Homeowners planning to remodel face new water-conservation rules

After the first of the year, homeowners across the state planning to remodel will have to comply with a new year's resolution of sorts: Installing water-conserving plumbing fixtures.

The state law applies to all single-family residences built before Jan. 1, 1994 and requires that water conserving plumbing fixtures be installed throughout the home as a condition of building permits applied for after Jan. 1, 2014.

"I think a lot of people may feel that it's time to do it because they can see their water bills go up and see losing a lot of water with inefficient water fixtures," said Woodland's Chief Building Official Paul Siegel. "All it takes is one drought and you're rationing people."

Specifically, the law states that all residential buildings undergoing alterations, additions, or improvements must replace non-compliant plumbing fixtures with water-conserving fixtures (Think: Low-flow toilet).

The law does not apply to maintenance, however, such as water heater replacement, HVAC replacement, re-roofing, sewer replacement or window replacement.

A resale inspection would not trigger compliance either, unless a permit is required as a result of the resale inspection.

"Imagine replacing a water heater and spending five times more than you needed to," Siegel said. "That would have been brutal and people wouldn't have done it.

"This (law) will trigger during a major remodel of a home. A lot of people do that anyway.

The law isn't new. Senate Bill 407 actually came into effect in 2009, and stipulates that low-flow fixtures be implemented with home improvements starting in 2014, in all homes by 2017 and in apartment and commercial buildings by 2019.

When passed four years ago, the law went to the California Civil Code, rather than the health and community development department, which covers building codes. For this reason, some people are only learning of the law now.

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Homeowners planning to remodel face new water-conservation rules