Commercial Plumber in Union City, CA

A Property Manager’s Guide to Plumbing in Union City

Two districts handle water and sewer

Union City’s water and sewer service come from two special districts rather than City departments. Alameda County Water District (ACWD) supplies water to Union City, Fremont and Newark, and Union Sanitary District (USD), whose offices are in Union City, provides sewer service to the same three cities. Keep both emergency numbers with the building’s contacts: ACWD’s field representatives answer 510-668-6500 at any hour for water emergencies such as a leak in the street or a struck hydrant, and USD answers (510) 477-7500 24 hours a day. ACWD’s office line, 510-668-4200, is staffed weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sewer laterals and USD permits

USD Ordinance No. 34 puts the whole sewer lateral on the owner: everything from the building to the point where it joins USD’s main, including the stretch under the sidewalk and street. If a backup happens, USD will inspect its main free of charge. A cleanout, where one exists, may be just outside the building or behind the sidewalk, sometimes under a cover marked “S” or “SEWER”; USD can give an approximate lateral location if you call.

A USD repair permit is required before any lateral work starts, even on private property. Inspections are scheduled with your USD inspector 48 hours in advance. If the work digs into a street or public right-of-way, the City of Union City also issues an encroachment permit; USD lists the City’s number for that as (510) 675-5305. Regular camera inspections of older laterals catch roots and offset joints before they back up into a building. See commercial sewer repair.

Grease rules for food service

Restaurants and other food service businesses in Union City follow USD’s FOG Ordinance No. 38 and its restaurant program:

• Pumping: interceptors are serviced as needed to stay within USD’s oil and grease limits, and never less than once every 90 calendar days, by a hauler licensed by the State of California. After a grease blockage USD can require a shorter interval; going longer than 90 days takes a written variance.
• Records: maintenance records and hauling manifests are kept for at least 3 years and shown to USD on request.
• Inspections: USD inspects new food service businesses soon after opening, then on a routine schedule, and may sample during normal hours of operation.
• New kitchens: food service plans go to USD for review, which typically takes about ten business days. Grease-intensive kitchens need an outside interceptor of at least 1,500 gallons; some lower-grease businesses may use a 200 lb grease trap. Garbage disposals are prohibited, and dishwashers should not drain to the grease removal device. USD’s FOG Coordinator is at (510) 477-7630.

Pumping handles the interceptor itself; hydro jetting on a schedule keeps the kitchen lines that feed it open.

Backflow prevention

State law requires certain businesses to be surveyed for cross-connections, and in Union City those surveys are done by ACWD’s certified Cross Connection Specialists. Once a backflow assembly is installed, a certified tester must test it at least once a year. ACWD publishes its approved tester criteria, repair and replacement work schedules and a test report form, and takes cross-connection questions at 510-668-6584. We install and repair the assemblies these rules call for; see backflow preventers.

Permits from the Union City Building Division

The Building Division, at 34009 Alvarado-Niles Road, works under the 2025 California codes, including the Plumbing Code. It issues over-the-counter permits by email to California licensed contractors; the eligible projects listed on the application include minor plumbing, water heater replacements and repair or replacement of water and gas lines. The City invoices the permit fee by email and mails the permit to the contractor. Plan submittals are made in person at the counter, open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and every other Friday morning. Inspections are requested at 510-487-0711, and the Division limits the number of inspections per day, so call early when a shutdown is scheduled. Questions go to 510-675-5313.

Water heaters: hardness and Ava Community Energy

ACWD draws on four sources. Union City gets blended water, San Francisco water mixed with groundwater from the Niles Cone basin, which measured 120–160 ppm hardness, 138 ppm on average (about 8 grains per gallon) in ACWD’s 2025 water quality report. ACWD disinfects with chloramines. Water this hard leaves scale in storage tanks, tankless heat exchangers and fixtures, so flushing on a schedule pays off. Electricity in Union City comes from Ava Community Energy, where Bright Choice is the default service for commercial accounts. Ava’s Building Efficiency Accelerator, which offered incentives for heat pump water heaters, is closed to new enrollments; Ava now refers businesses to BayREN Business, PG&E rebates and GoGreen Financing, so check what’s available before a replacement. See commercial water heaters.

Sources

Alameda County Water District: Water emergencies · Backflow prevention explained · Backflow prevention forms · 2025 water quality report. Union Sanitary District: Sewer repairs · FAQ · FOG FAQ · FOG Ordinance No. 38. City of Union City: Building Division · Email or mail-in OTC permit application. Ava Community Energy: Communities we serve · Commercial buildings. Checked October 2026.