Pismo Beach, CA Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- 2025 California Plumbing Code (Part 5 of Title 24)
- City deletions
- Table 104.5 and Appendices C, E, F, G, K and L
- Administration
- Division II of Chapter 1 of the California Building Code
- Clothes washer gray water
- Construction permit required; ponding or runoff prohibited
- Authority having jurisdiction
- The Building Official (§ 15.04.020)
- Penalty
- Chapter 1.20: misdemeanor, fine up to one thousand dollars
Summary
In the City of Pismo Beach, California, plumbing work is built under the 2025 California Plumbing Code as adopted in Municipal Code § 15.04.010 and modified by § 15.08.050. The city deletes Table 104.5 and listed appendices, sends administration to the California Building Code, and requires a construction permit for clothes washer gray water systems.
The California Plumbing Code adopted in Section 15.04.010 is modified, amended and/or supplemented as follows: A. Delete Division II of Chapter 1, Table 104.5, and Appendices C, E, F, G, K and L. B. Administration of the plumbing code shall be as set forth in Division II of Chapter 1 of the California Building Code. C. Amend Section 1501.3 by deletion of Exception. D. Amend Section 1503.1.1 to read as follows: 1503.1.1 Clothes washer system. A clothes washer system in compliance with all of the following is not exempt from the construction permit specified in Section 1.8.4.1 and shall not be installed or altered without a construction permit and shall comply with this chapter and the following: ... (2) The gray water shall be contained on the site where it is generated. (3) Gray water shall be directed to and contained within an irrigation or disposal field. (4) Ponding or runoff is prohibited and shall be considered a nuisance.
Full Breakdown
The City Council adopts the plumbing code by reference in § 15.04.010, which names the 2025 edition of the California Plumbing Code (Part 5 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations) among eleven adopted documents and makes them the Building Construction Regulations of the City of Pismo Beach, except as modified in Chapter 15.08. Section 15.08.050 is the city amendment list for that code. Subsection A deletes Division II of Chapter 1, Table 104.5, and Appendices C, E, F, G, K and L. Subsection B sends administration of the plumbing code to Division II of Chapter 1 of the California Building Code, so permit procedure follows the building code and not a separate plumbing chapter. Subsection C deletes the Exception from Section 1501.3.
Subsection D rewrites Section 1503.1.1 for clothes washer gray water systems. Such a system is not exempt from the construction permit in Section 1.8.4.1 and cannot be installed or altered without a construction permit. The gray water must be contained on the site where it is generated and directed to an irrigation or disposal field. Ponding or runoff is prohibited and is treated as a nuisance, and the system must be designed to minimize contact with humans and domestic pets. Subsection E rewrites Section 1503.7: before a gray water permit issues, or during construction, the Authority Having Jurisdiction is allowed to require a scaled and dimensioned plot plan, construction details, holding tank dimensions and structural calculations, a log of soil formations and groundwater level from test holes with a water absorption analysis by a California-licensed geotechnical engineer, and the distance to surface waters such as lakes, ponds, rivers or streams.
Section 15.04.020 designates the Building Official as the building official and code official for the City of Pismo Beach and says that where the adopted codes use the term authority having jurisdiction, it means the building official. Section 15.04.030 provides that the International Plumbing Code and the International Fuel Gas Code each mean the California Plumbing Code.
Violations & Fines
Section 15.08.050 prints no penalty of its own. Chapter 1.20 supplies the penalty. Under § 1.20.010 a violation of a city ordinance is a misdemeanor unless made an infraction, punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, imprisonment not to exceed six months, or both. Infraction fines are not exceeding one hundred dollars, two hundred dollars and five hundred dollars for a first, second and third or later violation within twelve months, and each day is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which plumbing code applies in the City of Pismo Beach?
Does a clothes washer gray water system need a permit in Pismo Beach?
Who administers plumbing permits in the City of Pismo Beach?
What plans can the city require for a gray water permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pismo Beach
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