Fresno County, CA Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Plumbing code adopted
- 2022 CA Plumbing Code + IAPMO standards
- Commercial gas reconnection trigger
- 180 days disconnected
- Residential gas reconnection trigger
- 1 year disconnected
- Gray water systems
- Must be engineer-designed & permitted
- Septic permitting
- Routed through county LAMP since 5-15-2018
Summary
Fresno County adopts the 2022 California Plumbing Code and IAPMO installation standards as its plumbing standard under Code Section 15.20.010, then layers on local permit triggers, such as a required pressure-test permit before restoring long-disconnected gas service to a commercial building.
1.For all existing commercial and industrial establishments and places of assembly, when the service has been discontinued for one hundred-eighty (180) days or more, the gas meter may be turned on only after the piping has been pressure tested and when the test and gas appliances have been approved by the Building Official. A permit is required for this test.2.For all existing residential buildings where service has been discontinued for one (1) year or longer, the gas may be turned on only after the piping has been pressure tested and when the test and gas appliances have been approved by the Building Official. A permit is required for this test.D.Section 1212.11 Liquefied Petroleum Gas Facilities and Piping, is amended by adding the following: Liquid petroleum gas facilities shall not be located in any fireplace.
Exception: Decorative gas appliances may be used when the appliance is listed for the use.
E.Section 1215.0, Required Gas Piping Sizing, Subsection 1215.1, is amended by adding the following: Exception 1: For structures located in areas determined by the Building Official as not having a reasonable possibility of obtaining natural gas over the lifetime of the structure may size the gas piping system using Tables 1215.2(24) through 1215.2(35).
Exception 2: In non-residential construction gas pipe sizing within structures may be by any appropriate table with prior approval.
F.Section 1102.0 Roof Drains, Subsection 1102.1 is added to read as follows:
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 51).
Full Breakdown
Fresno County Code Section 15.20.010 adopts "the 2022 Edition of the California Plumbing Code and Appendices and the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) Installation Standards... by reference" as the plumbing standard enforced countywide by the Building Official. Section 15.20.020 then amends specific parts of that code for local conditions and sets several permit triggers of its own. Under subsection (C)(1), a commercial or industrial building or place of assembly whose gas service has been shut off for 180 days or more cannot just have the meter switched back on: "the gas meter may be turned on only after the piping has been pressure tested and when the test and gas appliances have been approved by the Building Official," and "a permit is required for this test." Residential buildings get a longer grace period under subsection (C)(2): gas service disconnected for a year or more triggers the same pressure-test-and-permit requirement before the gas can be turned back on.
Section 15.20.020(A) separately amends Plumbing Code Section 311.0 to require that "every building shall have an independent connection with a private or public sewer," with a narrow exception letting multiple buildings on one legally undividable lot share a single building sewer. Gray water systems get their own permit rule under subsection (G): "all Gray water systems shall be an engineer designed system," and "prior to issuance of a permit, the design shall be submitted to and approved by the authority having jurisdiction." Section 15.20.020(H) folds private sewage disposal (septic) permitting into the county's Local Agency Management Program (LAMP), effective as of May 15, 2018.
Violations & Fines
Turning gas service back on to a long-disconnected commercial building without the required pressure test and Building Official approval violates Section 15.20.020(C)(1). Installing or altering a gray water system without an engineer-approved design and permit violates Section 15.20.020(G). Because Chapter 15.20 has no separate penalty section, a violation falls back to the county's general misdemeanor penalty under Section 1.12.010, up to a $500 fine and six months in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to turn gas back on in a vacant commercial building?
Can I install a gray water system without hiring an engineer?
What plumbing code does Fresno County enforce?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fresno County
California rules heatmap·Compare Fresno County to another location·View the California building safety overview
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