If you plan to sell one, the City of San Diego has a rule about that, and it is easier to handle before escrow opens than during it.
Any toilet sold new in California today flushes with less than 1.6 gallons, so a replacement will clear the bar with room to spare.
What the City Requires Before a Sale
Under San Diego Municipal Code Section 147.0404, the seller has to replace older fixtures with water-conserving ones before the property changes hands. It applies to any building served by the City’s water system, so a house, a condo and a fourplex are all covered. If your water bill comes from the City of San Diego, assume it applies to you. Here is the standard each fixture has to meet:| Fixture | Meets the City standard if it… | How to check |
| Toilet | Uses no more than 1.6 gallons per flush | Look for a GPF or LPF mark on the bowl behind the seat hinge, or inside the tank. |
| Showerhead | Flows no more than 2.5 gallons per minute | The GPM rating is usually printed on the face or rim of the head. |
| Faucet | Flows no more than 2.2 gallons per minute | Unscrew the aerator at the tip of the spout; the rating is stamped on its side. |
| Under-sink reverse osmosis filter | Has a shutoff valve | Check the unit or its manual. |
Seller, Buyer or Escrow: Who Does the Work
The seller, by default. The code puts the retrofit on the seller, to be finished before the change of ownership. The buyer, if both sides agree. Buyer and seller can agree to move the responsibility to the buyer. Through escrow. They can also make the retrofit a condition of escrow. The escrow agent holds back an agreed amount from the sale proceeds. The buyer then has 90 calendar days after closing to finish the work, and the money is released once the buyer shows proof it’s done. Some transfers don’t trigger the rule at all, among them foreclosures, transfers through an estate or trust, gifts between family members, and transfers under a divorce decree. Your agent or escrow officer can tell you where your sale falls. Our pages on toilet installation and faucet installation explain how those jobs go if you end up with the list.Do You Need a Permit to Swap a Fixture?
Usually not. In a single home, or a building with eight or fewer units, the City doesn’t require a plumbing permit to install the fixtures this rule calls for. A permit comes back into play once the job means altering or replacing the drain, waste, vent or supply pipes behind them. The standard also isn’t limited to sales. Under Section 147.0405, any time fixtures get replaced, the new ones have to meet it.When an Old Fixture Can Stay
The City lists three exemptions in Section 147.0406:- The building is a designated historical site and no historically accurate water-conserving fixture is available. Islenair, one of the City Heights neighborhoods, is a City-designated historic district, so owners there should ask the City how this applies before shopping for fixtures.
- Installing the new fixture would mean working on plumbing beneath a finished wall or surface.
- The building’s drainage system or the public sewer needs more water to flush properly.
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