Milpitas / Bathroom remodeling
Bathroom Remodeling in Milpitas
Milpitas tells remodelers to check for post-tension slabs. Know yours before anyone cuts concrete.
Milpitas has one of the newest housing stocks in the South Bay, with about a quarter of homes built since 2010. We remodel bathrooms here under one licensed contractor, with the slab, the permit and the HOA letter sorted out before demolition.
MILPITAS AT A GLANCE
What is different about remodeling in Milpitas.
Milpitas homes are newer than most in the South Bay, so the surprises are less about old wiring and more about slabs, HOA approvals and code minimums in tight bathrooms. Here is who does what.
- 1987
- median year a Milpitas home was built
- 25%
- of homes built in 2010 or later
- 78,578
- residents, ACS 2020 to 2024 estimate
Permits
Office of Building Safety
Bathroom remodels need a building permit. Plans go through the city's online submittal system or the Permit Center at City Hall, 455 E. Calaveras Blvd., and the permit is tracked in eTRAKiT.
(408) 586-3240Building Safety ↗Milpitas: bathroom remodel permits and submittal documents ↗Inspections
Book online or by phone, any hour
Inspections are requested in eTRAKiT or on the 24-hour inspection line. Morning slots run 7:30am to noon and afternoon slots noon to 3pm, with nothing before 9am on Thursdays.
(408) 586-2797Inspection services ↗Utilities
PG&E wires, SVCE power, city water
PG&E delivers electricity and gas, Silicon Valley Clean Energy supplies the electricity, and the City of Milpitas runs water and sewer. SVCE rebates come with extra city-funded amounts for Milpitas homes.
SVCE home rebates ↗WHAT WE PLAN IN A MILPITAS BATHROOM
Keep the drains, or move them?
The city's own bathroom handout warns owners to confirm whether a slab is post-tensioned before saw cutting, because a cut tendon is dangerous and expensive to repair. Keeping the toilet and shower drains where they are avoids that question entirely. Moving them means locating tendons first, then a plumbing plan the inspector can check at rough-in.
Shower and tub
Showers need at least 1,024 square inches of finished floor and room for a 30 inch circle. A tub-to-shower swap must bring the drain up to 2 inches.
Waterproofing
Shower pans are flood-tested to the rough threshold before tile, and wall finishes stay nonabsorbent to at least 6 feet above the floor.
Toilet and vanity layout
15 inches from the toilet's center to any side wall and 24 inches of clear space in front, plus a receptacle within 3 feet of each basin.
Electrical and lighting
All bathroom receptacles GFCI and tamper-resistant, a dedicated 20 amp circuit when outlets are added, and one light on a vacancy or occupancy sensor.
Ventilation
A fan ducted outdoors, at least 50 cubic feet per minute intermittent or 20 continuous, ENERGY STAR rated, whenever the fan is added or altered.
Water heater switch
If the gas water heater is due, SVCE and the City of Milpitas together pay up to $3,350 for a heat pump model. We add the 240 volt circuit in-house.
MILPITAS BATHROOM HANDOUT
What the city checks, and when.
The Office of Building Safety's bathroom handout, written to the 2025 California codes, lists the items inspectors look for. These are the ones that most often decide a layout.
Before demolition
- Confirm whether the slab is post-tensioned before any saw cut
- Plans of the existing and proposed bathroom submitted for review
- HOA approval in hand for any exterior work, such as a new vent or window
- Plumbing fixture boxes saved for the inspector
Layout minimums
- Shower of 1,024 sq in that fits a 30 inch circle
- Shower door clear opening of at least 22 inches
- Toilet 15 inches from center to side wall, 24 inches clear in front
- No receptacle within 3 feet of the tub or shower opening
Before the final
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms installed where required
- Spark arrester inspection where the home has a chimney
- Every noncompliant fixture in the home replaced with a water-conserving one
- Energy compliance forms attached to the permit card
GO ELECTRIC, MILPITAS
Rebates when the bathroom project touches the water heater.
Milpitas adds its own money on top of Silicon Valley Clean Energy's rebates, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and Congressman Ro Khanna's office. One SVCE application covers both, and it must be approved before installation.
SVCE
Gas to heat pump water heater
$2,500, or $3,500 income-qualified
Core rebate. Reservations hold for up to 120 days.
City of Milpitas
Heat pump water heater add-on
$850
Added automatically through the SVCE application, while city funds last.
SVCE
Panel upgrade add-on
$1,000
Requires a core appliance, such as the heat pump water heater.
City of Milpitas
Panel upgrade add-on
$250
Requires an approved heat pump water heater or HVAC application.
Amounts from svcleanenergy.org/home-rebates and milpitas.gov Electrification Corner, October 2026. Help is offered at the Permit Center on Tuesdays, 1 to 4pm.
Planning the work
How a Milpitas bathroom project runs.
Site visit
Free visit. We check the slab type, drain locations, the panel, the water heater and any HOA rules.
Plans and permit
Existing and proposed plans go in through the city's online submittal system, under one combination permit for building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical.
Rough-in
Plumbing, electrical and framing are inspected together, then the shower pan flood test, before any wall is closed.
Finishes and final
Tile and fixtures, then the final inspection with the smoke and CO alarm and water-conserving fixture checks the city requires.
WHAT TRIPS UP MILPITAS BATHROOMS
Problems Milpitas homeowners run into, and how we plan around them.
From the city's own permit handouts, its inspection rules and the Census profile of Milpitas housing.
A drain move turns into a post-tension slab problem.
Slab type is confirmed at the site visit, and tendons are located before any cut, as the city's handout requires.
The HOA has not approved the exterior vent or window.
The association's approval is requested with the design, since the city puts that responsibility on the owner.
The final fails on a toilet in another room.
California Civil Code 1101 makes water-conserving fixtures throughout the home a condition of final, so every fixture is checked before the final is booked.
A compact bathroom cannot fit a code-size shower.
The 1,024 square inch and 30 inch circle rules are drawn into the plan before tile is chosen, and a 30 by 60 inch receptor is used where it fits.
Thursday morning inspections are not available.
Inspections are booked around the city's Thursday staff meetings, with rough-in and pan tests scheduled for other mornings.
Sources: milpitas.gov bathroom remodel and EV handouts (2026), Inspection Services page, Census ACS 2020 to 2024 table B25034.
Do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom in Milpitas?
Yes. The City of Milpitas requires a building permit to remodel an existing bathroom, and plans showing the existing and proposed layout are submitted online or at the Permit Center. One combination permit covers building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work.
What is the permit fee for a bathroom remodel in Milpitas?
$1,059 for a bathroom remodel combination permit under the city's building fee schedule effective August 3, 2026, covering one or more bathrooms inspected at the same time. A kitchen and bathroom remodel together is $1,545. State fees are added on top.
Can I cut the slab to move a toilet in a Milpitas house?
Only after confirming the slab is not post-tensioned, or locating the tendons if it is. The city's bathroom handout warns that cutting a tendon is dangerous and expensive to repair. Drain moves on a slab are planned with that answer first.
What does Milpitas check at a bathroom final inspection?
Three items beyond the remodel itself: working smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms and water-conserving plumbing fixtures throughout the home, as required by California Civil Code 1101. The inspector can check them in person, or signed certificates can be provided.
How big does a shower need to be under California code?
At least 1,024 square inches of finished interior, large enough to fit a 30 inch circle, under California Plumbing Code 408.6. Shower doors need a clear opening of at least 22 inches, and the valve must be pressure balance or thermostatic to prevent scalding.
How do I schedule a building inspection in Milpitas?
Online through the city's eTRAKiT portal or by phone at (408) 586-2797, both available 24 hours a day. Inspections run 7:30am to noon and noon to 3pm, not before 9am on Thursdays, and cancellations must be called in before 8:30am.
