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Plumbing Inspection in Bakersfield, CA
In Bakersfield, 23% of owner households moved in during 2018 or later — close to the middle of the towns we cover. Enough movement that inspections are routine, not enough that anybody treats them as routine.
The one-paragraph answer
23% of owners in Bakersfield bought in 2018 or later, an ordinary rate. Ordinary is where the usual mistake happens, which is assuming the inspection covered the plumbing: the buried lateral is excluded by both published standards.
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25038.
When Bakersfield moved in
At an ordinary rate of turnover, the housing here divides fairly evenly between homes inspected in the last few years and homes that have not been looked at since the previous sale, whenever that was.
| Owner households in Bakersfield | Share of all owners |
|---|---|
| Moved in 2021 or later | 5% |
| Moved in 2018–2020 | 18% |
| Moved in 2010–2017 | 32% |
| Moved in before 2010 | 45% |
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25038 (tenure by year householder moved into unit), 2023 release. Universe: 183,033 occupied housing units, of which 106,818 are owner-occupied. This counts when the CURRENT occupant moved in, so it measures recent moves as a share of the housing stock — not a rate of sales per year.
What the inspection will not cover
Clothes washer connections are excluded, which surprises people because the machine is in the house and plumbed into it. The supply valves behind it and the standpipe it drains into were not part of the job.
Source: InterNACHI Home Inspection Standards of Practice; ASHI Standard of Practice.
What it is required to cover
ASHI requires the energy source and vent system of the water heating equipment to be covered, and InterNACHI requires the same ground from the other direction. Where the two standards overlap is the part of the report you can rely on whichever association the inspector belongs to.
The full list of obligations is published here. Reading it once is what stops a standard note from looking like a finding.
What to do about it
Ask a contractor what would have to be opened up to answer the question, rather than asking for a number. A quote given without that step is a guess with a figure attached to it.
Ten minutes of reading covers it: what nobody was required to look at, what they were, and the drain run that is a separate instruction altogether.
Other California towns we route in
- Arcadia 17% of owners moved in since 2018
- El Monte 11% of owners moved in since 2018
- Larkspur 22% of owners moved in since 2018
- Laguna Hills 17% of owners moved in since 2018
- Grand Terrace 18% of owners moved in since 2018
Checking a plumber in California
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.
Inspection report in front of you?Read us the plumbing lines and nothing else — we do not want the document. We will route you to a contractor covering your area who can quote the items on it, and you are never charged by us. Any Bakersfield job at all can be put through here.
Call (888) 764-3501