The California Assembly Bill 1953 (AB-1953) mandates that starting on January 1, 2010, all faucets and plumbing fittings sold in California MUST be lead free.

The actual language used in the Bill is:

“No person shall introduce into commerce any pipe, pipe or plumbing fitting, or fixture intended to convey or dispense water for human consumption through drinking or cooking that is not lead free… This includes kitchen faucets, bathroom faucets, and any other end use device intended to convey or dispense water for human consumption through drinking or cooking, but excludes service saddles, backflow preventers for nonpotable services such as irrigation and industrial, and water distribution main gate valves that are two inches in diameter and above.”

 Click here to read the entire Bill

WHAT DOES AB‐1953 REALLY MEAN?

AB‐1953 in essence mandates that any plumbing product used in a drinking or potable water system must be lead free. This includes faucets, hose bibbs, ball valves, pressure reducing valves, etc.

Some controversy has arisen over the phrases “introduce into commerce” and “fixture intended to convey or dispense water for human consumption”. Several attorneys, politicians, and industry experts interpret these phrases to mean the following:

“Introduce Into Commerce”

This has been interpreted to include sale by any distributor, both retail and wholesale, and installation by any contractor, both in new construction or repair project.

“fixture intended to convey or dispense water for human consumption”

This has been interpreted to mean any plumbing product connected to a drinking or potable water system. This includes ball valves, hose bibbs, pressure reducing valves, etc. The idea being that the lawmakers included a clear list of items that are excluded from the law. So if the lawmakers wanted to exclude ball valves, hose bibbs, or other items, they would have added them to the list of excluded products.

What does this mean for You?

It means that any contractor working in your home can only use approved faucets and fittings withing your home.  Be wary of any “deep discounts” offered as it may be a way of getting rid of old non-conforming inventory.  Another good rule of thumb  is to check the license for any contractor working in your home and make sure he has a good track record proven over time. 

Any good contractor’s goal should be to make sure your family is comfortable and safe, not just tomorrow, but for the life of your home.  New products and the quality with which they are produced allow us to do that on a regular basis, just make sure that the quality of contractor matches the products in your home and you’ll be happy and comfortable for a long time.

Posted By: Paul Guzman