Plumber quotes in San Jose, compared line by line

San José requires a plumbing permit to add or replace plumbing systems or fixtures, or to change how the pipes are laid out. Water pressure at a fixture must stay between 15 and 80 psi; above 80 psi a pressure regulator is required.

Many plumbing permits for a single-family home can be downloaded at SJPermits.org, among them water heaters, repipes, sanitary sewer replacement, property line cleanouts, water service replacement, gas line work and water softeners. If the inspector finds work beyond the permit, the City requires the extra permits.

Only owners and licensed contractors can apply online. A contractor needs a current San José business tax certificate and may only pull permits that match the license class, for plumbing the C-36.

The City recommends that the licensed contractor pull the permit rather than the owner. Whoever signs the application is responsible for all work under that permit. An owner who pulls it must be the owner on record with the County Tax Assessor and sign an owner acknowledgement form.

Repairing or replacing the building sewer needs a plumbing permit. When the sewer is replaced or repaired at the property line, a property line cleanout is required, on the lot within 5 feet of the property line and in an approved concrete box. The new pipe stays uncovered until it is inspected.

The owner is responsible for maintaining the entire sewer lateral. As a courtesy, the City maintains the lower part, from an approved wye cleanout near the sidewalk to the main, but only if that cleanout is installed.

Water heaters: a like-for-like gas tank swap can be permitted online. The City's water heater page says a different type or a new location needs plans and plan review, while its online list also names new heat pump and tankless gas units. Heat pump units need a plumbing and an electrical permit.

San José requires every water heater to be strapped: 2 straps up to 52 gallons, 3 for a 75-gallon unit, 4 for 100 gallons. A house with a pressure reducing valve at the water service needs an expansion tank.

A repipe is one plumbing permit that can also cover the water service and the water heater. If the work opens shear walls, firewalls or structural members, a building permit and plans are needed as well.

For alterations to a single-family home, California makes final permit approval conditional on replacing all noncompliant plumbing fixtures with water-conserving ones. Sellers must disclose noncompliant fixtures in writing.

That fixture rule covers homes built and available for use on or before January 1, 1994.

San Jose is inside the Bay Area Air District. Its draft amendments of July 14, 2026 would move the zero-NOx date for new home water heaters from January 2027 to January 2028. The standard applies when a unit is replaced, not to a unit that still works.

Hard water. Valley Water reports that groundwater in Santa Clara County averages over 250 mg/L of hardness, where over 180 mg/L counts as very hard. Its treated surface water averages under 120 mg/L. Scale builds up on pipes and fixtures, lowers water pressure and makes water heaters less efficient.

Grease and roots in the lateral. The City says most sewer blockages come from oil, fats and cooking grease that harden into a plug, and that roots enter through tiny cracks and grow into a root ball. If the blockage is in the owner's lateral, the owner calls the plumber.

Age. Of 345,884 housing units in San Jose, 245,510 were built before 1990 and 18,528 in 1939 or earlier, according to the 2024 American Community Survey. Every one of them predates the January 1, 1994 cutoff of the California fixture rule above.

Old fixtures. Under California law, a toilet made to use more than 1.6 gallons per flush, a showerhead rated above 2.5 gallons per minute and an interior faucet above 2.2 gallons per minute count as noncompliant.

Scope that crosses trades. The C-36 plumbing license covers equipment that heats water and the upkeep of gas earthquake valves, backflow preventers and water conditioning equipment. A softener or an earthquake valve can sit in the same plumbing quote as the main job.

C-36 license number and a current San José business tax certificate, since the City requires both before a contractor can pull a permit.

Who applies for the permit, online at SJPermits.org or through plan review, and is the permit fee part of the price?

Sewer work: where the blockage is, a camera video of the lateral before pricing, where the property line cleanout is, and whether a new cleanout within 5 feet of the property line is included.

Water heater: size in gallons, the number of straps, an expansion tank if the house has a pressure reducing valve, and whether the unit meets the Air District rule.

Repipe: pipe material, how many wall openings, who patches the drywall, and whether a building permit for shear walls is expected.

Pressure: a reading at a fixture, and the price of a regulator if it is above 80 psi.

Remodel: which toilets, showerheads and faucets must be swapped before final approval, and are they in the price?

Labor and parts warranty in writing, in years, plus the earliest start date.