Kern County, CA Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Section 17.20.010 titles the chapter the "Kern County Plumbing Code." Section 17.20.020 applies it to "new construction, relocated buildings, and to any alterations, repairs, or reconstruction of buildings in the unincorporated territory of the county of Kern," and Section 17.20.030 adopts the 2025 California Plumbing Code, Title 24 Part 5, with Kern's own amendments layered on top, such as the recreational-vehicle sanitation station rules added at Section 17.20.090 and the swimming-pool waste-discharge permit requirements added under Appendix O at Section 17.20.190. Section 17.20.070 amends CPC Section 203.0 to define the "Administrative Authority" as "the director of the Public Works Department or his designee," meaning plumbing permits are reviewed and issued by Public Works rather than the Planning and Natural Resources building official who handles most other Title 17 permits.

Because Chapter 17.20 sits inside Title 17, the general Code of Building Regulations provisions of Chapter 17.04 apply to every plumbing permit: Section 17.04.030 folds "installation of new mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems" into the countywide permitting requirement, Section 17.04.140 sets the fee and reinspection-fee framework, and Section 17.04.180 expires any unused or abandoned Title 17 permit, including a plumbing permit, after 360 days. Plan-check submissions follow the same rule used chapter-wide: two sets of plans at the Bakersfield office, three sets at any other county office, before the department will check and stamp them approved.