Short answer: no permit is needed for leak detection itself. Detection finds the leak with tests. It does not open walls, break concrete, or replace pipe. Replacing a concealed pipe is repair work, and repair work is where permits and a C-36 plumbing contractor come in. This guide shows where that line falls in California, so you know which side of it your job sits on.
Do I need a permit for leak detection?
No. Leak detection uses tests: a meter test, pressure checks, listening gear, a thermal camera, and a camera run for drains. None of those steps opens a wall or replaces pipe, so no permit is needed for detection itself. A permit can come into play only when the job moves from finding the leak to fixing it.
Detection vs repair: where the line falls
Detection answers one question: where is the water leaving the system? The tools prove it without opening anything. A meter test shows water moving with every fixture off. Pressure checks split the system into parts. Listening gear and a thermal camera mark the spot. A sewer camera shows a break on screen. Nothing gets cut to get those answers.
Repair answers a different question: how does the broken part get replaced? That work opens walls or concrete, cuts out the failed section, and joins new pipe in its place. Because it changes the plumbing itself, repair work can need a permit, and it belongs to a plumbing contractor. The detection report marks the spot so the repair crew opens only that point.
What a C-36 license covers
C-36 is California's plumbing contractor classification. It covers plumbing work: installing, repairing, and replacing pipes, fixtures, and fittings. A C-36 contractor is the right call for replacing a concealed pipe under a slab or behind a wall. Detection alone is not plumbing work in that sense, because nothing is installed or replaced. That is why detection sits outside C-36 while repair sits inside it.
How to check a contractor's license
Ask any contractor for the license number before work starts. Then check it on the California Contractors State License Board website. The lookup shows whether the license is current and whether it covers C-36 plumbing work. If the number does not show up, or the classification does not match the job, pick a different contractor. A written estimate before work starts is also worth asking for.
What this means for your visit
A detection visit ends with a report: the marked spot and what the tests showed. You hand that report to the plumbing contractor you choose, and the contractor plans the repair from it, including any permit the repair needs. Detection first, repair second, each by the right party. See how a detection visit works for the order the tests run in, and what each one rules out.
When the leak sits in a buried run and no visible line gives it away, a full property inspection covers the whole system in one visit.
Citrus Heights homes and the permit line
Citrus Heights homes make this line matter more than most. The median home was built around 1977, most sit on concrete slabs, and copper lines under those slabs are in the pinhole years. Finding the leak takes sound and heat, not digging. Fixing it means opening concrete at the marked point and replacing the failed section, which is the repair side of the line. Knowing which side your job sits on keeps the permit question simple: detection needs none, repair may need one. The pipe guide shows how each pipe material fails and which test finds it.
That is the whole permit question in one line: tests need no permit, replacement may need one, and the report tells you which job you have.
Frequently asked questions
Does replacing a pipe under the slab need a permit?
It can. Replacing a concealed pipe is repair work, and repair work can need a permit. Your plumber handles the permit as part of the repair job.
What is a C-36 license?
C-36 is California's plumbing contractor classification. It covers installing, repairing, and replacing pipes, fixtures, and fittings. A C-36 contractor is the right call for concealed-pipe replacement.
Does leak detection itself need a C-36 license?
No. Detection finds the leak with tests and replaces nothing, so it does not fall under C-36. Repair work does.
How do I check a plumber's license?
Ask for the license number, then check it on the California Contractors State License Board website. The lookup shows whether the license is current and covers C-36 plumbing work.
Can a handyman replace a concealed pipe?
Concealed-pipe replacement is plumbing work. Use a C-36 plumbing contractor for it, and check the license first.
Who handles the repair after detection?
A plumbing contractor you choose. The detection report shows the marked spot, so the repair crew opens only that point.
Related
Think you have a leak?
Call AquaTrace Leak Detection to describe what you are seeing in Citrus Heights and get connected with a company that will plan how to find it.
Call (123) 456-7890Last updated: October 26, 2026.