What the County exempts
The County's adoptive ordinance (PDS 110, rev. 1 January 2026, read 23 October 2026) requires a permit to "erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any ... plumbing system", then lists four exemptions:
| Exempt in the County (PDS 110, sec. 91.1.105.2(c)) | Condition | Needs a permit instead |
|---|---|---|
| Replacement water heater | "no change to the unit type or servicing utilities" and done "by a California licensed plumbing contractor" | Gas to electric, tank to tankless, or owner-installed |
| Toilet, bidet, showerhead or faucet | Repair or replace only, by the owner or a licensed plumber; "service side of the fixture's water supply shut-off valve"; no work "within any floor, ceiling, or wall cavity"; no gas or electrical connection | Moving a fixture, a new shower valve in the wall, a gas range hookup |
| Stopping a leak | If a concealed pipe "becomes defective" and must be replaced, it is new work | Repiping, replacing a drain or vent line |
| Clearing a stoppage, pulling and resetting a toilet | No "replacement of or rearrangement of a valve, pipe or fixture" | Rearranging a bathroom |
The water-heater line is unusual: the same swap is exempt for a licensed plumber and permit work for a homeowner. The ordinance also says both the person doing the work and "any person hiring another person" must find out whether a permit is required.
Which permit type you file
The County's Online Services Central lists Water Heater Replacement, Gas Line Repair and Water Sprinklers among residential permits you can get online. Everything else is "Plumbing Only", filed in person. Counted in the County's open permit data on 23 October 2026, for permits opened since October 2023 (all property types):
| County scope code | Permits | Filed online |
|---|---|---|
| 8010 "Plumbing Only" | 1,697 | 7 |
| 8015 "(Online) Plumbing - HRA Water Heater R&R" | 1,336 | All |
| 8030 "Electrical & Plumbing" | 429 | 1 |
| 8016 "(Online) Plumbing - HRA Gas Line Repairs" | 156 | All |
| 8017 "(Online) Plumbing - HRA Sprinkler Inst" | 4 | All |
Our plumbing trade counts Plumbing Only, gas line repairs and sprinklers; water heaters are their own list (County water heater installers).
Who pulls it
A CSLB C-36 Plumbing contractor, or the owner as owner-builder. 88.2% of the 288 plumbing firms on County permits matched an active CSLB license in our file, and 12 had a license that was expired, suspended or otherwise not active. As owner-builder you sign the Owner-Builder Acknowledgement (PDS 421) and become "the responsible party of record on the permit".
How to apply
- Confirm the parcel is unincorporated (Fallbrook, Ramona, Lakeside, Spring Valley, Alpine and the rest).
- Water heater, gas line repair or sprinklers: apply online in Accela Citizen Access. Other plumbing: Plumbing Only, at the PDS counter at 5510 Overland Ave.
- Inspections and final. Book them in Accela. A permit expires if work does not start and get a valid inspection within two years, or if work stops for 180 days (PDS 807).
What it costs
From the County's fee schedule (PDS 613, effective 10 July 2026):
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Plumbing only | $392 |
| Electrical and plumbing, or plumbing and mechanical | $498 |
| Electrical, plumbing and mechanical | $734 |
| Re-inspection / progress inspection | $205 |
The fee is flat, so a single gas line repair and a whole-house repipe pay the same. The online water heater and gas line types are filed under the Homeowner's Relief Act ("HRA") scope; we could not confirm their fee on the schedule, so check the Accela invoice.
What 1,421 County plumbing permits show
| Measure | Unincorporated San Diego County plumbing |
|---|---|
| Residential permits, October 2023 to September 2026 | 1,421 |
| Firms | 288 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months of the window | 122 |
| Closed (permits a year or more old) | 62.8% |
| Usual days from issue to final | 62 |
| Firms with 10+ permits closing under 70% | 9 of 17 |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm (10+ permits) | 51.1% / 88.5% |
| Firms on a single permit | 70.1% |
| Busiest / quietest month | January (133) / December (63) |
Plumbing closes worse than most County trades: 62.8%, against 80.4% for re-roofs. More than half of the busy firms (9 of 17) closed under 70%, and two water-treatment companies among the five busiest closed 25.9% and 27.0%. A softener or filtration install with no final is still an open permit on your parcel. Filing peaks in January (index 133) and bottoms out in December. Plumbing permits here carry no job value; national labor rates are in plumbing labor cost.
See every County plumber by permits closed and CSLB license →
Next steps
Compare plumbers on the San Diego County plumbing list and check the license with the San Diego County contractor license lookup. Past permits: San Diego County building permit search. Monthly counts: San Diego County permit statistics. Other places' rules: do I need a permit for plumbing repairs, for a water heater and for a gas line.
What this does not tell you
"Closed" is a completed status in the County's file; an open permit can mean the final was never booked. Sewer laterals and septic work also involve the Department of Environmental Health, which we did not review. Unincorporated county only.
How we know this
Exemptions are quoted from the County's adoptive ordinance (PDS 110), fees from PDS 613, owner-builder terms from PDS 421 and expiration from PDS 807, read 23 October 2026; online types are from PDS Online Services Central and scope-code counts from the County's Building Permits open data the same day. Our counts are County PDS residential plumbing permits (Plumbing Only, gas line repairs and sprinklers), October 2023 to September 2026; "closed" uses permits a year or more old, days to final is the median from issue, and license status is our match to CSLB records.
Numbers come from San Diego County Planning & Development Services building permits on homes in the unincorporated county (the County's open-data permit, contractor and status-history files), data through October 20, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in San Diego County?
Not always. The County's adoptive ordinance (PDS 110) exempts 'Installing a replacement water heater with no change to the unit type or servicing utilities when performed by a California licensed plumbing contractor'. Switching gas to electric or tank to tankless, or doing it yourself, needs a permit; the County offers an online water heater type.
- Can I replace a toilet or faucet without a permit in San Diego County?
Yes, if you or a licensed plumber only repair or replace the fixture, on the service side of its shut-off valve, with no work inside a floor, wall or ceiling and no gas or electrical connection. That is the PDS 110 exemption.
- How much is a plumbing permit in San Diego County?
The County's fee schedule effective 10 July 2026 lists $392 for a plumbing-only permit, $498 for plumbing combined with electrical or mechanical, and $734 for all three. A re-inspection is $205.
- Do I need a permit to repipe a house in San Diego County?
Yes. PDS 110 says that once a concealed drain, water, soil, waste or vent pipe has to be removed and replaced, 'the work shall be considered new work and require a permit and inspection'. Only stopping a leak or clearing a stoppage is exempt.
- How long does a plumbing permit take to final in San Diego County?
In our file the usual County plumbing permit reached final 62 days after issue, but only 62.8% of those a year or more old had closed.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Do I need a permit to replace a water heater? The rule in 12 cities, and how many get filed
- Do I need a permit for plumbing repairs or a repipe? The rule in 13 cities
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Arlington, VA? The like-for-like rule, gas, and timing
- Austin building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Waco? What's exempt, the homestead rule, fees and inspections
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Wilmington, NC? The County chart, the water heater exemption and the $60 fee
For one city
- Building Permit Requirements per Adoptive Ordinance (PDS 110, rev. 01/01/2026) — County of San Diego PDS (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building Fee Schedule (PDS 613, effective 07/10/2026) — County of San Diego PDS (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Online Services Central — County of San Diego PDS (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Owner-Builder Information (PDS 421) — County of San Diego PDS (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Online Solar Photovoltaic Permit: Important Customer Information (PDS 807, expiration text) — County of San Diego PDS (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building Permits — San Diego County open data (scope code counts) (counted 2026-10-23)
- Accela Citizen Access — County of San Diego (2026-10-23)