Santa Barbara County, CA Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Santa Barbara County Code Sec. 1 adopts the California Plumbing Code, 2025 Edition, promulgated by the California Building Standards Commission and based on the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, as the primary plumbing code for the unincorporated area. County Code Sec. 1(c) exempts only two categories from needing a plumbing permit: stopping a leak in drain, soil, waste, or vent piping, as long as any concealed trap or pipe that turns out to be defective and needs removal and replacement is treated as new work requiring a permit; and clearing stoppages or repairing leaks in pipes, valves, or fixtures, so long as the repair does not require replacing or rearranging the valves, pipes, or fixtures, and does not involve removing or reinstalling a water closet.

Sec. 4 requires commercial car wash facilities to install a water-recycling system approved by the Administrative Authority, and Appendix D (storm-water drainage sizing) and Appendix H (private sewage disposal systems) are adopted in full, with the Director of Environmental Health responsible for enforcing the private sewage and liquid-waste provisions of Appendix H until the County adopts its own individual sewage disposal standards. As with electrical work, Sec. 4 lets a qualified contractor obtain an annual maintenance permit for recurring plumbing repairs at a single site, reporting completed work to the Building Official every month and paying an hourly inspection rate set by the Board of Supervisors.