The Water Conservation Retrofit You Owe Before Selling a California Rental (SB 407)

Published August 10, 2026

SB 407 required every noncompliant toilet, showerhead, and faucet in a California single family rental to be swapped out by January 1, 2017, and in multifamily or commercial property by January 1, 2019. Both deadlines have already passed. Here is what Civil Code section 1101 actually requires and what you must disclose to a buyer.

The short answer

Under Civil Code sections 1101.1 through 1101.5, California required every noncompliant toilet, urinal, showerhead, and faucet in a single family rental built on or before January 1, 1994, to be replaced with a water conserving fixture by January 1, 2017. Multifamily and commercial property had until January 1, 2019. Both deadlines have passed. Sellers must still disclose in writing whether the property has any noncompliant fixtures.

Last verified: August 10, 2026

Why this law exists and who it targets

Civil Code section 1101.1 states the legislative intent plainly: require that residential and commercial real property built and available for use or occupancy on or before January 1, 1994, be equipped with water conserving plumbing fixtures. The cutoff year matters because 1994 is roughly when federal and state plumbing standards tightened. A property built after that date was already required to have water conserving fixtures installed at construction, so this retrofit obligation is aimed at older housing stock, which describes a large share of the South Bay's rental inventory.

What counts as a noncompliant fixture

Section 1101.3 defines the fixtures this law targets with specific flow thresholds.

| Fixture type | Noncompliant if it exceeds |

|---|---|

| Toilets | 1.6 gallons per flush |

| Urinals | 1 gallon per flush |

| Showerheads | 2.5 gallons per minute |

| Interior faucets | 2.2 gallons per minute |

A water conserving plumbing fixture, under the same section, is one that meets the flow standards required for new construction of the same fixture type at the time of installation. If your rental still has an older, high flow toilet or showerhead from before the 1994 cutoff and it was never swapped, it is noncompliant under this statute, regardless of whether anyone has ever flagged it.

Two different deadlines depending on property type

Section 1101.3 splits real property into three categories for this article: single family residential, multifamily residential, and commercial. The deadlines are not the same across categories.

Section 1101.4 set the deadline for single family residential real property at January 1, 2017. By that date, the property owner was required to have replaced any noncompliant plumbing fixture with a water conserving one.

Section 1101.5 set the deadline for multifamily residential real property and commercial real property at January 1, 2019. That section also imposed an earlier trigger, effective January 1, 2014, requiring replacement sooner when a building added more than 10 percent to its floor area, or underwent alterations costing more than 150,000 dollars, or had a permitted room alteration that touched a noncompliant fixture.

Both deadlines are now years in the past. If you own qualifying South Bay rental property and have not confirmed every fixture was swapped, this is not a future planning item. It is a compliance gap that already exists today.

The disclosure duty at sale

Section 1101.4 requires a seller or transferor of single family residential real property to disclose in writing to the prospective purchaser or transferee the requirements of the statute and whether the property includes any noncompliant plumbing fixtures. In practice this disclosure typically travels with the standard transfer disclosure package your escrow or real estate professional prepares, but the underlying legal duty sits in this statute, not just in a form.

If you are selling a rental in El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Gardena, or Carson, and the property or any unit was built on or before January 1, 1994, confirm every toilet, urinal, showerhead, and faucet meets the thresholds above before you list. If any do not, you have two problems, not one: the fixture itself was supposed to have been replaced years ago, and you now have an affirmative disclosure obligation to the buyer about that gap.

What about a city point of sale certificate

Some California cities layer their own water conservation point of sale ordinance on top of the state requirement, sometimes requiring a certificate from the seller or a retrofit of additional items like low flow devices beyond what state law covers. We did not verify whether any of the specific South Bay cities Schofield serves has such a local ordinance in this pass. Do not assume your city has one, and do not assume it does not. Confirm directly with that city's building or public works department before listing, since a missed local requirement can delay closing in a way state law alone would not.

The ongoing maintenance duty, not just the one time swap

Section 1101.5 also addresses what happens after the fixtures are replaced: they need to keep operating at the water conserving fixture's rated consumption. If a tenant reports that a low flow toilet is malfunctioning or a showerhead was swapped back to a higher flow unit, the owner has a duty to correct it. This is not a set it and forget it retrofit. Treat it the way you would treat a smoke alarm: confirmed at move in, expected to be maintained for the life of the tenancy.

Practical steps for a South Bay owner

Walk every unit built on or before 1994 and check the toilet, showerhead, and faucet flow ratings against the table above. Keep a record of when each fixture was replaced and with what model, since that record is what supports your written disclosure at a future sale. If you plan to sell, get that walk done before you list, not during escrow, so the disclosure is accurate and there are no surprises for the buyer's inspection.

FAQ

Does this apply to a property built after 1994?

No. Section 1101.1 targets residential and commercial real property built and available for use or occupancy on or before January 1, 1994. Newer construction was already required to have water conserving fixtures installed.

I missed the 2017 or 2019 deadline. What now?

The deadline has passed, but the underlying duty to replace noncompliant fixtures has not gone away. Get the fixtures swapped and keep records, and disclose the prior gap honestly if you sell before finishing the work.

Do I need a special certificate to sell in California under this law?

State law requires a written disclosure of whether the property has noncompliant fixtures, not a separate state certificate. Some cities may have their own point of sale certificate requirement layered on top; confirm with your specific city, since we did not verify one here.

What exactly makes a showerhead or faucet noncompliant?

Under section 1101.3, a showerhead exceeding 2.5 gallons per minute or an interior faucet exceeding 2.2 gallons per minute is noncompliant. Toilets are noncompliant above 1.6 gallons per flush, and urinals above 1 gallon per flush.

Does a tenant complaint about a retrofitted fixture create any obligation?

Yes. Section 1101.5 places a duty on the owner to correct a reported malfunction so the fixture keeps operating at its rated, water conserving consumption.

Is the multifamily deadline the same as the single family deadline?

No. Single family residential real property had until January 1, 2017 under section 1101.4. Multifamily residential and commercial real property had until January 1, 2019 under section 1101.5, with an earlier 2014 trigger tied to major additions or alterations.

This is general information about California law as of the verification date above, not legal advice for your specific property or transaction. Confirm current state and local requirements with your escrow professional, a licensed contractor, or an attorney before listing a property for sale.

Topics: compliance, playbook, market

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Schofield Properties is a family run property management company at 323 Richmond St, El Segundo, CA 90245. We have managed the South Bay since 1972 and personally oversee about 186 doors today. Book a call to talk about your property.