Commercial Plumber in San Bruno, CA

A Property Manager’s Guide to Plumbing in San Bruno

Water and sewer are run by the City

San Bruno’s Public Works Department runs both utilities. The Water Division produces and delivers drinking water, and the Wastewater Division operates the collection system: sewer mains, manholes, lower laterals and seven lift stations. Wastewater is treated at the South San Francisco/San Bruno Water Quality Control Plant on Belle Air Road, owned jointly under a Joint Powers Agreement and operated by the City of South San Francisco. Save one number with your building’s emergency contacts: 650-616-7160, for sewer overflows and backups and for after-hours water or sewer emergencies. The City asks that overflows be phoned in, not sent through its online request portal.

Sewer laterals: the owner’s responsibility, to the main

In San Bruno, the property owner owns the entire sewer lateral, the upper section on the property and the lower section under the street, including the wye where it joins the City main, and pays for all repairs. If a City-approved, permitted cleanout is installed at the correct setback, the City places the lower lateral into a maintenance program (clearing blockages where possible and root control) until staff decide it can no longer be maintained. Upper lateral replacement needs a Building Division permit, and any work in the public right-of-way needs a City encroachment permit.

San Bruno also has a point-of-sale rule (Municipal Code ch. 10.13): before title transfers on a residential property built 50 or more years ago, the owner must video-inspect the full lateral and obtain a Sewer Lateral Compliance Certificate, completing any repairs the City requires first. Units in condominium buildings and properties on shared laterals are exempt, and a certificate is valid for 5 years. If it can’t be finished before closing, the owner can request a time extension of up to 180 days, with a $7,500 escrow deposit. The inspection video must show the cleanout used, a running footage marker and the whole lateral to the main. See commercial sewer repair.

Restaurants: a FOG program shared with South San Francisco

San Bruno’s fats, oils and grease (FOG) program is run jointly with the treatment plant. According to the City’s 2025 Sewer System Management Plan:

• Permits: every food service establishment needs a wastewater discharge permit from South San Francisco before discharging; new ones are reviewed for grease removal devices, recordkeeping and reporting requirements.
• Cleaning: grease must be removed from traps and interceptors at least monthly (Municipal Code §10.12.150), by licensed haulers the business hires.
• Inspections: South San Francisco compliance inspectors visit every establishment every year; violations must be corrected within 30 days.
• Common violations: missing cleaning records, using enzymes or emulsifiers in grease devices, and operating without a valid permit.

Monthly pumping takes care of the interceptor; scheduled hydro jetting keeps the kitchen lines leading to it open.

Backflow testing

San Bruno’s Cross-Connection Control Plan (June 2025) requires approved backflow assemblies where hazards exist, such as irrigation systems, fire sprinklers and some commercial equipment; commercial fire systems need at least a double check detector assembly. The program runs with San Mateo County Environmental Health, which keeps the records and mails reminders. Each assembly must pass a field test within 30 days of its anniversary date, and never less than once every 365 days, by a tester on the County’s list, who must submit results within 10 days. A failed assembly must be repaired or replaced and retested within 30 days. If a test stays overdue, the County issues an enforcement order, and the City can shut off water. We install and repair the assemblies these rules require; see backflow preventers.

Permits for plumbing work

The Building Division takes permit applications, plan uploads, fees and inspection scheduling through SB Permits, the City’s online portal. The Community Development counter at City Hall, 567 El Camino Real, is open Monday through Thursday; City Hall is closed to the public Friday through Sunday, but the portal stays open. Building Division questions go to 650-616-7074, option 2.

Water heaters and water quality

San Bruno blends two sources: surface water from the SFPUC’s regional system, mostly Hetch Hetchy, and four City groundwater wells drawing from a deep aquifer in northern San Mateo County. In 2025 no well water entered the system, and delivered water measured 8.1–112 ppm hardness, averaging 62 ppm, with an average pH of about 9.3. The City’s wells, when used, produce water of about 154–318 mg/L, hard to very hard, so scale in water heaters and fixtures can vary from year to year. The City offers to tell customers the current hardness in their area at 650-616-7160. See commercial water heaters.

Sources

City of San Bruno: Water · Water quality · 2025 water quality report · Hard water fact sheet · Wastewater · Sewer lateral information · Point-of-sale sewer lateral requirement · Municipal Code ch. 10.13 · Point-of-sale program description · Compliance certificate FAQ · Sewer lateral FAQ · Sewer System Management Plan (2025) · Cross-connection control plan · Cross-connection policy handbook · Building Division · Online permits · Municipal Code. Checked October 2026.