Lexington, KY
Lexington Plumbing Permit Cost
Plumbing in Lexington is permitted by the State of Kentucky:
LFUCG's fee schedule has no plumbing section, and the city's commercial-construction page routes plumbing permits to the State Inspector. The Division of Plumbing inside the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction issues plumbing construction permits statewide under 815 KAR 20:050: $50.00 plus $14.00 per opening for one- and two-family homes ($20.00 for all other buildings), with five inspections included. A single water-heater replacement is $50.00 flat — the permit's only fee.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Additional state plumbing inspection ($50.00 each)Inspection fee | $50.00 per inspection | additional inspections at least 1 | — |
| State plumbing permit base fee ($50.00)Permit fee | $50.00 flat fee | water heater only is not provided and openings is provided | — |
| Commercial openings ($20.00 each: fixtures, appliances, openings, water heaters, conductors, extra meters)Permit fee | $20.00 per opening | openings at least 1 and water heater only is not provided and Occupancy is not residential | — |
| Residential openings ($14.00 each: fixtures, appliances, openings, water heaters, extra meters)Permit fee | $14.00 per opening | openings at least 1 and water heater only is not provided and Occupancy is residential | — |
| Single water heater installed or replaced in a building ($50.00, the only fee)Permit fee | $50.00 flat fee | water heater 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 Lexington kitchen and bath remodel in a one-family home adding five openings in all — four fixtures and a water heater replacement.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Occupancy class | Residential |
| Type of work | Remodel |
| Number of openings | 5 |
Example total
$120.00
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 2Rules considered 5
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
State plumbing permit base fee ($50.00)Permit fee815 KAR 20:050 Section 4(1) and (2): the base fee for each plumbing permit is fifty dollars ($50.00). Kentucky's Division of Plumbing (Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction) issues the permit — LFUCG's fee schedule has no plumbing section, and the commercial-construction page routes plumbing permits to the State Inspector.Show the working
| $50.00 flat fee | $50.00 |
Residential openings ($14.00 each: fixtures, appliances, openings, water heaters, extra meters)Permit fee815 KAR 20:050 Section 4(1): fifty dollars plus fourteen dollars ($14.00) for each plumbing fixture, appliance, or opening left for a fixture or appliance in the soil or waste pipe system, each domestic water heater, and each separately metered water and sewer service beyond the first — residential one- and two-family units.Show the working
| $14.00 per opening | $70.00 |
| Total | $120.00 |
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.
- Commercial openings ($20.00 each: fixtures, appliances, openings, water heaters, conductors, extra meters) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Single water heater installed or replaced in a building ($50.00, the only fee) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Additional state plumbing inspection ($50.00 each) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 2 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
State base fee: $50.00. Openings: 5 × $14.00 = $70.00. Total: $120.00.
What is different in Lexington
An 'opening' is each plumbing fixture or appliance, each opening left for one in the soil or waste pipe system, each domestic water heater, and each separately metered water or sewer service beyond the first (commercial permits also count conductor openings). The state permit carries five inspections at no additional cost; additional inspections are $50.00 each, and the charge disappears entirely once the permit fee exceeds $250.00. LFUCG's own plumbing role is health plan review for public buildings through the Lexington Health Department — the permit itself is Frankfort's.
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 covers the Kentucky state plumbing permit that applies inside Lexington. It excludes:
- Lexington Fayette County Health Department plumbing plan review for public buildings.
- Kentucky American Water and sanitary sewer tap-on charges (LFUCG's Sanitary Sewer Tap-On Desk bills separately).
- Building, electrical and mechanical permits from Building Inspection.
- State plumbing plan submission review for new construction (815 KAR 20:050 Section 3).
- State licensing fees for master plumbers.
What you need before applying
- State-licensed master plumberRequired
Plumbing work is permitted through Kentucky's Division of Plumbing and must be performed under a licensed master plumber holding the state permit; LFUCG's plumbing role is limited to health-department plan review for public buildings.
Common questions
Who issues plumbing permits in Lexington?
Kentucky's Division of Plumbing in Frankfort. LFUCG's commercial-construction page routes plumbing applications to the State Inspector, and the LFUCG fee schedule contains no plumbing section — the permit, its fees and its inspections are all state functions.
City of Lexington — Commercial construction page
How much is a state plumbing permit in Lexington?
$50.00 base plus $14.00 per opening for one- and two-family residences, or $20.00 per opening for all other buildings. Openings are fixtures, appliances, openings left in the soil or waste system, water heaters and, beyond the first, separately metered water and sewer services (plus conductor openings on commercial).
815 KAR 20:050, Section 4
How much is a permit to replace a water heater?
$50.00 — when only one new domestic water heater is installed or replaced within a single building, that is the only fee for the permit. Replacing two or more heaters in one building switches back to the per-opening calculation.
815 KAR 20:050, Sections 3(a) and 4(3)
How many plumbing inspections are included?
Five plumbing inspections at no additional cost. Each additional inspection is $50.00, paid before the final inspection — but additional inspection fees do not apply at all once the cost of the plumbing permit exceeds $250.00.
815 KAR 20:050, Section 5
How much is a typical whole-house plumbing permit in Lexington?
A one-family home with twelve openings pays $50.00 + 12 × $14.00 = $218.00. The count covers every fixture and appliance, plus the water heater and any extra metered services.
815 KAR 20:050, Section 4(1)
Does LFUCG review plumbing plans?
Only for health compliance: the Plumbing Program staff at the Lexington Health Department review plans for renovating and constructing public buildings against local health regulations. The construction permit itself and code plan submission under 815 KAR 20:050 Section 3 remain with the state division.
City of Lexington — Plumbing permits page
Why doesn't LFUCG charge its own plumbing fee?
Kentucky permits plumbing at the state level — the Division of Plumbing issues construction permits and inspects installations under the Kentucky State Plumbing Code. LFUCG prices building, plan review and HVAC locally, but the plumbing permit lives with the state, which is why the amounts here come from 815 KAR 20:050.
Kentucky DHBC — Division of Plumbing
Do state plumbing permits expire?
Yes — they expire one year after issuance unless construction is ongoing, and become void if the plumbing work ceases for more than twelve months.
815 KAR 20:050, Section 6
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- OrdinanceStatePrimary source
Kentucky 815 KAR 20:050 — State Plumbing Permit Fees (Division of Plumbing, DHBC)
Kentucky administrative regulation fixing plumbing permit fees statewide: $50 base plus $14 per opening (residential 1-2 family) or $20 per opening (all other buildings), a single water heater replacement at $50 flat, five inspections included and $50 per additional inspection. Last amended by 48 Ky.R. 629, effective 3-1-2022. Regulation text read from the Legislature's page via an Internet Archive snapshot (2024-09-27); cross-checked against dhbc.ky.gov.
- State agencyStatePrimary source
Kentucky DHBC — Division of Plumbing (statewide plumbing permitting)
Confirms the Division of Plumbing issues plumbing construction permits statewide — 'No person, firm or corporation shall construct, install or alter any plumbing without first having procured a plumbing construction permit from the Division of Plumbing' — and summarizes the fee schedule: $50 base, $14 per opening residential, $20 commercial.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.