Plumbing San Ramon

Plumbing in San Ramon, where three agencies split water and sewer

Which agency sits on each side of a San Ramon house shapes the plumbing job. DSRSD supplies water but not sewer in Dougherty Valley, and handles sewer but not water in the south of the city; elsewhere water comes from EBMUD and sewer from Central San. The water itself differs: EBMUD's Walnut Creek plant reported about one grain per gallon of hardness in 2025, while DSRSD puts most of its samples at 7 to 19.

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  • Rules on this page checked against 13 public sources, October 2026
Waterfall Park in San Ramon
Waterfall Park in San Ramon. Photo: FASTILY, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Dougherty Valley
DSRSD water and recycled water; DSRSD is not the sewer agency
Southern San Ramon
DSRSD handles the sewer, not the water
Hardness by supplier
About 1 gpg from EBMUD; 7 to 19 gpg from DSRSD
DSRSD lateral
Owner's pipe runs to the main, usually mid-street

Permits and local rules

Which permit, from whom: San Ramon's plumbing rules

  1. DSRSD's split service and its permits

    DSRSD's permitting FAQ states that in the Dougherty Valley area of San Ramon it provides water and recycled water service only, and in southern San Ramon wastewater service only. Work that may need a district permit includes sewer lateral repair or replacement, cleanouts, replacing or repairing a backflow device, installing an outdoor sink, a new pool and a new ADU. The FAQ adds that the work must be done by a licensed contractor.

    Dublin San Ramon Services District (opens in a new tab)

  2. Where a DSRSD lateral ends

    The district's lateral page puts the property owner in charge of the service pipeline between the house and the sewer main, and DSRSD in charge of the main that carries wastewater to the treatment plant. The main is usually in the center of the street. If an owner suspects the problem is the district's, or cannot tell, DSRSD asks for a call so its staff can assess the problem before sending a crew.

    Dublin San Ramon Services District (opens in a new tab)

  3. Recycled water in DSRSD's water area

    DSRSD's Recycled Water Use Guidelines, under its Ordinance 301 and District Code Chapter 3.20, require new development in its water service area to irrigate with recycled water where it is available. Landscape not owned in common, or with no homeowners association to run it, may be exempted. Recycled systems are metered separately, may have no cross-connection to drinking water, and use purple pipe, valve boxes and sprinkler parts.

    Dublin San Ramon Services District (opens in a new tab)

  4. City permits for replacements, not just remodels

    San Ramon's Building and Safety Division quotes the 2025 California Plumbing Code: no plumbing installation, alteration, repair or replacement without a separate plumbing permit for each building. The city adds that its codes reach the replacement of existing water heaters, plumbing fixtures and landscape irrigation systems, not only additions, and warns that skipping a permit can bring a stop work order or citation.

    City of San Ramon Building and Safety Division (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).

Free request

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Get quotes for plumbing work in San Ramon

Two short steps. A local pro who takes this work calls or texts you back.

To send a request, call or text (415) 449-8213.

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.

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

Soft water, hard water and the lines between them

EBMUD's 2025 water quality report gives hardness of 15 to 21 parts per million for water from its Walnut Creek treatment plant, the primary supply for San Ramon Valley communities in its east-of-hills area. DSRSD describes its own water as moderately hard to hard, with 90 percent of samples between 115 and 324 mg/L, because it is a variable blend of surface water and well water that shifts through the year and across the district. Zone 7, DSRSD's wholesale supplier, runs a reverse-osmosis plant that softens some groundwater from its Mocho Wellfield in western Pleasanton, mainly for the western side of the valley. For a plumber, that means more scale on aerators and more sediment in water heaters on the DSRSD side than on EBMUD's soft supply.

Part by part

Two corners of San Ramon where DSRSD is involved

  • Dougherty Valley

    Here DSRSD is the water and recycled water supplier, so its hardness, backflow program and service line split apply. New development in DSRSD's water area must irrigate with recycled water where it is available, so landscaping owned in common can be on purple pipe, kept apart from drinking water. Sewer questions go to a different agency, since DSRSD does not provide wastewater service in this part of the city.

  • Southern San Ramon

    The roles flip in the south of the city: DSRSD collects and treats the wastewater but does not supply the water. A cracked or root-filled lateral here falls under DSRSD's lateral rule and its Limited Construction Permit, with the owner's pipe running out toward the middle of the street.

The work

Where a San Ramon plumbing job meets a district rule

  1. Replacing a lateral in southern San Ramon

    DSRSD maintains the public sewer main, and the property owner owns the service pipe between the house and that main, which usually runs down the center of the street. The district says plainly that the line is not at the property line or the curb, as many people assume. Repairing, replacing or altering a lateral, cleanouts included, takes a DSRSD Limited Construction Permit, and inspections are booked through its Citizen Self Service portal once the permit is issued.

  2. Backflow for graywater, wells or ejector pumps

    Most DSRSD homes need no backflow device on the incoming service. That changes when the house has a sewer ejector pump, rainwater collection, a graywater system, a groundwater well, a recycled water system, a septic system or another auxiliary supply; then an assembly goes as close as possible to the water meter. Repairs or replacements of a backflow device fall under DSRSD's permits, and replacement parts must be lead-free.

  3. A leak between the meter and the house

    On DSRSD water, the owner is responsible for the service pipe from the house to the meter, and the district for the meter and the pipe from it to the main. A wet strip of lawn on the house side is a job for a plumber the owner hires. If a leak may be on the district's side, DSRSD asks owners to call before anyone shuts the water off at the meter, and not to handle the meter themselves.

  4. Water heaters and softeners on hard water

    San Ramon's Building and Safety page lists the replacement of water heaters and plumbing fixtures among work its codes regulate, so a heater swap starts with a permit. In DSRSD homes, expect the plumber to talk about sediment and flushing. If a softener comes up, DSRSD discourages self-regenerating models, because the salt they send to the sewer raises the salinity of the recycled water the district produces for irrigation.

Before you hire

Ask a San Ramon plumber these first

  • Which agency's permit does this job need: DSRSD's Limited Construction Permit, the city's plumbing permit, or both?
  • For a lateral in southern San Ramon, where is the main, and is the run to mid-street included in the quote?
  • In Dougherty Valley, will anything you install, such as graywater or an ejector pump, require a backflow assembly at the meter?
  • On DSRSD water, how will the new water heater be drained of sediment, and how often should that happen?
  • Is your C-36 Plumbing license current at cslb.ca.gov under the name on the contract?

Questions

Plumbing questions San Ramon homeowners ask

Does my San Ramon water come from EBMUD or DSRSD?

In Dougherty Valley it comes from DSRSD, which provides water and recycled water service there. Across much of the rest of the city it comes from EBMUD, whose Walnut Creek treatment plant is the primary supply for San Ramon Valley communities east of the hills. DSRSD's website has an address search for its service area, and the bill names the supplier.

Why does my Dougherty Valley house get white scale when my friend's San Ramon house does not?

Probably different water. DSRSD's water is moderately hard to hard, 7 to 19 grains per gallon in 90 percent of samples, because it blends surface water with well water. EBMUD's 2025 report gives about one grain per gallon for water from its Walnut Creek plant. Scale on aerators, shower heads and water heater elements follows the harder supply.

Who fixes the sewer line under my street in southern San Ramon?

Usually the owner. DSRSD makes the property owner responsible for the service pipe between the house and the sewer main, and says that dividing point is not the property line or the curb; the main is usually in the center of the street. Repairs and cleanouts on that lateral need a DSRSD Limited Construction Permit.

Should I put a water softener in my Dougherty Valley home?

DSRSD discourages self-regenerating softeners. The salt they discharge ends up in wastewater and raises the salinity of the recycled water used for irrigation in the area. If you still want softer water, talk through alternatives with a plumber, and remember that San Ramon's codes treat plumbing installations as permit work.

Can I connect a garden hose to the purple recycled water line in our common area?

No. DSRSD's recycled water guidelines bar hose bibs on recycled water systems the public can reach, calling for quick couplers instead, and any recycled hose bib out of public reach must carry a sign with the words Caution: Recycled Water, Do Not Drink. Drinking water hose bibs near recycled water areas need vacuum breakers.

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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