This site covers homes across the San Diego area, and where you live changes two things: which water provider fills your pipes, and which building department handles the permit. This page sorts the areas by both, then links to a page for each nearby city.
Water Softener San Diego is an independent referral service, not an installer, plumber or equipment seller. When you send the form, your details are passed to an independent local water treatment pro, who can contact you and prepare a quote.
Inside the City of San Diego
If your water bill comes from City of San Diego Public Utilities, the city’s own hardness figure is yours: drinking water typically averaging about 16 grains per gallon, ranging from 16 to 18 depending on demand and the area of the city. The permit side is the city’s too: its Development Services Department lists water softener installations among minor installations that can get a Simple No-Plan Plumbing/Gas Permit, for properties that are not historically designated.
| Part of the city | Neighborhoods |
|---|---|
| Coast | La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Point Loma, Ocean Beach |
| Central | North Park, South Park, Normal Heights, Hillcrest |
| Mesas | Clairemont, Kearny Mesa, Serra Mesa, Mira Mesa |
| North | Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Penasquitos, Carmel Valley, Scripps Ranch |
A neighborhood name does not settle which provider serves you; the name on your water bill does. If it says City of San Diego, the figure and the permit rule above apply. The San Diego hard water guide explains the figure in full.
Nearby cities
The cities around San Diego are separate cities, with their own water providers and their own building departments. This site does not print a hardness figure for them, because it prints only a utility’s own figure for that utility’s customers. Each city’s page explains how to find your provider’s report and who to ask about the permit.
- Chula Vista: south of the city, from Third Avenue Village to Eastlake and Otay Ranch
- La Mesa: east of the city, around La Mesa Village and Grossmont Center
- El Cajon: further east in the valley, from downtown Main Street to Fletcher Hills
- Poway: inland in North County, next to Rancho Bernardo, around Poway Road, Old Poway Park and Lake Poway
Homes on a private well
If your home draws water from a private well rather than a provider, there is no utility report for it: EPA says private well owners are responsible for delivering safe drinking water to their households, and recommends testing the well every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH, using a certified laboratory. See well water treatment in San Diego.
Historically designated homes
The city’s Simple No-Plan plumbing permit is for properties that are not historically designated. If your home is historically designated, or may be, say so in the notes on the contact form and ask the installer what the permit path is before the work is booked. The simple permit does not cover it.
What to put on the form
- Your ZIP code, so the pro knows where the home is
- The name of your water provider from your bill, or “private well”
- What you need: a new softener, a repair, a filter, RO, or not sure
- Whether the home is historically designated, if you know
The services are the same everywhere: softener installation, softener repair, water filtration, whole house water filters and water treatment. What changes from one area to the next is the water report and the permit desk.
Wherever you are in the San Diego area, tell us about your water and a local pro can contact you.
Questions people ask
Does the 16 grains per gallon figure apply to my home?
It is the City of San Diego’s figure for its own customers. If your water bill comes from City of San Diego Public Utilities, yes; if not, read your provider’s annual water quality report.
Do you cover Chula Vista, La Mesa, El Cajon and Poway?
Yes. Requests from those cities are passed to an independent local pro too. Each has its own page on this site.
Which permit applies outside the city?
The Simple No-Plan permit is the City of San Diego’s. In another city, its own building department sets the rule; ask the installer and check with that city.
How do I find out who my water provider is?
Look at your water bill: the provider’s name is on it. That provider publishes an annual water quality report with its own figures.
Is the service different outside the city?
The services are the same: softener installation and repair, filtration, whole-house filters, RO and treatment. What differs is the water report you read and the building department that sets the permit rule.
Tell us about your water