California — plumbing code & licensing
Verified
The code
| Code family | state-written |
| Edition in force | 2025 California Plumbing Code (California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 5) - the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code adopted with California amendments by the California Building Standards Commission in the 2024 Triennial Code Adoption Cycle; published July 1, 2025 |
| Effective date | 2026-01-01 |
| Adopted by | California Building Standards Commission (CBSC), Department of General Services |
| Adoption source | https://www.dgs.ca.gov/-/media/Divisions/BSC/06-News/Information-Bulletins/2025/BSC-Bulletin-25-01-FINAL.pdf |
| State amendments | State amendments at their own official document — https://www.dgs.ca.gov/BSC/Codes |
Licensing
| Model | State contractor-only licensing: the Contractors State License Board licenses plumbing contractor businesses under classification C-36 Plumbing (16 CCR 832.36). California has no state journeyman or master plumber license - individuals perform plumbing as employees of a C-36 licensee |
| Authority | Contractors State License Board (CSLB) |
| Licensing source | https://www.cslb.ca.gov/about_us/library/licensing_classifications/Licensing_Classifications_Detail.aspx?Class=C36 |
| License classes | https://www.cslb.ca.gov/About_Us/Library/Licensing_Classifications/Default.aspx |
Permits & inspections
Permit-date split (BSC Information Bulletin 25-01, under Health and Safety Code 18938.5): building permit applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026 are subject to the 2025 California Building Standards Code; applications received on or before December 31, 2025 remain under the 2022 code.
How this record was verified
| Adoption | Verified |
| Amendments | Verified |
| Licensing | Verified |
| Permits & inspections | Verified |
Working notes
Prior edition: 2022 California Plumbing Code (based on the 2021 UPC), effective Jan. 1, 2023. One county codes page found during research mislabels the model code as a '2025 UPC' - the Commission's own materials control: the 2024 Triennial Cycle adopted the 2024 editions of the IAPMO model codes, and the model code for the California Plumbing Code is the Uniform Plumbing Code (CBSC CALCode Quarterly, Winter 2024; HCD initial statement of reasons for Part 2). The CBSC Codes page itself still leads with 2016-cycle text and was used only for the Part 5 publisher link, not for the edition facts.
Reference only. Compiled from the cited official sources as of the date shown; adoptions and rules change. Confirm with the authority having jurisdiction before designing or permitting work.