Is the hydrant yours or the city's?
Start with the property line. Street hydrants in the city sit on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power system, a single network of more than 7,200 miles of pipe where the same drinking water that reaches homes also feeds the hydrants. A hydrant inside your fence is different. If it sits on a private fire service main, keeping it tested is usually the owner's job. NFPA 24 covers those private mains and the hydrants and valves attached to them.
What the yearly test involves
NFPA 25 calls for an annual flow test and inspection of each private hydrant. Here is how a visit usually goes:
- The technician looks over the body, caps, outlet threads and operating nut for damage, leaks or missing parts.
- The hydrant is opened fully.
- Water flows while gauges record pressure at rest, pressure during flow and the flow rate, which together show how much water the hydrant can deliver when an engine hooks up.
- It's closed slowly. Then the barrel is checked to make sure it drains.
NFPA 291 sets the method for that flow test. It also sets a color code for hydrant bonnets by flow class, so firefighters can read the expected flow from the street before they connect. Keep the written results. For upkeep between tests, see our Los Angeles fire hydrant maintenance page, and for the yearly visit itself, read about annual fire hydrant testing in Los Angeles.
Who enforces it in the city
Inside city limits, the Los Angeles Fire Department's Fire Prevention Bureau handles fire marshal duties and business fire code enforcement. Its units include Hydrants and Access.
New buildings take a separate path. LAFD Fire Development Services, part of the One Stop Permit Center, handles pre-development meetings, plan review, permits and field inspections for new construction, so a contractor on a new project should ask that office what the fire plans need to show.
Who does the work and how to start
In California, 1 Pro Fire work is done by Hedrick Fire Protection. Hedrick holds C-16 fire protection and C-10 electrical contractor licenses and is licensed by the California State Fire Marshal under Title 19 for extinguisher service and for inspection, testing and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems.
Hydrant sites differ a lot. Call or email with the address, how many hydrants you have and any notice you've received, and we'll tell you whether we can take the job and when.
For Los Angeles fire hydrant questions, call us at (213) 568-0188 or email us at socal@1profire.com
Extinguishers on the same site? See our fire extinguisher service in Los Angeles page or the Los Angeles fire protection hub. Properties outside the city can start at our Los Angeles County fire hydrant page.
Our services include
Have a hydrant in the City of Los Angeles?
- Send the address and hydrant count
- Mention any LAFD notice and its deadline
- Ask about other fire protection on site
Phone or email, whichever is easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often does a private fire hydrant need testing?
Once a year. NFPA 25 calls for an annual flow test and inspection of every private hydrant.
What do the hydrant bonnet colors mean?
They show the hydrant's flow class under NFPA 291. A flow test is how you find out which class your hydrant belongs in, so get current results before anyone repaints the bonnet.
My mailing address says Los Angeles. Is LAFD my fire authority?
Not always. ZIPs 90022 and 90023 mostly cover East Los Angeles and Commerce, 90040 is the City of Commerce, and 90058 is shared with Vernon, so those addresses may fall under a different jurisdiction. Confirm with the local fire marshal.
I got a fire department compliance notice. What should I do?
Call us with the notice in hand. Tell us the deadline and the items it lists, and we'll say whether we can meet it.
Related Links
Ready to talk about your hydrant?
Call or email our Los Angeles line.
(213) 568-0188We'll tell you plainly what we can take on.