Gas Line Repair in Santa Monica, CA

Plumbing Tips

Gas Lines in Multi-Unit Buildings

Much of Santa Monica’s housing is multi-family and much of it is old, and that changes what a gas repair looks like:

• The meter bank — a row of meters open to the salt air off the bay. Corrosion at the unions and risers is a common place for a building’s gas system to start leaking.

• One unit, one line — each apartment’s range is fed by its own branch, often original steel pipe inside a wall. Replacing a single branch is a contained job, done with that unit’s gas off and the neighbors’ on wherever the piping allows.

• The pre-war single-family house — north of Wilshire, a kitchen remodel or a tankless water heater is often the first time anyone has asked the original gas line to carry more than it was built for. We check its size and condition before adding to it.

In a Santa Monica apartment building, whose job is a gas leak?

The utility owns the service up to and including the meter. From the meter outlet on, the piping belongs to the property, which in a rental means the owner arranges the repair. If you are a tenant, report the smell to SoCalGas or 911 first and to your manager second. If you are the owner or manager, we repair the line and pressure test it so the utility can restore service.

Is a permit required in Santa Monica, and who issues it?

Gas permits in Santa Monica come from the city’s own Building and Safety division, not from the county. Running a new line, extending one or replacing a section of existing pipe generally calls for a permit and an inspection; a small repair in kind may not. The permit can be in our name or yours: when we pull it there is an administrative fee from us in addition to the city’s fee, and when the owner pulls it there is not.