Can a Salinas Water Heater Inspection Be Done by Video? New State Law Says Yes

You replaced a water heater. The install took a few hours. Then you blocked off an entire morning waiting on an inspector who showed up in a 20 minute window somewhere inside a four hour range.

For landlords juggling tenants in Salinas and short-term rental operators turning over units near the Monterey Peninsula, that waiting window is the part of the job that actually costs money. The plumbing was the easy part.

That changes, eventually. Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1738 on September 18, 2026, and it gives homeowners the right to ask for a remote inspection instead of an in person visit. But the date matters more than the headline, so let’s start there.

What AB 1738 Actually Requires, and When

AB 1738 became Chapter 271 of the Statutes of 2026. It was authored by Assemblymember Juan Carrillo and passed the Assembly unanimously after a 29 to 6 Senate vote, according to pv magazine USA.

Here is the short version of what it does:

• Starting January 1, 2028, most cities and counties must offer remote inspections for certain permitted work
• Remote means live video conference or recorded photos and video submitted after the fact
• It applies to one and two family homes
• Covered work includes heat pump systems, reroofs, rooftop solar and storage, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
• A homeowner can request it, or a contractor can request it with the homeowner’s written consent

One more line matters just as much. The inspector keeps the authority to require an in person visit if they decide the job needs eyes on it. The bill expands access to remote inspection. It does not take judgment away from the building department.

So nothing changes in Salinas today. If you pull a permit this month, you are still scheduling a field inspection the same way you always have.

The Catch: Not Every Water Heater Qualifies

This is the part most coverage skips, and it is the part that decides whether the law affects you at all.

The covered category is heat pump systems. For water heating, that means a heat pump water heater, the electric units that pull heat out of garage air instead of burning gas. A standard gas tank swap is not on the list the bill names.

In practice, that lines up with where California is already pushing homeowners. Between the state’s energy code direction and rebate programs running through Monterey County, heat pump units are showing up in more Salinas garages every year. If you are weighing one, we wrote a plain breakdown of what the install actually involves in thinking about a heat pump water heater.

A few things worth knowing before you assume you qualify:

• The unit type drives eligibility, not the permit type
• Your local building department still writes the rules for how video is submitted and reviewed
• Jurisdictions can offer remote inspection sooner than 2028 if they choose to
• Some California cities already piloted virtual inspection software starting in August 2026

If you replace a 50 gallon gas tank in a Salinas garage next spring, plan on an inspector in your driveway.

What Changes in 2028, and What Stays Exactly the Same

The easiest way to read this law is as a scheduling change, not a code change. Here is the split.

The AB 1738 Timeline at a Glance

Four dates tell you everything you need to know about when this affects a Salinas water heater job.

Why the Permit Still Matters More Than the Inspection Method

We take calls from homeowners who found a cheap install quote and only later learned no permit was pulled. The video inspection conversation does not help them at all.

An unpermitted water heater follows a house. It surfaces during escrow, during an insurance claim after a leak, or when a buyer’s inspector in Carmel or Pacific Grove asks for the paperwork. Fixing it after the fact usually means opening walls or re-doing venting that was never checked.

In Salinas, water heater changeouts fall under a Residential Simple Electrical or Plumbing Replacement permit through City of Salinas Community Development. Fees vary by job and by year, so check current rates with the city rather than trusting a number you read online.

We handle that filing in house as part of the job, and we have a verified permit history on file with the city. If you want the longer explanation of why that matters, we covered it in yes, you need a permit to replace your water heater in Salinas.

For more detail on how remote inspection fits into the permit process itself, see our breakdown of California’s remote inspection requirement for water heater permits.

What to Do Between Now and 2028

If your water heater is holding up, nothing here forces a decision. But if you are already seeing warning signs, the timeline should not push you into waiting.

Salinas Valley water runs hard, and that is not a small factor. Sediment builds fast in the bottom of a tank here, which is why we see rumbling tanks and shortened lifespans well before the warranty sticker says we should. That same mineral load is covered in our piece on hard water quietly shortening the life of your water heater.

Signs it is time to stop waiting:

• Water pooling at the base of the tank, even a small amount
• Rusty or discolored hot water at every tap
• Rumbling or popping during a heating cycle, usually sediment
• The unit is 10 or more years old with a recent repair history
• Hot water that runs out faster than it used to

Repair often makes sense on a younger unit with one failed part. Costs move around based on the part, the brand, and access, so treat any number you see online as a rough starting point rather than a quote. We walked through the decision in repair or replace your water heater.

A tank that is leaking at the base is not a planning conversation. That is a same day call.

Frequently Asked Questions About California’s Remote Video Inspection Law