Santa Ana, CA Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Section 8-290, most recently amended by Ordinance No. NS-3088 on January 20, 2026, adopts the California Plumbing Code, 2025 Edition, with Appendices A, B, D, I and J, as the city plumbing code, incorporated by reference under Section 419 of the Santa Ana Charter. Any prior Santa Ana amendment to an earlier edition of the Plumbing Code carries forward and is construed as amending the equivalent 2025-edition provision, so the local code layers city-specific changes onto the state model code rather than replacing it. The former Division 2 administration sections that once separately restated permit-application and fee requirements (§§ 8-300 through 8-318) have been repealed as redundant, since the adopted Plumbing Code's own administrative chapter now controls permit issuance, plan review and fees directly.

Under Section 8-6, no one may be issued a plumbing permit unless they are a licensed contractor, an employee or authorized representative of one, a representative of a licensed contractor's subscribed service, or the property owner performing their own work with proof of workers' compensation coverage where required. Projects of 20 or more residential units, or 20,000 square feet or more of commercial or industrial space, must additionally list every subcontractor and verify each one's license, workers' compensation coverage and any Labor Code violations within the prior five years before work begins.

Permit and inspection fees are set by city council resolution under Section 8-5, which supersedes any fee schedule contained in the adopted Plumbing Code itself.