Los Gatos / Bathroom remodeling
Bathroom Remodeling in Los Gatos
Los Gatos offers an express check for non-structural bathrooms. Moving a toilet adds a sanitation district step.
Seven in ten Los Gatos homes were built before 1980, and some are old enough to count as historic. We remodel bathrooms here with the Town's express check where it fits, the West Valley Sanitation District sign-off where fixtures move, and nothing outside the house touched without Planning approval.
EXPRESS CHECK OR NOT
Which path your Los Gatos bathroom takes.
The Town's Kitchen and Bathroom Non-Structural Express Check saves time, but only when the project stays inside its limits. These are the triggers that add a step.
Express check fits when
- The home is residential
- Walls, beams and framing stay as they are
- Nothing on the exterior changes
- The plan set is one signed PDF uploaded with the application
Extra approvals needed when
- Fixtures are added or moved: West Valley Sanitation District certificate
- A window, door or siding changes: Planning approval
- The home is in an HOA: approval letter before issuance
- The home is historic and the exterior changes: Historic Preservation Committee
Confirm with the Building Division
- Describe finish work, including tile and paint
- Identify cabinet and countertop changes
- Explain any plumbing repairs or fixture changes
- Ask which permits and approvals apply to the complete scope
WHAT WE PLAN IN A LOS GATOS BATHROOM
Express check, or full plan review?
A bathroom that keeps its walls and structure qualifies for the Town's non-structural express check. Adding or moving plumbing fixtures also needs a certificate from the West Valley Sanitation District. Changing a window or any exterior wall needs Planning approval first, and in a historic home that can mean the Historic Preservation Committee.
Shower and tub
At least 1,024 square inches of finished floor and room for a 30 inch circle, with a pressure balance or thermostatic valve capped at 120 degrees.
Wet walls
Tile or another hard surface over cement board or glass mat to 70 inches above the drain. The Town does not accept green board or paper-faced gypsum in wet areas.
Toilet layout
24 inches clear in front of the toilet and 15 inches on each side from its center. Moving it means the sanitation district certificate.
Electrical
Receptacles on their own 20 amp circuit, all GFCI protected, high efficacy lighting and at least one light on a vacancy sensor.
Ventilation and glass
An ENERGY STAR fan on a humidistat ducted outdoors, and safety glass in windows within 60 inches of a tub or shower.
Skylights
An operable skylight must sit 10 feet from plumbing vents or 3 feet below the vent termination, with its evaluation report number on the plans.
LOS GATOS AT A GLANCE
Who handles what in Los Gatos.
The Town's Building Division issues the permit, Planning watches the exterior, and the sanitation district signs off when drains move. An older or historic house brings in one more reviewer.
- 71%
- of Los Gatos homes built before 1980
- 8%
- built in 1939 or earlier
- Noon
- deadline to request a next-day inspection
Permits
Building Division
Applications start as a pre-application on the Town's Accela portal. The counter at 110 E. Main St. is open weekdays 8am to 1pm, and submittals by mail or courier are not accepted.
(408) 354-6876Building Division ↗Inspections
Request by noon
Requests made by noon get the next business day, online or by voicemail with the permit number, address, inspection type and contact. Inspections run 8am to 3pm.
(408) 354-6877Schedule an inspection ↗Historic
Exterior changes on older homes
Any primary structure built before 1941 may be historic. Exterior changes, including interior work that alters the exterior, need approval, and minor exterior changes go to the Historic Preservation Committee.
Historic alteration process ↗DESIGN IDEAS
Bathrooms to start the conversation.
Drag the divider to compare before and after, or open an image for a closer look.
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Planning the work
How a Los Gatos bathroom project runs.
Site visit
Free visit. Structure, fixture locations, age and historic status of the house, the panel and the water heater.
Pre-application
Application, one signed PDF plan set and Title 24 forms uploaded to the Town portal, plus the HOA letter if there is one.
Rough-in
Plumbing, electrical and backer inspected before tile, with requests in by noon the day before.
Finishes and final
Tile, fixtures, final inspection, then the SVCE rebate claim if the water heater changed.
WHAT TRIPS UP LOS GATOS BATHROOMS
Problems Los Gatos homeowners run into, and how we plan around them.
From the Town's express check and historic preservation rules, its inspection procedures and the Census profile of Los Gatos housing.
The toilet moved, and the permit stalled without a sanitation certificate.
If any fixture moves or is added, the West Valley Sanitation District certificate is requested with the application.
A new window in an older home needs Planning, or the Historic Preservation Committee.
The build year and historic status are checked first, and exterior changes are filed before the building permit.
Green board behind the shower fails inspection.
Cement board or glass mat goes up to 70 inches above the drain, as the Town's checklist requires.
The permit cannot be issued without the HOA letter.
In HOA communities, the association's approval letter specifying the work is requested at design.
An inspection request after noon pushes the job a day.
Inspections are requested in the morning the day before, with every detail the Town's voicemail requires.
Sources: losgatosca.gov express check requirements, historic preservation pages and inspection scheduling page; Census ACS 2020 to 2024 table B25034.
SILICON VALLEY CLEAN ENERGY
Rebates that fit a bathroom project.
When a bathroom remodel replaces the water heater or adds circuits, SVCE's home rebates can cover part of it. Rebates must be approved before installation.
SVCE
Gas to heat pump water heater
$2,500, or $3,500 income-qualified
Reservations hold for up to 120 days.
SVCE
Electric to heat pump water heater
$1,000, or $2,000 income-qualified
Replacing an electric-resistance unit.
SVCE
Panel upgrade add-on
$1,000
Requires installing a core appliance such as a heat pump water heater.
SVCE
Wiring and prewiring
$500 per circuit, up to $2,000
Or $750 per circuit up to $3,000 income-qualified.
Amounts from svcleanenergy.org/home-rebates, October 2026. Los Gatos has no city add-on at this time.
Do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom in Los Gatos?
Yes, for anything beyond finish work. Tiling, painting, cabinets and countertops are exempt from permits in Los Gatos, but replacing or rearranging valves, pipes, fixtures or wiring needs a building permit. Non-structural bathroom remodels can go through the Town's express check.
What is the express check for bathrooms in Los Gatos?
A faster plan check for residential kitchen and bathroom remodels that do not change structure. It still requires a pre-application on the Town portal with the permit application and one signed PDF plan set, and a plan check fee is due after the pre-application is accepted.
Do I need sanitation district approval to move a toilet in Los Gatos?
Yes. The Town of Los Gatos requires a certificate from the West Valley Sanitation District when plumbing fixtures are added or moved, before the permit is issued. A remodel that keeps every fixture in place does not need it.
Does a bathroom remodel in a historic Los Gatos home need Historic Preservation Committee review?
No, not for purely interior work. The Town's historic review covers exterior changes and any interior work that affects the exterior, such as a new or resized window. Los Gatos treats any primary structure built before 1941 as potentially historic.
What backer board does Los Gatos require in a shower?
Cement board, fiber cement, glass mat or fiber reinforced gypsum, under tile or another hard surface to at least 70 inches above the drain. The Town's express check rules state that paper-faced gypsum, green board and purple board are not accepted in wet areas.
How do I schedule a building inspection in Los Gatos?
By noon for the next business day, online through the Town permit portal or on the inspection line at (408) 354-6877. Inspections run 8am to 3pm on weekdays, and the inspector calls the afternoon before to confirm.
