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San Luis Obispo County, CA Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Admin rules
Follow CBC Chapter 1, same as building permits
Adopted appendices
Appendix A (water sizing), Appendix H Table 201.1(4)
Cross-connection control
Backflow device required to prevent supply contamination
Related chapter
County Code Ch. 8.30, Cross-Connections Control
Citation
Sec. 19.07.010(a)-(d), amending CPC Sec. 603.0

Summary

San Luis Obispo County adopts the California Plumbing Code and, like the electrical code, folds its permitting into the building code's Chapter 1 rules. Section 19.07.010 substitutes Chapter 1 of the California Building Code for the plumbing code's own administration division and separately strengthens cross-connection control to protect the domestic water supply from backflow contamination.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of San Luis Obispo County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

(a)Delete Division II—Administration see 19.02.020. Administration of the Plumbing Code shall be as set forth in Chapter 1 of the California Building Code.(b)Adopt Appendix A, Recommended Rules For Sizing The Water Supply System.(c)Adopt Appendix H Table H 201.1(4). Estimated Waste/Sewage Flow Rates.(d)Amend Section 603.0 to read as follows: 603.0 Cross-Connection Control. Cross-connection control shall be provided in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and Chapter 8.30 of the San Luis Obispo County Code (Cross-Connections Control and Inspections). No person shall install any water-operated equipment or mechanism, or use any water-treating chemical or substance, if it is found that such equipment, mechanism, chemical or substance may cause pollution or contamination of the domestic water supply. Such equipment or mechanism may be permitted only with an approved backflow prevention device or assembly.

Full Breakdown

1 before anyone installs, alters, or replaces a regulated plumbing system. 1(4), the estimated waste and sewage flow rate table designers use to size drainage and disposal systems. 30 of the San Luis Obispo County Code (Cross-Connections Control and Inspections), and bars anyone from installing water-operated equipment or using a water-treating chemical that could pollute or contaminate the domestic water supply unless it carries an approved backflow prevention device or assembly. 07 goes on to regulate private sewage disposal (onsite wastewater treatment systems), toilet facilities required for construction workers on a graduated table by employee count, and the minimum water supply and well capacity a building permit for a new dwelling must show before it issues.

Violations & Fines

Installing, altering, or replacing a plumbing system without a permit under Section 105.1, folded into the Plumbing Code by Section 19.07.010(a), is unpermitted work referred to code enforcement the same as any other unpermitted construction. Installing water-operated equipment, a water-treating chemical, or a substance that could pollute or contaminate the domestic water supply without an approved backflow prevention device or assembly violates the amended Cross-Connection Control standard in Section 603.0.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does SLO County have a separate plumbing permit process from its building permits?
No. Section 19.07.010(a) deletes the Plumbing Code's own Division II administration and substitutes Chapter 1 of the California Building Code, so a plumbing permit is filed, reviewed, and expires under the same Section 105.1 rules amended at Section 19.02.020 for any other construction permit.
What backflow protection does the county require on water-treating equipment?
Section 19.07.010(d) amends Plumbing Code Section 603.0 to bar installing water-operated equipment or using a water-treating chemical or substance that could pollute or contaminate the domestic water supply unless it is protected by an approved backflow prevention device or assembly, enforced together with County Code Chapter 8.30.
Which appendices of the Plumbing Code does the county add for sizing water and sewage systems?
Section 19.07.010(b)-(c) adopts Appendix A, the recommended rules for sizing a water supply system, and Appendix H Table H 201.1(4), the estimated waste and sewage flow rate table, both used to size a project's supply and drainage design before a permit issues.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in San Luis Obispo County

All San Luis Obispo County rules

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