Wichita, KS
Wichita plumbing permit cost
A Wichita plumbing permit is Table H — the same parts-list shape as electrical.
Every row is a count times a price: waste openings $4.50, water services $5.00, water heaters $9.00, backflow devices $5.00, medical gas openings $5.00, standpipes $36.00 per riser, lawn sprinklers $10.00 — and every permit adds the $25.00 permit issuance fee. As with electrical, one- and two-family dwelling plumbing rides the building permit.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backflow devices — $5.00 eachPermit fee | $5.00 per backflow device | trade bundled is not provided and backflow devices over 0 | — |
| Plumbing permit issuance fee — $25.00Other fee | $25.00 flat fee | trade bundled is not provided | — |
| Waste openings — $4.50 eachPermit fee | $4.50 per opening | trade bundled is not provided and openings over 0 | — |
| Water heaters, new or replacement — $9.00 eachPermit fee | $9.00 per special device | trade bundled is not provided and special devices over 0 | — |
| Water service, new or replacement — $5.00 eachPermit fee | $5.00 per water service connection | trade bundled is not provided and water service connections over 0 | — |
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 commercial plumbing build-out: 12 waste openings, 2 new water services, 3 water heaters and 2 backflow devices — not part of a bundled one/two-family dwelling permit.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Occupancy class | Commercial |
| Number of openings | 12 |
| Number of special devices | 3 |
| Number of backflow devices | 2 |
| Number of water service connections | 2 |
Example total
$126.00
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 5Rules considered 5
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Backflow devices — $5.00 eachPermit feeTable H item 10: "Backflow Device — $5.00."Show the working
| $5.00 per backflow device | $10.00 |
Waste openings — $4.50 eachPermit feeTable H item 1: "Waste Openings — $4.50."Show the working
| $4.50 per opening | $54.00 |
Water heaters, new or replacement — $9.00 eachPermit feeTable H item 9: "Water Heater New or Replacement — $9.00." The count reads the special-device fact the engine keys — this table's named-appliance row and its nearest unit.Show the working
| $9.00 per special device | $27.00 |
Water service, new or replacement — $5.00 eachPermit feeTable H item 7: "Water Service New or Replacement — $5.00."Show the working
| $5.00 per water service connection | $10.00 |
Plumbing permit issuance fee — $25.00Other feeTable H: "Permit Issuance Fee — $25.00."Show the working
| $25.00 flat fee | $25.00 |
| Total | $126.00 |
Assumptions
- Calculated from 5 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Five lines — $126.00.
Waste openings: 12 × $4.50 = $54.00. Water services: 2 × $5.00 = $10.00. Water heaters: 3 × $9.00 = $27.00 (the special-device count, Table H item 9). Backflow devices: 2 × $5.00 = $10.00. Permit issuance fee: $25.00.
Total: $54 + $10 + $27 + $10 + $25 = $126.00.
What moves it: the same scope inside a one- or two-family dwelling building permit is $0.00 here — Table H's bundling provision covers it; and each row is its own count, so three water heaters never bill as three fixtures.
What is different in Wichita
Table H's rows are named for the piece of the system they touch, and none of them reads valuation: a bathroom rough-in with six waste openings prices six times $4.50 whether the house is modest or expensive.
The $25.00 issuance fee is the permit's floor — the cheapest possible plumbing permit, a single waste opening, is $29.50 — and the item rows stack on top of it in whatever combination the scope names. Water heaters are their own row at $9.00, separate from waste openings, separate from the $5.00 water-service row that prices the line into the building.
The bundling provision matches Table I's word for word: plumbing work in conjunction with a one- or two-family dwelling building permit 'is covered and permitted under the authority granted by the building permit.' The permit itself expires 180 days after issuance if work has not commenced — the code's own limitation, restated on the table.
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 Table H's plumbing permit fee. It excludes:
- The building permit and its 60% plan review — on the building page.
- Unmodelled Table H rows — reconnect moved building ($11.00), interior rainwater drains ($4.00), gas meter loops and openings ($9.00 each), mobile home water services ($5.00), lawn sprinklers ($10.00), water conditioning ($4.50), standpipes ($36.00 per riser), miscellaneous ($9.00) — every price in the research file.
- Event fees — reinspection and the investigation-fee row (both 'per inspection' events).
What you need before applying
- The same bundling note covers dwelling plumbingRequired
Table H carries the same provision as Table I: plumbing work inside a one- or two-family dwelling building permit needs no separate plumbing permit. Permits expire if work is not commenced within 180 days, and refunds are capped at 80% within 180 days by the code's refund section.
Common questions
How much is a plumbing permit in Wichita?
Table H prices each item: waste openings $4.50, water services $5.00, water heaters $9.00, backflow devices $5.00, medical gas openings $5.00, standpipes $36.00 per riser — plus the $25.00 permit issuance fee on every plumbing permit.
Does the plumbing permit read the project's value?
No — Table H is a pure parts list. The permit costs what the counts say, plus $25.00, regardless of project valuation.
What does a water heater replacement permit cost?
$9.00 for the water heater row plus the $25.00 issuance fee — $34.00 — on a stand-alone permit. Inside a one- or two-family dwelling building permit it needs no separate permit.
How are gas lines permitted?
Table H items 4–5: $9.00 per gas meter loop / pressure test and $9.00 per gas opening / pressure test; medical gas openings are $5.00 each (item 6).
Is there a minimum plumbing permit fee?
Yes, in effect: the $25.00 issuance fee applies to every permit, so the smallest permit — one waste opening at $4.50 — costs $29.50.
How long does a Wichita plumbing permit last?
180 days: every MABCD permit becomes null if the work has not commenced within 180 days of issuance, and refunds are capped at 80 percent within 180 days by the code's refund section.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CountyPrimary source
Read 2026-09-26. Three one-page PDFs linked from the MABCD Fees page: fee-table-b.pdf (Table B: residential new build at 38¢/30¢ per sq ft finished/unfinished, accessory rates, and the eight-band §2 commercial ladder that also prices remodels of both classes by §3; the bands chain exactly at every seam — $40+10×$3=$70, $70+38×$11=$488, $488+60×$9=$1,028, $1,028+400×$7=$3,828, $3,828+500×$5=$6,328, $6,328+4,000×$3=$18,328); fee-table-i.pdf (Table I electrical item list with the $25.00 permit issuance fee and the one/two-family bundling note); fee-table-h.pdf (Table H plumbing item list, same shape). Table K (mechanical), Tables A/C/F/G/J (licensing, inspections, sprinkler, miscellaneous, elevator) are on the same page and recorded in the research file, not modelled.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.