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.

Plumbing Union City

Union City plumbing between USD's Alvarado plant and ACWD's meters

Union City's sewage has been treated on the same Alvarado site since 1962, and Union Sanitary District still permits every lateral here, while ACWD supplies the water. Most of a Union City plumbing job's paperwork runs through three offices: the city's Building Division, which lets a state-licensed contractor permit a water heater or gas line by email, USD, and ACWD, whose fees an ADU must clear before the city will issue its building permit.

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  • Rules on this page checked against 10 public sources, October 2026
Sewer agency
Union Sanitary District, 33-acre treatment plant in Union City
Water supplier
Alameda County Water District (ACWD)
Soils hazard zones
East of Mission Blvd and west of Union City Blvd
Energy climate zone
Zone 3, per the Building Division

The work

Union City plumbing jobs and the office that signs off

  • A water heater or gas line, permitted by email

    Union City runs an email or mail-in process for over-the-counter permits, with one application for California state-licensed contractors and another for owners or their agents. Its accepted jobs include minor plumbing, replacing a hot water heater, and repairing or replacing water and gas lines. The invoice is emailed and the permit card mailed to the contractor. The permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days of approval, or stops for 180 days.

  • Sewer and water hookups for an ADU

    Before the city issues an ADU building permit, the owner takes Union City's certificate of fee payment to both USD and ACWD. USD then issues its sewer permit, after seeing the city permit, to whoever does the underground work, with separate inspections for the stretch from the property line to the building and, unless it was already inspected, from the main to the property line. If the ADU needs a new or changed public water service, ACWD wants a Customer Work Request Application.

  • Capping the lateral before a tear-down

    To get a demolition permit from Union City, the owner first needs a Demolition and Sewer Capping Permit from USD. The owner's contractor caps the lateral, temporarily or for good, and USD's construction inspector checks it so debris cannot wash into the public sewer. A new house that will reuse the old lateral needs it televised before it is reconnected.

Union City BART station and its bus plaza
Union City BART station and its bus plaza. Photo: LPS.1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The houses here

Pipes laid on ground the city flags

The Building Division's design data for Union City lists soils hazard zones on both edges of town, east of Mission Boulevard where the land climbs into the hills and west of Union City Boulevard toward the bay, and a seismic site class of D. That is the ground under most of the city's sewer and water lines. Much of it went in quickly: Union City's population more than doubled in the 1960s and grew more than two and a half times in the 1970s, and USD's first plant on the Alvarado site opened in 1962 to handle the new town's wastewater. Laterals from those decades are now half a century old or more.

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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.

Permits and local rules

City, USD and ACWD requirements on the paperwork

  • Over-the-counter permits from the Building Division

    Union City's Building Division issues over-the-counter permits at its counter on Alvarado-Niles Road during business hours, or by email, with separate applications for California state-licensed contractors and for owners or their authorized agents. The division works to the 2025 California codes, including the Plumbing Code, and publishes its own design data: climate zone 3, seismic site class D and the city's soils hazard zones.

    City of Union City Building Division (opens in a new tab)

  • ADU certificate of fee payment

    Union City requires a form certifying payment of USD and ACWD connection fees before it issues building permits for an accessory dwelling unit. Under ACWD Resolution No. 24-004, capacity fees are not charged for an ADU built on the same lot as an existing single-family house. Under USD Ordinance Nos. 31 and 35, a unit owes a one-time capacity fee and an annual sewer service charge collected on the county property tax bill.

    City of Union City Planning Division (opens in a new tab)

  • USD demolition and sewer capping permit

    Union Sanitary District requires a Demolition and Sewer Capping Permit before Fremont, Newark or Union City will issue a demolition permit. The application asks what is being demolished, what will be built and whether the lateral will be reused or abandoned. The owner's contractor does the capping, USD's inspector verifies it, and a lateral kept for reuse must be televised before it is reconnected.

    Union Sanitary District (opens in a new tab)

  • USD sewer permits for accessory units

    A site plan is required with any USD permit involving an ADU. Once fees are paid and a city building permit is shown, USD issues the sewer permit to the party contracted for the underground work, and that contractor must call 24 hours before starting so USD can schedule an inspection.

    Union Sanitary District (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).

Timing

Inspection days in Union City

City building inspections are next-day only: the request goes to the inspection line before 3 p.m. the day before, slots fill first come, first served, and the division calls to confirm by 3:30. There are no city inspections on alternating Fridays, so check the Building Division's calendar before promising a finish date. USD, separately, needs a call 24 hours before any sewer construction.

Before you hire

What to settle with a Union City plumber first

  • Ask whether the contractor will file the water heater or gas line permit by email, using Union City's application for state-licensed contractors.
  • For an ADU, ask who carries the fee form to USD and ACWD before the city issues the building permit.
  • Rebuilding? Ask whether the old lateral will be televised for reuse or capped and abandoned under USD's permit.
  • Check the C-36 Plumbing license at cslb.ca.gov, and ask who books the city and USD inspections.

Questions

Union City owners ask about permits, hookups and inspections

Can my plumber get a water heater permit without going to Union City's counter?

Yes, if the plumber is a California state-licensed contractor. The Building Division takes over-the-counter permit applications by email or mail for jobs including water heater replacement and water and gas line repairs. The invoice comes by email, payment goes through the city's Finance Department, and the permit is mailed to the contractor.

Do I pay ACWD connection fees for an ADU behind my existing Union City house?

Usually not the capacity fee. Under ACWD Resolution No. 24-004, capacity fees are not assessed when the ADU is built on the same lot as an existing primary single-family house. If the unit needs a new or modified water service, ACWD still requires a Customer Work Request Application, and USD charges its own capacity fee.

We are tearing down an old house in Decoto. What does the sewer need?

A permit from Union Sanitary District before the city will issue the demolition permit. Your contractor caps the lateral, USD's inspector confirms it, and if the new house will reuse the old lateral, it has to be televised before reconnection. Capping keeps debris out of USD's lines during demolition.

Why can't my plumber get a city inspection this Friday?

City inspections are not performed on alternating Fridays, when the Building Division keeps short hours. Inspections are also next-day only, requested by phone before 3 p.m. the day before and confirmed by 3:30. Check the division's published calendar before scheduling the last inspection on a job.

Where does Union City's sewage go?

To Union Sanitary District's 33-acre Alvarado plant in Union City itself. The first plant there was built in 1962 for Union City's wastewater; a regional plant for Fremont, Newark and Union City went online on the site in 1981 and, after several expansions, can now treat 33 million gallons a day.

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.

Plumbing work in Union City? Tell us what you see.

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