Serving Visalia and the surrounding Tulare and Kings County area. Visalia is the Tulare County seat. Tulare, Exeter, and Porterville are also in Tulare County; Hanford is the seat of neighboring Kings County. That matters more than it sounds: each of these five towns runs its own sewer collection system and (except Visalia, which is served by Cal Water) its own water utility, so the number to call when sewage is coming up from a manhole or water is boiling out of the street is different in every one of them. A plumber cannot fix a city main and will tell you so after you have paid for the visit — so the table below is worth a look before you call anyone.
Who handles what, by city
Visalia
Tulare County (county seat)
- Sewer main / overflow
- City of Visalia Public Works, Sanitary Collections — 559-713-4403 (business hours). After hours: 559-734-8116 — the city's general after-hours line (Police Department non-emergency), not a sewer-specific hotline; the city does not publish one.
- Water main / service line (utility side)
- California Water Service, Visalia District — 559-624-1600 for water emergencies including a main break in the street.
- Plumbing permits
- City of Visalia Building Division, 707 W. Acequia Ave., Visalia, CA 93291 — 559-713-4300. A water heater swap needs a plumbing permit and final inspection; the building sewer (lateral) is permitted and inspected work.
Verified 2026-09-13 from the city's own published pages (facts VIS-005, VIS-007, VIS-008).
Tulare
Tulare County
- Sewer main / overflow
- City of Tulare Public Works — sewer overflows and odors 559-685-2360 (business hours). After hours and weekends: 559-686-3454.
- Water main / service line (utility side)
- City of Tulare Water Division (the city runs its own water utility) — 559-684-4280 during business hours; the same 559-686-3454 after-hours line covers water emergencies.
- Plumbing permits
- City of Tulare — confirm with the city; Visalia's Building Division does not issue Tulare permits.
Verified 2026-09-13 from the city's own published pages (facts VIS-012).
Hanford
Kings County (county seat) — not Tulare County
- Sewer main / overflow
- City of Hanford Utilities & Engineering — maintenance and repairs 559-585-2550 (business hours). After-hours sewer emergency: 559-585-2540.
- Water main / service line (utility side)
- Water, sewer, and refuse are billed by the City of Hanford Utility Division; report water problems through the same maintenance line above.
- Plumbing permits
- City of Hanford — confirm with the city. Hanford is a different county and a different city government from every other town on this list.
Verified 2026-09-13 from the city's own published pages (facts VIS-001, VIS-013).
Exeter
Tulare County
- Sewer main / overflow
- City of Exeter Public Works, Wastewater Division — 559-592-3318, Monday–Friday 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. After hours: 559-592-3710.
- Water main / service line (utility side)
- City of Exeter Water Division (the city runs its own well-fed water system) — same 559-592-3318 business-hours line and 559-592-3710 after hours.
- Plumbing permits
- City of Exeter — confirm with the city.
Verified 2026-09-13 from the city's own published pages (facts VIS-014).
Porterville
Tulare County
- Sewer main / overflow
- City of Porterville Public Works, Field Services Division — 24-hour emergency line 559-782-7400; general inquiries 559-782-7510. Residents report plugged sewer lines to Field Services.
- Water main / service line (utility side)
- The City of Porterville runs its own domestic water system through the same Field Services Division — water leaks go to the same 559-782-7400 line.
- Plumbing permits
- City of Porterville Engineering/Building — confirm with the city.
Verified 2026-09-13 from the city's own published pages (facts VIS-015).
What none of these cities publishes
None of the five cities' public-works pages states where a homeowner's responsibility for the sewer lateral ends — at the property line, the curb, or the main. This site does not guess. If a repair quote turns on that question, ask the city's sewer department (numbers above) for its policy in writing before agreeing to a lateral replacement, and ask the plumber to show you the camera footage that locates the break. Visalia's municipal code does confirm the lateral is permitted and inspected work (VIS-006), which means it is licensed C-36 work regardless of price.
Why this is one page, not five
Plumbing does not change at a city limit. Pipe materials, soil, water chemistry, and the cost of a repair are the same in Exeter as in Visalia, and a page per town restating the same guide with the name swapped would be filler. What does change by address is the routing above, so that is what this page is. City-specific guides may be added if a town adopts something worth its own page — a lateral-replacement program, a rebate, a distinct permit regime — and the cost guide's figures apply across the whole area.
Outside the area?
Requests from ZIP codes outside Visalia, Tulare, Hanford, Exeter, Porterville are not passed on; you will hear that from this site rather than from a company that cannot reach you. Coverage may expand as more independent companies serving the wider Tulare and Kings County area come on board — the contact page is the place to ask.