SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — Under new legislation passed this October and signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, toilets and urinals in California must meet efficiency standards as a condition of receiving a certificate of occupancy.

According to California’s legislative bill-tracking Web site, “The bill would require, on and after Jan. 1, 2017, that a seller or transferor of single-family residential property, multifamily residential property or commercial property disclose to a purchaser or transferee, in writing, specified requirements for replacing plumbing fixtures, and whether the property includes noncompliant plumbing.”

“The bill would permit an owner or the owner's agent to enter rental property for the purpose of installing, repairing, testing and maintaining water-conserving plumbing fixtures as specified,” according to information on the Web site, “and would require, on and after Jan. 1, 2019, that the water-conserving plumbing fixtures prescribed by the bill operate at the manufacturer's rated water consumption at the time that a tenant takes possession as specified.”