Des Moines, IA
Des Moines plumbing permit cost
A Des Moines plumbing permit is flat for dwellings and base-plus-unit for commercial work.
New dwellings pay $200.00; sewer and water services only, for new dwellings, pay $75.00; alterations and additions to existing dwellings and accessory structures pay $75.00. Commercial permits pay a $75.00 base plus any unit fees the job triggers — $7.50 per plumbing fixture (the schedule's own list runs from water closets to grease traps), $7.50 per building sewer or domestic water service, $10.00 per 100 lineal feet or fraction of private sewer, $50.00 per septic tank and $20.00 per grease interceptor.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial plumbing permit base fee — $75.00Permit fee | $75.00 flat fee | Occupancy is not residential | — |
| Commercial plumbing fixtures — $7.50 eachPermit fee | $7.50 per fixture | Occupancy is not residential and Fixtures over 0 | — |
| Grease interceptor — $20.00 eachPermit fee | $20.00 per pretreatment interceptor | Occupancy is not residential and grease interceptors over 0 | — |
| Private sewers (sanitary and storm) — $10.00 per 100 lineal feet or fractionPermit fee | $0.10 per linear foot, charged in blocks of 100 linear feet | Occupancy is not residential and linear feet over 0 | — |
| Building sewer service installation, change or repair — $7.50 eachPermit fee | $7.50 per connection | Occupancy is not residential and connections over 0 | — |
| Water service (domestic) installation, change or repair — $7.50 eachPermit fee | $7.50 per water service connection | Occupancy is not residential and water service connections over 0 | — |
| Plumbing permit, alterations and additions to existing dwellings — $75.00Permit fee | $75.00 flat fee | Occupancy is residential and Work type is one of addition, alteration, remodel, repair, replacement | — |
| Plumbing permit, new dwellings — $200.00Permit fee | $200.00 flat fee | Occupancy is residential and Work type is new construction and services only is not provided | — |
| Plumbing permit, sewer and water services only for new dwellings — $75.00Permit fee | $75.00 flat fee | Occupancy is residential and Work type is new construction and services only is true | — |
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 restaurant build-out: 24 plumbing fixtures, one building sewer service, one domestic water service, one grease interceptor, and a 210-foot private sewer lateral.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Fixtures | 24 |
| Occupancy class | Commercial |
| Number of connections | 1 |
| Linear feet | 210 |
| Number of pretreatment interceptors | 1 |
| Number of water service connections | 1 |
Example total
$320.00
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 6Rules considered 9
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Commercial plumbing permit base fee — $75.00Permit fee"Plumbing permit base fee for other than townhouses, single-family dwellings, two-family dwellings and buildings accessory thereto (Plumbing permit requires base fee plus any unit fees listed below): $75.00."Show the working
| $75.00 flat fee | $75.00 |
Commercial plumbing fixtures — $7.50 eachPermit fee"Each plumbing fixture, including but not limited to: sink, tub, urinal, drain, water closet, lavatory, dishwasher, vacuum breaker, condensate drain, ice machine, automatic water heater, ... grease trap, ... indirect waste line — $7.50."Show the working
| $7.50 per fixture | $180.00 |
Grease interceptor — $20.00 eachPermit fee"Each grease interceptor — $20.00."Show the working
| $20.00 per pretreatment interceptor | $20.00 |
Private sewers (sanitary and storm) — $10.00 per 100 lineal feet or fractionPermit fee"Private sewers constructed under the plumbing code (sanitary and storm), per 100 lineal feet or fraction thereof — $10.00." The 100-foot run rounds up to a whole block.Show the working
| $0.10 per linear foot, charged in blocks of 100 linear feet | $30.00 |
Building sewer service installation, change or repair — $7.50 eachPermit fee"Each building sewer service installation, change or repair — $7.50."Show the working
| $7.50 per connection | $7.50 |
Water service (domestic) installation, change or repair — $7.50 eachPermit fee"Each water service (domestic) installation, change or repair — $7.50."Show the working
| $7.50 per water service connection | $7.50 |
| Total | $320.00 |
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.
- Plumbing permit, alterations and additions to existing dwellings — $75.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit, new dwellings — $200.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit, sewer and water services only for new dwellings — $75.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 6 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Six lines — $320.00.
Base: $75.00, on every commercial plumbing permit.
Fixtures: 24 × $7.50 = $180.00 — and the schedule's fixture list includes the grease trap and the indirect waste line, so count devices when declaring.
Building sewer service: $7.50. Domestic water service: $7.50.
Grease interceptor: $20.00.
Private sewer: 210 lineal feet is 'per 100 lineal feet or fraction thereof' — three whole blocks at $10.00 = $30.00.
Total: $75.00 + $180.00 + $7.50 + $7.50 + $20.00 + $30.00 = $320.00. The same restaurant would also pay the electrical permit's own rows on the electrical page.
What is different in Des Moines
The fixture row's own definition is the widest in Iowa's schedules this site has read: it names sink, tub, urinal, drain, water closet, lavatory, dishwasher, vacuum breaker, condensate drain, ice machine, automatic water heater, automatic washer drain, drinking fountain, garbage disposal, backflow preventer, water softener, soda fountain, dental chair, sewage ejector, bar opening, grease trap, boiler blow tank, garage wash rack, settling basin, roof drain, catchbasin, wet standpipe outlet and indirect waste line — so a commercial permit's fixture count is devices, not just fixtures.
The 100-foot pipe rows carry 'or fraction thereof': a 210-foot private sewer run buys three whole 100-foot blocks at $10.00 — $30.00, not $21.00.
The residential 'services only' row exists as its own line: a new dwelling whose plumbing permit covers nothing but the sewer and water services pays $75.00 instead of $200.00 — the schedule's own scope split.
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 is the PDC's plumbing permit fee. It excludes:
- Interior water piping openings ($1.50 per fixture served) and water service (fire) / private water main runs ($10.00 per 100 lf) — unit rows recorded in the research file without rules in this pass.
- Gas piping ($4.00 per outlet for the first four, $2.00 after) — priced on the mechanical side of the schedule.
- Reconstruction of each drain, stack or vent line ($7.50) — a unit row recorded but not charged by this calculator.
- Sewer/water disconnects for demolition ($75.00) and the building permit itself.
What you need before applying
- Fixture list is the schedule's own, and it is longRequired
The $7.50 fixture row's own definition runs from sink and water closet through dishwasher, ice machine, water heater, backflow preventer, water softener, grease trap, sewage ejector, roof drain and indirect waste line — count devices, not just fixtures.
Common questions
How much is a plumbing permit for a new house in Des Moines?
$200.00 for the plumbing installations associated with the construction of the new dwelling. If the permit covers nothing but the sewer and water services, it is $75.00 — the schedule prices 'services only' as its own row.
What does a plumbing permit for a remodel cost?
$75.00 — 'Plumbing permit for plumbing installations associated with alterations and additions to existing dwellings and accessory structures: $75.00', flat regardless of the project's value.
How are commercial plumbing permits priced?
A $75.00 base fee plus unit fees: $7.50 per plumbing fixture (the schedule's own list runs from water closets and urinals to water heaters, backflow preventers, grease traps, sewage ejectors, roof drains and indirect waste lines), $7.50 per building sewer or domestic water service, $10.00 per 100 lineal feet or fraction of private sewer, $50.00 per septic tank, $20.00 per grease interceptor, and $4.00 per gas outlet for the first four.
Is a water heater a 'fixture' for the fee?
Yes on the commercial price list — the fixture row's own text includes 'automatic water heater', along with dishwashers, ice machines, water softeners and garbage disposals. Count each device the schedule names.
How is a long sewer lateral charged?
At $10.00 per 100 lineal feet or fraction thereof: 210 feet is three whole blocks, $30.00. The 'or fraction' phrase rounds a partial block up, so 101 feet and 200 feet cost the same $20.00.
Where do I apply for a plumbing permit in Des Moines?
The Permit and Development Center at 400 Robert D. Ray Drive — the consolidated office that issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits under the same fee schedule.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
Des Moines Permit and Development Center Permit Fees — New Fees 2-1-25 (4 pp.)
Read 2026-09-26 from the City's CMS host (cms2.revize.com serves the PDF unguarded; HEAD-verified HTTP 200 application/pdf). Contains the residential flat building rows by finished floor area, the six-band commercial valuation ladder (every band printing 'or fraction thereof'), plan check 65% of the building permit fee, energy review 2% with a $21 minimum, demolition, residential trade flats ($225/$75 electrical, $200/$75 plumbing, $125/$75 mechanical) and the commercial trade base-plus-unit price lists.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.