Civil Code 1101.4: the whole-house fixture rule
California Civil Code 1101.4 is the rule most remodelers' clients haven't heard of. When a building permit is issued for remodeling a house built before January 1, 1994, every non-compliant plumbing fixture in the house is upgraded to a water-conserving one, including fixtures outside the scope of work. A bathroom remodel can mean a new toilet in the other bathroom too.
| Fixture | Non-compliant above | Replacement maximum (CALGreen 4.303) |
|---|---|---|
| Toilet (water closet) | 1.6 gallons per flush | 1.28 gallons per flush |
| Urinal | 1.0 gallon per flush | 0.125 gpf wall-mount; 0.5 others |
| Showerhead | 2.5 gallons per minute | 1.8 gpm at 80 psi |
| Bathroom faucet | 2.2 gpm | 1.2 gpm at 60 psi |
| Kitchen faucet | 2.2 gpm | 1.8 gpm at 60 psi |
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As listed in the City of Pasadena's Residential Bathroom and Kitchen Remodel handouts (2020).
Title 24 lighting in kitchens and baths
Kitchens
- Every installed luminaire high efficacy, including permanently installed lights in and under cabinets
- Cabinet lighting switched separately from the room's other lighting
- Recessed fixtures IC-rated and certified airtight
- In condos with a rated floor/ceiling between units, recessed fixtures protected to match the rating
Bathrooms
- Every installed luminaire high efficacy, with at least one controlled by a vacancy sensor
- No switch inside a tub or shower space
- No pendant within 3 feet horizontally and 8 feet vertically of a tub rim or shower threshold
- Fixtures over the tub or shower enclosed, gasketed, rated for damp or wet locations and GFCI protected
Ventilation: bathroom fans and kitchen hoods
| Room | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Bathroom with tub, shower or spa | Vented outdoors; 50 cfm intermittent or 20 cfm continuous; 3 sone max (1 continuous); humidistat 50 to 80% RH |
| Bathroom with only toilet and sink | No fan needed with an operable window of at least 3 sq ft |
| Bath fan switching | Separate from the lights, or lights that turn off while the fan keeps running |
| Bath duct outlet | Outside the building, backdraft damper, 3 ft from property line and openings, 10 ft from air inlets |
| Kitchen hood | Vented outdoors (no recirculation); 100 cfm intermittent or 5 air changes per hour continuous; 3 sone max |
| Kitchen duct | Smooth metal, no aluminum flex, backdraft damper |
| Hood verification | HERS rater, unless over 400 cfm at minimum speed (2019 code edition) |
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City of Pasadena Residential Bathroom Remodel and Residential Kitchen Remodel handouts, citing the Energy Code, ASHRAE 62.2, CALGreen 4.506.1 and the Mechanical Code.
Insulation and air sealing
A remodel that opens exterior walls or a ceiling has to insulate what it exposes: R-13 minimum in 2x4 walls, R-19 in 2x6 or deeper, and R-19 in ceilings, with accessible joints and penetrations in the building envelope caulked or sealed. In older Pasadena houses with uninsulated plaster walls, opening the kitchen's exterior wall is often the first time it gets insulation.
CALGreen material rules
- Adhesives, sealants, caulks, paints and coatings within CALGreen's VOC limits
- Aerosol paints within the reactivity (MIR) limits
- At least 80% of installed resilient flooring certified to CALGreen's emissions criteria
- Hardwood plywood, particleboard and MDF within the formaldehyde limits, which matters for cabinets
- No new framing closed in above 19% moisture content
Which edition applies
Pasadena's handouts were written to the 2019 codes. The California Energy Commission states that buildings whose permit applications are filed on or after January 1, 2026 must comply with the 2025 Energy Code, so some details (hood verification thresholds, for example) may have moved. The City's Building & Safety Division has the current version.
How these rules show up in a project: the bathroom remodel and kitchen remodel pages, the permit guide, and for pre-1994 houses with original fixtures, the Craftsman and historic remodel page.