Denver, CO
Denver plumbing permit cost
A Denver plumbing permit is priced the same way as an electrical one — a separate permit for the discipline
with its fee "based on the valuation of the work for that specific trade" — so a plumbing scope worth $8,000 pays $83.00 from Table No. 1. A water heater replacement is a quick permit: it takes the same table, and no plan review at all, because Denver does not review quick-permit work.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building permit fee, valuation $1 to $500Permit fee | $20.00 flat fee | Project valuation up to $500 | — |
| Building permit fee, valuation $1,000,001 and overPermit fee | $5,385.00 + $3.65 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $1,000,000 | — |
| Building permit fee, valuation $100,001 to $500,000Permit fee | $770.00 + $5.60 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $100,000 and up to $500,000 | — |
| Building permit fee, valuation $2,001 to $25,000Permit fee | $35.00 + $8.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $2,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $2,000 and up to $25,000 | — |
| Building permit fee, valuation $25,001 to $50,000Permit fee | $220.00 + $8.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $25,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $25,000 and up to $50,000 | — |
| Building permit fee, valuation $500,001 to $1,000,000Permit fee | $3,010.00 + $4.75 per $1,000 of project valuation above $500,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $500,000 and up to $1,000,000 | — |
| Building permit fee, valuation $50,001 to $100,000Permit fee | $420.00 + $7.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $50,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $50,000 and up to $100,000 | — |
| Building permit fee, valuation $501 to $2,000Permit fee | $35.00 flat fee | Project valuation over $500 and up to $2,000 | — |
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 stand-alone plumbing permit for a commercial restroom remodel with a plumbing contract value of $8,000. It is not quick-permit work — the fixtures are being replaced and relocated rather than swapped like for like — so it is priced from the value of the plumbing scope.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $8,000 |
Example total
$83.00
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 |
|---|---|---|
Building permit fee, valuation $2,001 to $25,000Permit feeTable No. 1: "$35.00 for the first $2,000 plus $8.00 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof, to and including $25,000". At $25,000 this produces $219.00 while the band above opens at $220.00 — the table's one seam that is off, by a dollar.Show the working
| $35.00 + $8.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $2,000, or fraction thereof, in $1,000 steps | $83.00 |
| Total | $83.00 |
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.
- Building permit fee, valuation $1 to $500 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit fee, valuation $1,000,001 and over — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit fee, valuation $100,001 to $500,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit fee, valuation $25,001 to $50,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit fee, valuation $500,001 to $1,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit fee, valuation $50,001 to $100,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit fee, valuation $501 to $2,000 — 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 No. 1's band for $2,001 to $25,000: $35.00 for the first $2,000, plus $8.00 for each of the six additional thousands, which is $83.00. A like-for-like water heater replacement instead sits at the bottom of the same table — $35.00 for a valuation between $501 and $2,000 — and is charged no review fee because it is a quick permit.
What is different in Denver
Two things decide a Denver plumbing permit, and the first is the value of the plumbing work rather than the value of the building. The policy requires a separate permit for each discipline and says each is priced from its own scope, so a $8,000 plumbing contract on a $2,000,000 building pays $83.00 — the table on the plumbing number, with the building's valuation playing no part in it.
The second is whether the job is on the City's quick-permit list, and that list is where the water heater lives. Quick permits "are issued for small projects that replace existing systems, including but not limited to roof coverings, hot water heaters, light fixtures and similar project types", and the policy is blunt about what they do not carry: "A review is not performed and there are no plan review fees associated with quick permits. These projects only require building permit fees as set forth in Table No. 1." So a like-for-like water heater replacement pays the table's rate for its valuation and nothing else — and compliance is confirmed by the inspector in the field rather than by a reviewer at a desk.
That is a different answer from a city that publishes a flat water-heater fee, and the difference is worth knowing. Denver has no water-heater row: the fee comes from the declared or ICC valuation, which for a replacement is small, so the practical figure is the bottom of the table — $20.00 up to $500 of valuation and $35.00 up to $2,000. A city like Boulder City, which prints $50.00 per tank, is pricing the same job with a completely different mechanism.
What this page does not charge is plan review, for the reason the electrical page gives: the review column of Table No. 1 is the building permit's review, and whether a stand-alone plumbing permit attracts its own is not stated in the policy. It is recorded as an open question rather than filled in.
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 Table No. 1's permit fee for the plumbing value of the work, which for a quick permit is the whole fee. It excludes:
- Plan review. The table's review column is the building permit's, at 50% of the permit fee above $2,000; whether a stand-alone plumbing permit attracts one is not stated.
- The building permit fee, if the plumbing work belongs to a construction project. On a commercial project the disciplines are separate permits with separate valuations.
- The other disciplines' permits — mechanical, electrical and, where required, fire suppression — each with its own valuation on the same job.
- Water and sewer connection charges, which are utility charges rather than permit fees and are not in this policy.
- Multi-phase surcharges of 25% or 50% on the permit and review fees.
- Hourly fees: additional plan review at $125.00 per hour, re-inspection and out-of-hours inspection at $100.00 per hour with a two-hour prepaid minimum after hours.
- The Affordable Housing Linkage Fee and the City's other development charges.
- Backflow and cross-connection testing, which is a certification process rather than a permit line in this policy.
What you need before applying
- Whether the job is a quick permitMay be required
Quick permits cover small projects that replace existing systems — roof coverings, hot water heaters, light fixtures and similar — and they "only require building permit fees as set forth in Table No. 1", with no plan review at all. A water heater replacement is priced from its own valuation the same way a bathroom remodel's plumbing is; what changes is that no review fee is charged.
Common questions
How much is a plumbing permit in Denver?
It is the value of the plumbing work run through Table No. 1 of the City's building policy: $20.00 up to $500 of valuation, $35.00 up to $2,000, then $35.00 plus $8.00 per additional $1,000 until $25,000. An $8,000 plumbing scope is $83.00.
Is a permit required to replace a water heater?
Yes, as a quick permit. Quick permits cover small replacements — roof coverings, hot water heaters, light fixtures and similar — and "only require building permit fees as set forth in Table No. 1". No plan review is performed and no review fee is charged; compliance is determined by field inspection.
Is the plumbing fee based on my contract price?
On the value of the plumbing work, and Denver takes the higher of your declared value or the ICC's published construction cost data for the work. The declared figure has to include labour, materials, profit, overhead and the permanent equipment being installed, not just the fixtures.
Do I pay plan review on a plumbing permit?
Not here, and the page says why rather than hiding it. Table No. 1's review column is the building permit's — 50% of the permit fee above $2,000 of valuation — and the policy does not state whether a stand-alone plumbing permit attracts its own review fee. None is charged on this page.
Are water and sewer connections part of the permit fee?
No. Connection charges are made by the utility rather than by Community Planning & Development and do not appear in the building policy at all. On a new building they are a separate line, and usually a much larger one than the permit.
Does a plumber need a Denver licence to pull the permit?
Permits must be obtained by contractors licensed with the City and County of Denver, and the plumber in charge needs a certificate. Table No. 3 prices the contractor licence at $250.00 and certificates at $40.00 to $60.00, renewed every three years — two years for a plumbing licence.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
Building Permit Policy — Building and Related Fees (ADMIN 125 and 138)
Six pages, revision date 21 May 2024, replacing the policy dated 1 February 2024. Read 2026-09-24 in three pdftotext modes: `-layout` interleaves Table No. 1's three columns, `-table` pairs them, and `-raw` confirms the order of the rows. Table No. 1 is the valuation table, Table No. 2 is ICC valuation data and quick-permit square-foot prices, and Table No. 3 is contractor licence fees.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.