Toilet Repair in California

Weighted across 6,642,873 occupied homes. Separately, 76% of the state’s 7,139,313 housing units — a wider universe, because it includes vacant ones — were built before 1990, which is before the Energy Policy Act of 1992 set a 1.6 gallon flush maximum.

Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, tables B25003 (tenure) and B25034 (year structure built), 2023 release. Flush volumes: US EPA WaterSense, tank-type toilet supporting statement.

A state average hides the thing that matters. Of the 256 towns we route in here, 173 are mostly pre-1990 housing and 24 are mostly post-1990 housing; on tenure, 26 are strongly owner-occupied and 80 are renter-heavy.

The two are close to independent of each other, so an old town is not reliably an owning town or a renting one. That is why every town page below carries its own pair of figures rather than inheriting these.

The fault list does not vary by state. A running tank is the flapper or the fill valve, and EPA publishes a ten-minute test that tells them apart. Water at the base is four different faults, one of which is condensation and not a leak at all. A fixture that rocks is the one that causes the seal failure you will meet later.

What varies by town is who fixes it. In a rented home the toilet is normally the landlord’s repair, and in the towns above that is a large share of households.

Checking a credential in California

California licenses are issued by the Contractors State License Board, which publishes a public search you can use before work begins. California licenses the C-36 plumbing contractor; there is no state journeyman license.

• Acton 93% owner-occupied · 66% pre-1990
• Albany 54% owner-occupied · 86% pre-1990
• Alhambra 38% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Aliso Viejo 58% owner-occupied · 27% pre-1990
• Altadena 81% owner-occupied · 93% pre-1990
• American Canyon 78% owner-occupied · 42% pre-1990
• Anaheim 46% owner-occupied · 78% pre-1990
• Arcadia 60% owner-occupied · 80% pre-1990
• Arcata 37% owner-occupied · 73% pre-1990
• Artesia 54% owner-occupied · 88% pre-1990
• Arvin 52% owner-occupied · 49% pre-1990
• Azusa 59% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Bakersfield 58% owner-occupied · 58% pre-1990
• Baldwin Park 59% owner-occupied · 89% pre-1990
• Banning 72% owner-occupied · 64% pre-1990
• Bayside 80% owner-occupied · 90% pre-1990
• Beaumont 80% owner-occupied · 31% pre-1990
• Bellflower 38% owner-occupied · 86% pre-1990
• Belvedere Tiburon 73% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Benicia 71% owner-occupied · 82% pre-1990
• Berkeley 46% owner-occupied · 85% pre-1990
• Beverly Hills 49% owner-occupied · 88% pre-1990
• Bloomington 69% owner-occupied · 79% pre-1990
• Blue Lake 54% owner-occupied · 89% pre-1990
• Blythe 60% owner-occupied · 67% pre-1990
• Brea 60% owner-occupied · 71% pre-1990
• Brisbane 60% owner-occupied · 69% pre-1990
• Buena Park 56% owner-occupied · 85% pre-1990
• Burbank 44% owner-occupied · 86% pre-1990
• Burlingame 61% owner-occupied · 85% pre-1990
• Cabazon 74% owner-occupied · 74% pre-1990
• Calimesa 92% owner-occupied · 58% pre-1990
• Canyon Country 69% owner-occupied · 61% pre-1990
• Capistrano Beach 60% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• Carlotta 81% owner-occupied · 77% pre-1990
• Carson 74% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• Cathedral City 65% owner-occupied · 58% pre-1990
• Cerritos 75% owner-occupied · 92% pre-1990
• Chatsworth 67% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• Chino 63% owner-occupied · 58% pre-1990
• Chino Hills 71% owner-occupied · 49% pre-1990
• Claremont 66% owner-occupied · 86% pre-1990
• Coachella 66% owner-occupied · 40% pre-1990
• Colton 54% owner-occupied · 77% pre-1990
• Compton 58% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• Concord 62% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• Corona 69% owner-occupied · 45% pre-1990
• Corona Del Mar 63% owner-occupied · 77% pre-1990
• Corte Madera 69% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• Costa Mesa 39% owner-occupied · 82% pre-1990
• Covina 62% owner-occupied · 92% pre-1990
• Crockett 54% owner-occupied · 90% pre-1990
• Culver City 52% owner-occupied · 88% pre-1990
• Cypress 67% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Daly City 60% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• Dana Point 63% owner-occupied · 81% pre-1990
• Diamond Bar 77% owner-occupied · 92% pre-1990
• Downey 51% owner-occupied · 91% pre-1990
• Duarte 63% owner-occupied · 88% pre-1990
• Eastvale 77% owner-occupied · 16% pre-1990
• El Cerrito 58% owner-occupied · 89% pre-1990
• El Monte 41% owner-occupied · 81% pre-1990
• El Segundo 43% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• El Sobrante 72% owner-occupied · 88% pre-1990
• Emeryville 33% owner-occupied · 71% pre-1990
• Encino 59% owner-occupied · 86% pre-1990
• Eureka 56% owner-occupied · 83% pre-1990
• Fairfield 76% owner-occupied · 39% pre-1990
• Ferndale 63% owner-occupied · 75% pre-1990
• Fontana 67% owner-occupied · 54% pre-1990
• Foothill Ranch 81% owner-occupied · 12% pre-1990
• Fortuna 59% owner-occupied · 74% pre-1990
• Fountain Valley 66% owner-occupied · 92% pre-1990
• Fullerton 51% owner-occupied · 83% pre-1990
• Garden Grove 54% owner-occupied · 88% pre-1990
• Gardena 49% owner-occupied · 85% pre-1990
• Glendale 32% owner-occupied · 86% pre-1990
• Glendora 68% owner-occupied · 89% pre-1990
• Granada Hills 72% owner-occupied · 91% pre-1990
• Grand Terrace 61% owner-occupied · 85% pre-1990
• Greenbrae 64% owner-occupied · 90% pre-1990
• Hacienda Heights 74% owner-occupied · 93% pre-1990
• Harbor City 55% owner-occupied · 80% pre-1990
• Hawaiian Gardens 45% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• Hawthorne 32% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Hayward 55% owner-occupied · 78% pre-1990
• Hemet 66% owner-occupied · 63% pre-1990
• Hercules 81% owner-occupied · 61% pre-1990
• Hermosa Beach 51% owner-occupied · 80% pre-1990
• Highland 67% owner-occupied · 69% pre-1990
• Homeland 76% owner-occupied · 73% pre-1990
• Huntington Beach 56% owner-occupied · 83% pre-1990
• Hydesville 89% owner-occupied · 78% pre-1990
• Indian Wells 77% owner-occupied · 52% pre-1990
• Indio 67% owner-occupied · 41% pre-1990
• Inglewood 34% owner-occupied · 89% pre-1990
• Irvine 44% owner-occupied · 36% pre-1990
• Jurupa Valley 72% owner-occupied · 71% pre-1990
• Keene 100% owner-occupied · 68% pre-1990
• Kneeland 76% owner-occupied · 56% pre-1990
• La Canada Flintridge 89% owner-occupied · 85% pre-1990
• La Habra 61% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• La Mirada 76% owner-occupied · 86% pre-1990
• La Palma 68% owner-occupied · 91% pre-1990
• La Puente 71% owner-occupied · 91% pre-1990
• La Quinta 75% owner-occupied · 29% pre-1990
• La Verne 67% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Ladera Ranch 74% owner-occupied · 4% pre-1990
• Lafayette 79% owner-occupied · 85% pre-1990
• Laguna Beach 65% owner-occupied · 85% pre-1990
• Laguna Hills 71% owner-occupied · 85% pre-1990
• Laguna Niguel 66% owner-occupied · 67% pre-1990
• Laguna Woods 71% owner-occupied · 95% pre-1990
• Lake Elsinore 71% owner-occupied · 37% pre-1990
• Lake Forest 68% owner-occupied · 80% pre-1990
• Lakewood 73% owner-occupied · 94% pre-1990
• Lamont 41% owner-occupied · 79% pre-1990
• Larkspur 49% owner-occupied · 74% pre-1990
• Lawndale 44% owner-occupied · 88% pre-1990
• Loleta 46% owner-occupied · 82% pre-1990
• Loma Linda 42% owner-occupied · 69% pre-1990
• Lomita 45% owner-occupied · 89% pre-1990
• Lompoc 56% owner-occupied · 81% pre-1990
• Long Beach 41% owner-occupied · 89% pre-1990
• Los Alamitos 65% owner-occupied · 85% pre-1990
• Los Angeles 27% owner-occupied · 82% pre-1990
• Manhattan Beach 66% owner-occupied · 72% pre-1990
• Marina Del Rey 30% owner-occupied · 58% pre-1990
• Martinez 72% owner-occupied · 81% pre-1990
• Mckinleyville 61% owner-occupied · 48% pre-1990
• Menifee 80% owner-occupied · 40% pre-1990
• Mentone 66% owner-occupied · 66% pre-1990
• Midway City 27% owner-occupied · 80% pre-1990
• Mill Valley 67% owner-occupied · 90% pre-1990
• Millbrae 63% owner-occupied · 86% pre-1990
• Mira Loma 63% owner-occupied · 48% pre-1990
• Mission Hills 72% owner-occupied · 91% pre-1990
• Mission Viejo 77% owner-occupied · 76% pre-1990
• Monrovia 50% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Montclair 55% owner-occupied · 79% pre-1990
• Montebello 46% owner-occupied · 92% pre-1990
• Monterey Park 52% owner-occupied · 89% pre-1990
• Moraga 84% owner-occupied · 89% pre-1990
• Moreno Valley 63% owner-occupied · 59% pre-1990
• Murrieta 75% owner-occupied · 17% pre-1990
• Newhall 61% owner-occupied · 75% pre-1990
• Newport Beach 49% owner-occupied · 73% pre-1990
• Newport Coast 72% owner-occupied · 8% pre-1990
• Norco 82% owner-occupied · 78% pre-1990
• North Hollywood 29% owner-occupied · 81% pre-1990
• Norwalk 68% owner-occupied · 91% pre-1990
• Nuevo 80% owner-occupied · 64% pre-1990
• Oakland 43% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Ontario 57% owner-occupied · 71% pre-1990
• Orange 58% owner-occupied · 79% pre-1990
• Orinda 92% owner-occupied · 90% pre-1990
• Pacific Palisades 77% owner-occupied · 78% pre-1990
• Pacifica 68% owner-occupied · 89% pre-1990
• Pacoima 63% owner-occupied · 89% pre-1990
• Palm Desert 67% owner-occupied · 58% pre-1990
• Palm Springs 66% owner-occupied · 80% pre-1990
• Palos Verdes Peninsula 89% owner-occupied · 89% pre-1990
• Panorama City 34% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Paramount 43% owner-occupied · 80% pre-1990
• Pasadena 45% owner-occupied · 83% pre-1990
• Perris 68% owner-occupied · 43% pre-1990
• Pico Rivera 70% owner-occupied · 91% pre-1990
• Pinole 76% owner-occupied · 83% pre-1990
• Placentia 63% owner-occupied · 73% pre-1990
• Playa Del Rey 46% owner-occupied · 86% pre-1990
• Playa Vista 29% owner-occupied · 5% pre-1990
• Pleasant Hill 63% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Pomona 55% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Porter Ranch 76% owner-occupied · 61% pre-1990
• Rancho Cucamonga 63% owner-occupied · 56% pre-1990
• Rancho Mirage 82% owner-occupied · 54% pre-1990
• Rancho Palos Verdes 81% owner-occupied · 92% pre-1990
• Rancho Santa Margarita 70% owner-occupied · 34% pre-1990
• Redlands 55% owner-occupied · 77% pre-1990
• Redondo Beach 58% owner-occupied · 79% pre-1990
• Reseda 51% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Rialto 65% owner-occupied · 78% pre-1990
• Richmond 51% owner-occupied · 82% pre-1990
• Rio Dell 60% owner-occupied · 73% pre-1990
• Riverside 60% owner-occupied · 69% pre-1990
• Rosemead 51% owner-occupied · 88% pre-1990
• Ross 83% owner-occupied · 81% pre-1990
• Rowland Heights 65% owner-occupied · 82% pre-1990
• San Anselmo 70% owner-occupied · 92% pre-1990
• San Bernardino 47% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• San Bruno 62% owner-occupied · 88% pre-1990
• San Clemente 62% owner-occupied · 64% pre-1990
• San Dimas 71% owner-occupied · 86% pre-1990
• San Fernando 65% owner-occupied · 86% pre-1990
• San Francisco 39% owner-occupied · 82% pre-1990
• San Gabriel 51% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• San Jacinto 73% owner-occupied · 38% pre-1990
• San Juan Capistrano 79% owner-occupied · 71% pre-1990
• San Marino 82% owner-occupied · 93% pre-1990
• San Mateo 52% owner-occupied · 83% pre-1990
• San Pablo 51% owner-occupied · 76% pre-1990
• San Pedro 44% owner-occupied · 88% pre-1990
• San Rafael 57% owner-occupied · 86% pre-1990
• Santa Ana 49% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• Santa Clarita 84% owner-occupied · 54% pre-1990
• Santa Fe Springs 63% owner-occupied · 77% pre-1990
• Santa Maria 67% owner-occupied · 73% pre-1990
• Santa Monica 30% owner-occupied · 83% pre-1990
• Sausalito 56% owner-occupied · 93% pre-1990
• Scotia 50% owner-occupied · 97% pre-1990
• Seal Beach 76% owner-occupied · 93% pre-1990
• Shafter 63% owner-occupied · 47% pre-1990
• Sherman Oaks 40% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Sierra Madre 57% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• Signal Hill 52% owner-occupied · 73% pre-1990
• Silverado 90% owner-occupied · 79% pre-1990
• Simi Valley 73% owner-occupied · 74% pre-1990
• South El Monte 43% owner-occupied · 81% pre-1990
• South Pasadena 44% owner-occupied · 93% pre-1990
• South San Francisco 61% owner-occupied · 81% pre-1990
• Stanton 51% owner-occupied · 80% pre-1990
• Stevenson Ranch 60% owner-occupied · 14% pre-1990
• Studio City 45% owner-occupied · 75% pre-1990
• Sun Valley 53% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• Sunset Beach 41% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Sylmar 68% owner-occupied · 76% pre-1990
• Tarzana 58% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• Temple City 63% owner-occupied · 81% pre-1990
• Thousand Palms 79% owner-occupied · 71% pre-1990
• Topanga 74% owner-occupied · 65% pre-1990
• Torrance 54% owner-occupied · 90% pre-1990
• Trabuco Canyon 90% owner-occupied · 33% pre-1990
• Trinidad 70% owner-occupied · 76% pre-1990
• Tustin 52% owner-occupied · 63% pre-1990
• Union City 67% owner-occupied · 70% pre-1990
• Upland 58% owner-occupied · 77% pre-1990
• Valencia 71% owner-occupied · 48% pre-1990
• Vallejo 59% owner-occupied · 80% pre-1990
• Valley Village 31% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• Van Nuys 32% owner-occupied · 83% pre-1990
• Venice 34% owner-occupied · 83% pre-1990
• Villa Park 88% owner-occupied · 86% pre-1990
• Walnut 82% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• Walnut Creek 62% owner-occupied · 80% pre-1990
• West Covina 61% owner-occupied · 87% pre-1990
• West Hollywood 39% owner-occupied · 90% pre-1990
• Westminster 52% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Whittier 64% owner-occupied · 94% pre-1990
• Wildomar 76% owner-occupied · 42% pre-1990
• Willow Creek 72% owner-occupied · 77% pre-1990
• Wilmington 36% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Winchester 83% owner-occupied · 12% pre-1990
• Wofford Heights 73% owner-occupied · 84% pre-1990
• Woodland Hills 69% owner-occupied · 86% pre-1990
• Yorba Linda 83% owner-occupied · 70% pre-1990
• Yucaipa 73% owner-occupied · 62% pre-1990