New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Plumbing Permit Cost (Sewerage & Water Board)
New Orleans plumbing permits are not the City's.
The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans — a separate political corporation that owns the water and sewer mains — permits and inspects all plumbing under its own S&WB Plumbing Code. A Licensed Master Plumber registered with the Board files through the City's One Stop portal, where the published fee line item is the $50.00 SWB filing fee. The Board publishes no complete public schedule of its inspection fees, so no further amount is stated here.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWB plumbing filing fee ($50.00)Permit fee | $50.00 flat fee | Every permit of this type | — |
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 bathroom remodel in a New Orleans shotgun double, filed by an SWBNO-registered master plumber through the One Stop portal.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $12,000 |
| Fixtures | 4 |
| Occupancy class | Residential |
| Type of work | Alteration |
Example total
$50.00
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 1
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
SWB plumbing filing fee ($50.00)Permit feeSewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, via the City's One Stop permit records (line item 'SWB Filing Fee'): $50.00, filed by a Licensed Master Plumber registered with the Board. The Board's Plumbing Department permits and inspects the work under the S&WB Plumbing Code; the Board publishes no complete public schedule of its inspection fees, so no further amount is modelled or guessed.Show the working
| $50.00 flat fee | $50.00 |
| Total | $50.00 |
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.
SWB filing fee (the one published amount): $50.00. Total from published figures: $50.00. The Board's inspection fees ride the same permit but are not published as a schedule — the page states this rather than estimating them.
What is different in New Orleans
The Board's Plumbing Department, at 625 St. Joseph Street, inspects all new plumbing work and any portion of an existing system the new work touches. Work covered before inspection must be uncovered — and non-compliance can end in water-service interruption, the Board's own enforcement lever. Property owners are responsible for hiring the master plumber; whoever violates the Board's rules faces fines up to $1,000 or thirty days per offense. The Board also requires its own permit on demolition projects, where sewer and water services must be excavated, capped and inspected within five feet of the property line.
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 one published Sewerage & Water Board fee — the $50 filing fee. It excludes:
- The Board's inspection and reinspection fees, which appear on permit records but are not published as a schedule.
- Water and sewer tap, meter and connection charges for new or upsized services.
- The City's building, electrical and mechanical permits for the same project.
- Backflow device registration and testing through the Board's Environmental Affairs Department.
- Louisiana State Plumbing Board licensing fees.
What you need before applying
- Licensed Master Plumber registered with SWBNORequired
A Licensed Master Plumber registered with the Sewerage & Water Board must file the plumbing permit for any work connected to the public sewers and water mains. Unpermitted plumbing risks water-service interruption under the Board's code.
Common questions
Who issues plumbing permits in New Orleans?
The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans — not City Hall. The Board's Plumbing Department permits and inspects all plumbing connected to the public sewers and water mains under the S&WB Plumbing Code, though the permit itself is filed through the City's One Stop portal.
Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, Plumbing Information
How much does a plumbing permit cost in New Orleans?
The published line item is the $50.00 SWB filing fee, shown on One Stop permit records. The Board does not publish a complete schedule of its inspection fees, so the total for a specific job is set by the Board at filing.
City of New Orleans One Stop App permit records
Who can file a plumbing permit with the SWBNO?
A Licensed Master Plumber registered with the Sewerage & Water Board must file. Property owners hire the plumber; the Board keeps a searchable list of licensed plumbers in Orleans Parish.
Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, Plumbing Information
Does replacing a water heater need an SWBNO permit?
Any addition or alteration to water piping connected to the Board's mains requires a permit first issued by the Board's Plumbing Department — and fixtures reset to existing systems are covered by the same rule.
Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, Plumbing Information
What happens if plumbing work is covered before inspection?
It must be uncovered for inspection. The Board's code requires inspection and approval before covering, and failure to comply can result in water service interruption.
Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, Plumbing Information
Do demolition projects need a plumbing permit from the Board?
Yes. Underground sewer mains and water service supply mains must be excavated and properly capped inside the property line (within five feet), and the Board's Plumbing Department inspects the capped services before they are covered.
Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, Plumbing Information
What is the penalty for unpermitted plumbing in New Orleans?
Whoever violates the Board's rules faces a fine of up to $1,000 per offense, imprisonment up to thirty days, or both — and the Board can interrupt water service for non-compliant work.
Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, Plumbing Information
Does the City charge anything for plumbing work?
The City's guide is explicit that plumbing permit fees go to the Sewerage & Water Board; the City's Safety & Permits charges for building, electrical and mechanical permits, not plumbing. On irrigation meters the Board collects a fee equal to 20% of the permit cost, a separate program.
City of New Orleans Guide to Building Permits
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- City websiteAuthorityPrimary source
Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans — Plumbing Information (Plumbing Department)
Establishes the plumbing authority: permits under the S&WB Plumbing Code (§§2.2.1, 2.2.4, 3.2), filed by a Licensed Master Plumber registered with the Board, inspected by the Board's Plumbing Department. Page dated by its own 'last modified on Jan 6, 2025'. The Board publishes no complete public schedule of plumbing permit/inspection fees; the $50.00 filing fee is read from the City's One Stop permit records (line item 'SWB Filing Fee').
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.