Santee, CA Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Chapter 11.12 of the Santee Municipal Code adopts the 2025 California Plumbing Code, Part 5, Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, based on the Uniform Plumbing Code 2024 Edition, for the construction, alteration, moving, demolition, repair and use of all plumbing, gas or drainage piping and water heating or treating equipment in the City of Santee. Section 11.12.020 adds two local requirements on top of the state text. Section 104.1.1 requires every new residential building to include pre-plumbing and adequate space for a solar storage tank capable of heating domestic potable water; the Building Official may not issue a permit for a new residential building that omits this pre-plumbing, though the administrative authority can exempt a lot that lacks feasible solar access because of shading, orientation or lot configuration.

Section 104.1.2 requires that any new or replacement fossil-fuel swimming pool heater be backed by a solar collector covering at least half of the pool's surface area as the pool's primary heat source; a separate spa may still use fossil fuel. A pool owner who believes the solar mandate should not apply because of shading, tree cover or an enclosed structure can ask the administrative authority for a waiver, and an applicant unhappy with that decision can appeal in writing to the City Clerk within ten days, with the City Council's ruling on appeal being final. Section 11.12.030 separately adopts Appendices A, B, D, G and I of the 2025 California Plumbing Code.