Commercial Plumber in Los Gatos, CA

A Property Manager’s Guide to Plumbing in Los Gatos

Water: San Jose Water

The Town of Los Gatos doesn’t run its own water system; San Jose Water supplies it. San Jose Water owns the service from the main in the street to the outlet coupling of the meter, and the property owner owns everything after it, including the service line to the building, the house valve and all fixtures. Report leaks on San Jose Water’s side at 408-279-7900, staffed 24 hours a day, and call them to shut water off at the meter rather than operating the meter box yourself.

Sewer: the West Valley Sanitation District

Sewer service in Los Gatos comes from the West Valley Sanitation District, based in Campbell, which also serves Campbell, Monte Sereno and most of Saratoga. For a backup or overflow, call the District first: 408-385-3090 on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or 408-299-2507 after hours. A District crew checks the main and, if there is a property line cleanout, clears the lateral between that cleanout and the main at no additional charge.

Sewer laterals and property line cleanouts

The District code splits the lateral at the property line cleanout. The owner is responsible for the upper lateral, from the building to the property line, and for the cleanout itself. The District maintains the lower lateral in the street, but only through a properly installed, maintained and accessible cleanout, normally placed about two feet behind the property line. If there is no approved cleanout, or it is blocked, the owner is responsible for the entire building sewer out to the main. Laterals that connect to a sewer in an easement are entirely the owner’s, and the owner pays the District’s costs if a blockage in its pipes is traced to the owner’s grease or maintenance.

Any work that needs a District permit can trigger a requirement to install a cleanout, and the District can also order one where a lateral has frequent or severe blockages. A camera inspection of the lateral and a cleanout where none exists are worth planning on older properties. See commercial sewer repair.

Buildings with plumbing fixtures less than one foot above the nearest upstream sewer manhole need a sewage backflow device, installed at the owner’s expense and kept working. The District suggests checking it every three to six months, as manufacturers typically recommend.

Restaurants: the District’s grease rules

Food service establishments must route grease-bearing drains through an approved grease control device. The District code sets these rules:

• Grease traps: clean every 30 days, or sooner when grease and solids reach 25% of the design depth. No chemical or bacteria injection ports; flow restrictors required.
• Grease interceptors: clean every 90 days, or sooner at 25%, and immediately if grease shows in the sample box. Interceptors need at least 30 minutes’ retention, a sample box and two manholes.
• Cleaning: pump dry and wash down the sides and baffles. Enzymes, bacteria and other additives that dissolve or emulsify grease are prohibited.
• Records: keep at least 3 years on site, including dates, volumes, hauler name and license number, and the measured grease depth.
• Changes: notify the District at least 60 days before a change of ownership, a remodel or a change in operations. District staff can inspect grease control devices.

Scheduled hydro jetting keeps the kitchen lines leading to the interceptor open.

Permits: the Town, then the District

The Town of Los Gatos Building Division handles permits through its Accela Citizen Access portal. Its quick online permits are limited to listed residential jobs, such as a same-type, same-location water heater replacement, a copper repipe or a water line repair. Commercial work goes through a pre-application, fees and plan review in the portal; plan submittals by courier aren’t accepted. Contractors need a current Town business license. Water heaters must be strapped with at least two restraints, one in the upper third and one in the lower third, and switching to tankless or relocating a heater needs gas line plans and specifications. Construction hours in town are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, with no work on Sundays or Town holidays.

Sewer lateral and cleanout work also needs a District permit. Apply for the Town permit first, then describe the work to the District, which decides whether a permit and a new cleanout are required. The District inspects cleanout installations from submitted photos, plus a camera inspection. Contractors working on District sewers in the street must be registered with the District.

Backflow testing changes in 2027

San Jose Water requires backflow protection on fire services and some domestic services, generally a reduced-pressure (RP) assembly, with an air gap for systems with pumps; check with its Backflow Department (408-279-7872) before buying a device. Every assembly must be tested at least once a year. San Jose Water has offered routine testing, but from January 1, 2027, it will no longer test customer-owned assemblies. Owners will arrange and pay for the test with a certified tester and submit the report to San Jose Water, which will send instructions before each property’s deadline. We install and repair the assemblies these rules require; see backflow preventers.

Water heaters: water hardness and SVCE rebates

San Jose Water blends its own mountain surface water (it manages about 6,000 acres of watershed in the Los Gatos Creek and Saratoga Creek watersheds), groundwater and treated Valley Water. Its 2025 report shows hardness averaging 151 ppm for mountain surface water, 288 ppm for groundwater and 99 ppm for Valley Water; the report’s map shows which source primarily serves an area. Harder water builds scale in tanks, tankless heat exchangers and fixtures, so flushing and descaling matter more where groundwater dominates. When it’s time to replace, Silicon Valley Clean Energy offers business rebates for heat pump water heaters that replace gas or electric units, scaled by tank size; a reservation is required before installation, and the claim needs proof of permitting. See commercial water heaters.

Sources

Town of Los Gatos: Building Division · Outside agencies · Water heater bracing requirements. West Valley Sanitation District: Home · Service area · Got a backup · How the pipes work · Permits · Property line cleanouts · Registered contractors · District Ordinance Code. San Jose Water: Contact · Who’s responsible for what · Backflow · Backflow testing changes, January 2027 · 2025 water quality report. Silicon Valley Clean Energy: Home · Business rebate equipment specifications. Checked October 2026.