Louisville, KY
Louisville Plumbing Permit Cost
Plumbing in Louisville is permitted by the State of Kentucky
not Metro government: Louisville's promulgated fee schedule has no plumbing section, and the Division of Plumbing inside the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction issues plumbing construction permits statewide. Under 815 KAR 20:050, the permit costs $50.00 plus $14.00 per opening for one- and two-family homes ($20.00 per opening for all other buildings), with five inspections included. A single water-heater replacement in a building 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 Louisville bathroom remodel in a one-family home: four openings in all — three new fixtures (water closet, lavatory, tub/shower) and a water heater replacement.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Occupancy class | Residential |
| Type of work | Remodel |
| Number of openings | 4 |
Example total
$106.00
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) — residential one- and two-family units and all other buildings alike. Kentucky's Division of Plumbing (Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction) issues the permit; Louisville's own promulgated schedule has no plumbing section.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 | $56.00 |
| Total | $106.00 |
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: 4 × $14.00 = $56.00 (three fixtures plus the water heater; a single heater alone would be the $50.00 flat permit). Total: $106.00.
What is different in Louisville
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 covers the required inspections — five at no additional cost, $50.00 per additional inspection, waived entirely once the permit fee exceeds $250.00. Metro's Construction Review office has no plumbing permitting or inspection role; all plumbing work inside Louisville Metro goes through the Frankfort-based division.
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 Louisville. It excludes:
- MSD (Metropolitan Sewer District) sewer tap, lateral and connection charges, billed separately by the district.
- Louisville Water Company meter and tap fees.
- Building, electrical and mechanical permits from Construction Review.
- Plumbing plan review for larger projects (state plan submission under 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; Louisville Metro has no local plumbing permitting role.
Common questions
Who issues plumbing permits in Louisville?
Kentucky's Division of Plumbing, part of the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction in Frankfort. State law directs that no one construct, install or alter plumbing without first procuring a plumbing construction permit from the Division, and Louisville Metro's own promulgated schedule has no plumbing section to charge.
Kentucky DHBC — Division of Plumbing
How much is a state plumbing permit in Louisville?
$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, with no per-opening charges. 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 with the state permit?
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 Louisville?
A one-family home with ten openings pays $50.00 + 10 × $14.00 = $190.00. The count covers every fixture and appliance, plus the water heater and any extra metered services.
815 KAR 20:050, Section 4(1)
Do Louisville homeowners need a licensed plumber for the permit?
Plumbing work must be performed under a licensed master plumber holding the state permit; homeowners may perform their own work only under the regulation's homeowner-affidavit conditions (work personally performed, compliance with 815 KAR Chapter 20, and no new-home homeowner permit in the last five years).
815 KAR 20:050, Sections 1 and 2
Why doesn't Louisville Metro 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. Cities price other trades locally, but the plumbing permit, its fees and its inspections all live with the state, which is why the amounts here come from 815 KAR 20:050 rather than a Metro schedule.
Kentucky DHBC — Division of Plumbing
Do plumbing permits expire?
Yes — state plumbing permits 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.