Bell, the home base
Bell is a dense city of 33,559 residents on about 2.51 square miles, sitting on the west bank of the Los Angeles River. City Hall is at 6330 Pine Ave, and the Building and Safety Division there handles plumbing permits and inspections. Main streets include Florence Ave, Gage Ave, Pine Ave and Otis Ave, with Bandini Blvd as the industrial corridor.
Bell uses ZIP 90201 for street delivery. ZIP 90202 is a PO box ZIP, so a street address in Bell almost always uses 90201. If a plumbing problem needs a permit, a call to the city building department settles the rules for your address.
The four towns at a glance
Each town has its own ZIP code, water arrangement and housing pattern. This table puts the basics side by side so you can see what applies to your address.
| Town | ZIP code | Water provider | Housing note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell | 90201 (90202 is a PO box ZIP) | Golden State Water Bell-Bell Gardens system, or Tract 180 Mutual Water Company | About 67.6 percent of units built before 1960, about three quarters rented |
| Bell Gardens | 90201 (90202 for PO boxes) | City-owned system in the north third, Golden State Water elsewhere | About 46 percent built before 1960, about 73 percent rented |
| Cudahy | 90201, shared with Bell and Bell Gardens | Three providers listed by the city, so check your bill | 57.4 percent built before 1960, 27.3 percent in buildings of five or more units |
| Maywood | 90270 | Three mutual water companies | 65.8 percent built before 1959, lots often hold extra units |
Housing figures come from Census survey data and state housing element drafts, so treat them as approximate.
Not sure your address is covered?
Call the line and give the street and town. The dispatcher will tell you if a plumber can be sent.
Towns with their own page
Bell Gardens sits east of Bell and shares ZIP 90201. Its water comes from two systems, a city-owned section in the north and Golden State Water elsewhere, so your bill tells you which one applies.
Cudahy lies south of Bell and also uses 90201. It is one of the densest cities in the country, and its page covers common rental-housing problems such as shared drains.
Maywood is northwest of Bell and uses ZIP 90270. Lots there often hold more than one dwelling, and the page explains why that matters for sewer laterals and mutual water companies.
Nearby places on the edges of the map
Huntington Park (90255), South Gate (90280), Vernon, Commerce, Downey and the unincorporated community of Florence-Graham all border the towns above. They do not have their own pages, so call the line and give the street address. The dispatcher will confirm whether a plumber can be sent.
Landmarks help you place yourself. Treder Park, Veterans Memorial Park, the Bell Library on Gage Ave and Bell High School are all inside the city, and the Los Angeles River marks the western edge.
Finding out which water company serves your address
The water bill is the quickest answer. The company named on it is the one to call about pressure, quality or a leak on the street side of the meter. This matters because hardness, lead service line records and shutoff rules can differ from one provider to the next.
Only the Golden State Water Bell-Bell Gardens figures are used on this site for hardness, since that is the report that was verified. If you are served by another company, ask it for its annual water quality report instead of assuming the same numbers apply.
Why the area matters for plumbing
Most of this part of Los Angeles County was built up in the middle of the last century. In Bell, about 67.6 percent of housing units predate 1960, and about three quarters are rented. Older drains and shared walls mean leaks and clogs travel between units, so early notice to the landlord is part of the fix.
Water providers differ too. Bell and Bell Gardens are listed in the same Golden State Water system, while Cudahy and Maywood each have several water companies. When a question depends on water quality or pressure, check the bill and call the provider shown on it.
What the line does wherever you call from
The same standards apply in every town.
24/7 answering
The emergency line takes calls at night, on weekends and on holidays.
Licensed plumbers
The plumbers are licensed and insured, and you can verify any license at cslb.ca.gov.
Price first
A clear price comes before work starts, not after.
Same-day appointments
Offered when available, so ask when you call.