Water Heater Repair and Replacement in Campbell, CA

A Homeowner’s Guide to Water Heater Repair and Replacement in Campbell

A general trade permit, filed online

Campbell’s Building Inspection Division handles water heaters as general trade (MEP) permits. Every application goes through MyGovernmentOnline (MGO):

• Who can apply: a licensed plumbing contractor (C-36) or an owner-builder.
• Plans: not required to replace an existing water heater. A new water heater, plumbing trenching and new fixtures need plans, and manufacturer specifications may be requested.
• Inspections: once the permit is issued, MGO lists the inspections your job needs; more may be added once work starts.

The Division is at 70 North First Street, (408) 866-2130, building@campbellca.gov. We file the permit and meet the inspector as part of a replacement. See water heater repair and replacement.

What the City’s guide checks

The General Trade Permits (MEP) Building Application Guide has a water heater section that works as a checklist:

• Closets off bedrooms and bathrooms: a direct-vent heater, or a fuel-burning heater in a closet used for nothing else, with a listed gasketed door, a self-closing device and combustion air from outdoors.
• Garages: burners not listed as flammable-vapor ignition resistant (FVIR) go on an 18-inch pedestal; a heater not on a pedestal, or anywhere a car could hit it, needs a barrier.
• Strapping: sheet metal straps at the upper and lower thirds, at least 4 inches clear of the controls and inspection panels, fastened so they can’t dislodge.
• Base: a heater supported on the ground rests on level concrete or another structural base 3 inches above the surrounding grade.
• Thermal expansion: an approved expansion tank on any system with a check valve, backflow preventer, pressure regulator or other normally closed device.

Relief valve drains, venting and combustion air follow the California Plumbing Code. See gas water heaters.

San Jose Water and hardness

Campbell is served by San Jose Water, which blends three kinds of supply. Its 2025 Annual Water Quality Report shows:

Source	Average hardness (2025)	Range
Valley Water treated surface water	99 ppm (5.8 gpg)	77–146 ppm
Mountain surface water	151 ppm (9 gpg)	151 ppm
Groundwater	288 ppm (16.8 gpg)	175–451 ppm

The report’s map shows which source mainly serves your neighborhood. Groundwater at these levels leaves sediment in tanks and scale in tankless heat exchangers, so flush a tank yearly and descale a tankless unit on the maker’s schedule.

Campbell’s zero-NOx ordinance and Rule 9-6

Campbell passed its own Air Quality Ordinance (No. 2316) in 2024. Its Chapter 6.13 sets a zero-NOx limit for water heaters, furnaces, cooking appliances and dryers, but only in newly constructed structures and new structures reusing portions of the original, as the municipal code defines a major rebuild. The City’s Electrify Your Home page adds that it doesn’t regulate existing buildings.

For a replacement in an existing home, the regional rule decides what can be bought. Under the Bay Area Air District’s Rule 9-6:

• gas water heaters of 75,000 BTU/hr or less manufactured after January 1, 2027 must be zero-NOx; larger units, tankless included, follow on January 1, 2031;
• on November 4, 2026 the Board votes on moving those dates to 2028 and 2033 and adding exemptions;
• a working gas heater can stay, and propane isn’t covered.

See the zero-NOx rules.

SVCE programs for heat pump water heaters

Silicon Valley Clean Energy supplies Campbell’s electricity and offers two routes:

• Home Rebates, with any licensed contractor: a heat pump water heater replacing gas or electric resistance, 40 gallons or more, NEEA Tier 3 or higher, with a thermostatic mixing valve and proof of permit; no tankless models. Approval comes before installation, and reservations hold up to 120 days.
• Emergency Water Heater Replacement: for owners or occupants of homes with up to four units replacing a failed or failing gas water heater, through SVCE’s partner contractors, with no-cost installs for income-qualified households.

SVCE’s free Go Electric Advisor helps plan the switch. See SVCE heat pump rebates and heat pump water heaters.

Sources

City of Campbell: General Trade Permits (MEP) Building Application Guide · Electrify Your Home · Ordinance No. 2316, Zero-NOx Standards. San Jose Water: 2025 Annual Water Quality Report. Silicon Valley Clean Energy: Home Rebates · Appliance Specifications, April 2026 · Service area · Emergency Water Heater Replacement · Go Electric Advisor. Bay Area Air District: Rules 9-4 and 9-6 Building Appliances · Building Appliances Rule Implementation. Checked October 2026.