San Diego, CA
San Diego plumbing permit cost
A City of San Diego plumbing permit is priced from Tables 3A and 3B of Information Bulletin 103
and nearly every row prints two amounts: new plumbing in a multiple dwelling unit building is $264.25 for the first dwelling unit and $176.57 for each additional one, a remodel is $264.25 and $52.39, a water heater is $122.97, and a domestic backflow preventer is $87.68 for the first and $52.39 for each one after it. Gas work is on the same form, and the five-fixture groups are named rather than modelled.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic backflow preventerPermit fee | $87.68 for the first backflow device, plus $52.39 for each additional backflow device | plumbing item is backflow | — |
| Gas system or meter, per five outletsPermit fee | $264.25 flat fee | plumbing item is gas system | — |
| New plumbing, multiple dwelling unit buildingPermit fee | $264.25 for the first dwelling unit, plus $176.57 for each additional dwelling unit | plumbing item is mdu new | — |
| Plumbing remodel, multiple dwelling unit buildingPermit fee | $264.25 for the first dwelling unit, plus $52.39 for each additional dwelling unit | plumbing item is mdu remodel | — |
| Water or waste pipe repair or replacement, residentialPermit fee | $264.25 for the first dwelling unit, plus $87.68 for each additional dwelling unit | plumbing item is pipe repair residential | — |
| Sewage ejectorPermit fee | $264.25 flat fee | plumbing item is sewage ejector | — |
| Water heaterPermit fee | $122.97 flat fee | plumbing item is water heater | — |
| Water softenerPermit fee | $87.68 for the first connection, plus $52.39 for each additional connection | plumbing item is water softener | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A new twelve-unit multiple dwelling unit building in the City of San Diego, permitted for its plumbing as a standalone MEP permit.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Dwelling units | 12 |
| Occupancy class | Residential |
| Type of work | New construction |
| Plumbing item | mdu_new |
Example total
$2,206.52
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 1Rules considered 8
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
New plumbing, multiple dwelling unit buildingPermit fee"TABLE 3A: PLUMBING FEE SCHEDULE (PER BUILDING USE) — Multiple Dwelling Unit Building (MDU - New), Each Dwelling Unit, First Unit $264.25, Each Add'l Unit $176.57."Show the working
| $264.25 for the first dwelling unit, plus $176.57 for each additional dwelling unit | $2,206.52 |
| Total | $2,206.52 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Domestic backflow preventer — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Gas system or meter, per five outlets — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing remodel, multiple dwelling unit building — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Water or waste pipe repair or replacement, residential — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Sewage ejector — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Water heater — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Water softener — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 1 fee rule in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Table 3A's MDU row is a First Unit and an Each Add'l Unit amount counted in dwelling units: $264.25 for the first and $176.57 for each of the eleven that follow, which is $1,942.27, so the permit is $2,206.52. The remodel row would answer the same question differently — $264.25 plus eleven times $52.39 — which is the cleanest way to see that the bulletin prices new work and remodel work as separate rows rather than one rate with a discount.
A second example shows the per-item rows. A single water heater replacement is one row of Table 3B at $122.97 and nothing else, because the tables are gated on the item being permitted; adding a backflow preventer to the same job would be its own $87.68. And a caution belongs with the number: this is the plumbing charge alone, and the building, electrical and mechanical permits for the same building are separate applications, the last of which this site does not price.
What is different in San Diego
The row that decides a new building is the MDU charge, and it is counted in dwelling units. "Multiple Dwelling Unit Building (MDU - New), Each Dwelling Unit — First Unit $264.25, Each Add'l Unit $176.57": the first unit carries the base and each one after it adds $176.57, so a twelve-unit building is $264.25 plus eleven times $176.57. A remodel of the same building is charged on its own row at $264.25 for the first unit and $52.39 for each additional one, which is a little over a quarter of the new-work rate — the bulletin prices new and remodel work as different questions rather than applying a discount to one.
Table 3B carries the single-item permits, and they are the ones an ordinary job uses. A water heater is $122.97, a domestic backflow preventer is $87.68 for the first and $52.39 after it, a water softener and a sewage ejector are their own rows, and a gas system or meter is $264.25 for each five outlets with $87.68 for each additional group. Each is gated on the item being permitted, so a water-heater permit cannot be charged the backflow rate as well.
What is left out is grouped, and it is grouped in the bulletin's own way. Non-residential restrooms and kitchens, hotels and laboratories are priced per five fixtures — "Non-Residential Restrooms, Each 5 Fixtures, First Unit $264.25, Each Add'l Unit $70.58" — and the private water and sewer utilities row is priced per 100 lineal feet. This site does not collect a fixture group or a pipe length, so it names those rows rather than assembling a number from them.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This estimate is the Table 3A and 3B plumbing rows this site models: the MDU new and remodel charges and the per-item permits. It excludes:
- The five-fixture groups — non-residential restrooms at $264.25 and kitchens at $353.13 for each five fixtures, hotels and laboratories — and the per-dwelling-unit kitchen and bathroom remodel row of Table 3A.
- The per-lineal-foot row — private water and sewer utilities at $264.25 for the first 100 feet and $52.39 for each additional 10 feet — because this site does not collect a pipe length.
- The reclaim water and gray water rows, and the building drain charge by floor.
- The building, electrical and mechanical permits on the same project, each a separate application.
- Fees from other agencies collected with the permit, including the Water and Sewer capacity and installation charges and the County Water Authority's meter capacity fee.
- The food establishment wastewater discharge review of a grease trap or interceptor, which requires approval from the Public Utilities Department and is not a fee on this table.
What you need before applying
- Most plumbing items print a First Unit and an Each Additional Unit amountRequired
Tables 3A and 3B price almost every row as two numbers: "Multiple Dwelling Unit Building (MDU - New), Each Dwelling Unit, First Unit $264.25, Each Add'l Unit $176.57", "Water Softener — Each $87.68, Each Add'l Unit $52.39", "Backflow Preventer-Domestic — Each $87.68, Each Add'l Unit $52.39". A permit is the first-unit amount plus the additional-unit amount for every unit after the first.
Common questions
How is plumbing priced for a new apartment building?
"Multiple Dwelling Unit Building (MDU - New), Each Dwelling Unit — First Unit $264.25, Each Add'l Unit $176.57." The first dwelling unit carries the base charge and every unit after it adds $176.57. A twelve-unit building is $264.25 plus eleven times $176.57, which is $2,206.52.
Information Bulletin 103, Table 3A
Is a remodel charged the same as new work?
It has its own row. "MDU Building - Remodel, Each Dwelling Unit — First Unit $264.25, Each Add'l Unit $52.39", against $176.57 for each additional unit of new work. The first unit costs the same and every unit after it costs a little over a quarter as much, so the tables price new and remodel work as separate questions.
Information Bulletin 103, Table 3A
What does a water heater cost?
"Table 3B: Water Heater — Each $122.97", one charge for the permit. The bulletin adds a limit worth knowing: "For non-residential or MDU buildings, replacing a water heater with a tankless water heater requires plans and plan review."
Information Bulletin 103, Table 3B
Why are some rows priced per five fixtures?
Because the bulletin prices a group rather than a single fixture for non-residential work: "Non-Residential Restrooms — Each 5 Fixtures, First Unit $264.25, Each Add'l Unit $70.58", and "Non-Residential Kitchen — Each 5 Fixtures, First Unit $353.13, Each Add'l Unit $122.97". This site does not collect a fixture group, so it names those rows instead of assembling a number from them.
Information Bulletin 103, Table 3A
Is the gas permit separate?
It is a row on the same plumbing table rather than a separate bulletin: "Gas System/Meter — Each 5 Outlets $264.25, Each Add'l Unit $87.68", with a gas system leak repair row at the same amounts. Gas work is therefore part of the plumbing permit here, and the site names the gas rows rather than including them in the MDU example.
Information Bulletin 103, Table 3B
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Information Bulletin 103, “Fee Schedule for Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing/Gas Permits”
Read 2026-09-24. Header: "INFORMATION BULLETIN 103 May 2026", previous version last effective 2026-05-03, so effective from 2026-05-04. Its Table 1A and 1B price mechanical work per building use and per item, Table 2 the electrical work, and Tables 3A and 3B the plumbing work — each printing a First Unit and an Each Add'l Unit amount. This site models Table 2 and Tables 3A/3B and does not model mechanical work anywhere. One thing the bulletin states plainly and this site repeats: "Separate building and MEP permits are required for all non-residential and Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU) construction. Each building must have its own MEP permit."
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.