Burbank, Glendale, and the broader San Fernando Valley have a unique mix of housing stock, water infrastructure, and local service needs. Most Valley homes were built between 1940 and 1980, they’re served by a combination of municipal utilities, and they face specific challenges from heat, hard water, and aging plumbing systems. This guide focuses on home service resources specific to this region.
Water and Utilities in the San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is served by a patchwork of utilities that varies by city:
- Burbank: Served by Burbank Water and Power, a municipally-owned utility separate from LADWP
- Glendale: Served by Glendale Water & Power
- Van Nuys, Encino, Northridge, Chatsworth: Served by LADWP
- Most of the Valley: Natural gas through SoCalGas
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power serves the unincorporated Valley communities and provides rebate programs for water efficiency upgrades including turf replacement and smart irrigation.
Plumbing in Valley Homes
Valley homes from the 1950s–1970s share common plumbing characteristics. Galvanized steel supply pipes are standard in homes of this era and are frequently a source of reduced pressure and water quality issues. The Valley’s hard water accelerates scaling in fixtures and water heaters, making annual maintenance more important here than in coastal areas where water mineral content is lower.
For Burbank and Valley homeowners, Michael’s Valley Plumbing specializes in the plumbing systems common to this region — including galvanized repipes, sewer camera inspections, and water heater service. Their team has specific familiarity with the housing stock and utility infrastructure of the San Fernando Valley.
Local Infrastructure Context
Understanding how your home connects to the regional water and sewer system helps you make better maintenance decisions. Burbank and the San Fernando Valley have an interesting infrastructure history — the Valley’s groundwater basin played a major role in LA’s early water supply before the aqueduct system was built. For a detailed look at how local water and sewer infrastructure affects homeowners in this area, local water & sewer infrastructure insights from Michael’s Valley Plumbing provide neighborhood-level context on what’s under the streets and how it affects your home’s systems.
Common Service Needs in Burbank and Glendale
- Plumbing repiping: Galvanized pipe replacement is among the most requested services in Valley homes built before 1975
- Water heater replacement: Valley garages see extreme summer temperatures that accelerate water heater degradation
- Sewer camera inspection: Older sewer laterals in Valley neighborhoods commonly have tree root intrusion from mature street trees
- HVAC service: Valley summers are brutal — AC systems here run longer and harder than coastal areas
- Earthquake retrofitting: Many Valley homes (especially in areas that experienced 1994 Northridge earthquake damage) still have unretrofitted raised foundations
Permits and Local Building Departments
Burbank and Glendale have their own building departments with local permit requirements that differ slightly from the City of LA. For any permitted plumbing or electrical work in these cities, use the city’s own permit portal rather than the LA County system. Most licensed local contractors handle permit applications as part of their service.
Finding Reliable Valley Contractors
For vetting any home service contractor in the Valley, the same principles apply as elsewhere in LA — verify CSLB licensing, confirm insurance, and get multiple written estimates. See our complete guide to Home Maintenance Resources for LA Homeowners for the full checklist.