Plumbing San Rafael

San Rafael plumbing on either side of Puerto Suello Hill

In San Rafael the sewer district changes at Puerto Suello Hill, and so do the plumbing rules. South of the hill, the San Rafael Sanitation District wants its own permit for any lateral repair but no inspection when a building permit is pulled. To the north, Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District, which took in Terra Linda in 1956, requires a camera inspection before escrow closes. Inside city limits, every sale also brings the city's resale inspection.

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  • Rules on this page checked against 13 public sources, October 2026
Central San Rafael sewer
San Rafael Sanitation District, south of Puerto Suello Hill
North San Rafael sewer
Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District, Terra Linda since 1956
City drain permit reach
In or under the house and 3 feet past the wall
Resale report
Due before close of escrow on any home sold in the city

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Free to request, and you agree the scope and price with the person you hire before work starts. In California, a job over $1,000 in labor and materials, or one that needs a building permit, must be done by a contractor licensed by the CSLB in the right class. Ask for the license number and check it at cslb.ca.gov.

Albert Park in San Rafael
Albert Park in San Rafael. Photo: Mx. Granger, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Copper pipe fittings: elbows, a tee, reducers and couplings
Copper pipe fittings: elbows, a tee, reducers and couplings. Photo: Torsten Bätge, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The houses here

Eichler slabs up north, pump stations down south

About 900 of Terra Linda's houses were built by Joseph Eichler from 1955 to 1965 on concrete slabs with hydronic heat, so there is no crawlspace to work from: the heating loops are cast into the floor and the drains leave the house beneath it. Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District's first plant went up in 1955 to deal with failing septic tanks in Santa Venetia, and the district annexed Terra Linda the following year. South of Puerto Suello Hill the San Rafael Sanitation District's 32 pump stations, 13 miles of force main and 132 miles of sewer pipe carry central San Rafael's wastewater to the Central Marin Sanitation Agency's plant.

The work

Jobs that bring a plumber to a San Rafael house

  1. The escrow camera inspection in Las Gallinas territory

    Under Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District's Sewer Lateral Ordinance, the seller has a licensed plumber or a PACP-certified inspector run a camera through the lateral and submits the report before escrow closes. The district reviews it, in 10 business days or 5 on an expedited request, and sends a Report of Findings to the owner and, on a sale, the agent. For a sale inspection, the only work it can order is removing illegal connections such as roof drains or sump pumps; repairs are advised, not required.

  2. A remodel north of the hill

    Las Gallinas also requires a lateral inspection before the final inspection on a city or county building permit for a remodel above the value set in its ordinance, and it notifies the city or county so the permit is conditioned on it. A kitchen or addition in Terra Linda can therefore end with a sewer camera visit. Laterals installed or fully replaced under a district permit in the prior 20 years are exempt.

  3. Replacing a sewer or drain line

    San Rafael's online plumbing permit for a sewer or drain line covers only work in or under the house and up to 3 feet outside its wall. Past that line the job needs a permit from the sanitation district, and digging in the street adds the city's encroachment permit. The same permit does not cover moving fixtures or remodeling. South of the hill, the San Rafael Sanitation District requires its sewer permit before any private lateral repair starts.

  4. Water heater change-outs

    A replacement tank of 100 gallons or less is a minor permit in San Rafael, applied for online. A new tankless heater is different: the city wants a gas schematic with the application and will not issue the permit until it has been reviewed. Since January 1, 2023, minor permits such as water heaters stay valid for 180 days, and one that is not finaled by then has to be renewed for a fee.

Permits and local rules

Who has to sign off on a San Rafael pipe

  1. Las Gallinas's Sewer Lateral Ordinance

    Adopted on November 21, 2019 to meet the district's discharge permit, the ordinance makes the owner responsible for the whole lateral, from the building to and including the wye on the main, and requires a district permit before any lateral is built, repaired or replaced. Inspections are required on a sale, before close of escrow, and before final on a remodel above the set value. Transfers to a spouse, an heir or a revocable trust do not count as a sale.

    Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District (opens in a new tab)

  2. The San Rafael Sanitation District's permit

    The San Rafael Sanitation District does not require a private lateral inspection as part of the building permit process. It does highly recommend having the lateral inspected and repaired as needed whenever sewer-related improvements are proposed, and any private lateral repair or improvement requires a sewer permit from the district before work starts.

    City of San Rafael (opens in a new tab)

  3. Where the city's plumbing permit stops

    San Rafael lists water heaters of 100 gallons or less, tankless change-outs, new tankless heaters, water line replacement and sewer or drain line replacement among its minor plumbing permits. The sewer and drain permit reaches only 3 feet beyond the structure wall; everything farther out needs an additional permit from the local sanitation district. Tankless installations wait for a gas schematic review before the permit issues.

    City of San Rafael Building Division (opens in a new tab)

  4. The Residential Resale Report

    Any residential property in San Rafael that changes ownership needs a Residential Resale Report before close of escrow: a records check of permits, planning actions and code cases, plus a physical inspection. The city's checklist names added plumbing fixtures with their water and sewer connections, and replaced water heaters or boilers. Unpermitted work from before your ownership that no earlier report disclosed still needs retroactive permits, but the city waives the normal fees and penalties.

    City of San Rafael Community Development (opens in a new tab)

State license for this work: C-36 Plumbing, C-42 Sanitation System. Look up a contractor's license on the CSLB website (opens in a new tab).

Part by part

San Rafael districts where the sewer rules differ

  • Terra Linda

    Las Gallinas territory since 1956, so a sale needs the district's camera inspection before escrow closes and a larger remodel needs one before final. On an Eichler slab, ask early whether the drains and the heating loops have ever been mapped, since nothing under the floor can be reached from below.

  • Gerstle Park and downtown

    South of Puerto Suello Hill the San Rafael Sanitation District runs the sewer. Its published guidance asks for no camera inspection with a building permit, though it recommends one, and any lateral repair needs its permit before a trench opens. The city's resale report applies to every sale here.

  • Lucas Valley, Marinwood and Santa Venetia

    These communities share ZIP 94903 and Las Gallinas sewer service but sit outside city limits. The district's escrow inspection applies; the city's resale report does not, because Marin's unincorporated areas do not require resale reports. Building permits come from the county.

Timing

Plumbing paperwork on an escrow clock

A sale in San Rafael can stack two reviews. Las Gallinas takes 10 business days to review a lateral report, or 5 on an expedited request. For the city's resale report, staff call within about seven business days of the application, usually inspect within ten, and aim to issue the report within three days after that. The report is good for six months. Order the camera work and apply for the resale report as soon as the house is listed.

Before you hire

Questions for a plumber, district by district

  • Ask which district serves the address, San Rafael Sanitation or Las Gallinas, before you compare bids, since the permits and inspections differ.
  • North of Puerto Suello Hill, ask who will run and submit the escrow camera inspection: a licensed plumber or a PACP-certified inspector.
  • Ask whether any roof drain, sump pump or yard drain ties into the lateral, because Las Gallinas orders those connections removed.
  • For drain work, ask who pulls the city permit for the first 3 feet outside the wall and the district permit beyond it.
  • Look up the C-36 Plumbing license at cslb.ca.gov and match the name to the contract.

Questions

San Rafael plumbing questions, answered

Do I need a sewer lateral inspection to sell my house in San Rafael?

It depends on the district. North of Puerto Suello Hill, Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District requires the seller to submit a camera inspection report before close of escrow, unless the lateral was installed or fully replaced under a district permit in the prior 20 years. South of the hill, ask the San Rafael Sanitation District directly; its published guidance covers building permits, not sales.

Will Las Gallinas make me replace a cracked lateral found at sale?

Not because of the sale inspection alone. For inspections triggered by a sale or a remodel, the district's Report of Findings can only require removing illegal connections, such as a roof drain or sump pump tied into the sewer; repairs are advised. Separate provisions let the district require repair after an overflow, a failure, or a threat to public health.

Which sewer district serves my San Rafael address?

Central San Rafael, from the top of Puerto Suello Hill south, is the San Rafael Sanitation District, which also covers unincorporated areas within its boundary. Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District serves the communities north of central San Rafael: Terra Linda, San Rafael Meadows, Marinwood, Lucas Valley and Santa Venetia among them.

The resale inspector found a water heater swapped without a permit. What now?

The city lists unpermitted work on the report and expects follow-up, usually a permit and inspection. If the swap happened before you owned the house and no earlier resale report or code case disclosed it, the city still requires the retroactive permit but waives the normal fees and penalties. Work flagged on an earlier report is treated as a current violation.

Does a San Rafael plumbing permit cover the sewer line out to the street?

No. The city's sewer and drain line permit covers work in or under the house and up to 3 feet outside the wall. Anything beyond needs a permit from the sanitation district, either San Rafael Sanitation or Las Gallinas, and work in the street also needs the city's encroachment permit.

Where these facts come from

Checked against these public sources in October 2026. Rules and programs change: confirm permit requirements with the city before work starts, and a contractor's license on the CSLB website.

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