Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis plumbing permit cost
A Minneapolis plumbing permit is a price list of $41.40 rows with an $85.20 floor:
full fixture, fixture set, and waste-and-vent permits are $41.40 each at every occupancy, rainwater leaders are $41.40 per 10 stories or fraction, water distribution $41.40 per 100 lineal feet or fraction, and alterations $41.40 per $500 or fraction. The minimum — "$85.20 (Includes $1.00 State Surcharge)" — is the sheet's own parenthesis, and it matters.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbing permit — alterations, $41.40 per $500 or fraction thereofPermit fee | $82.80 per $1,000 of project valuation, or fraction thereof | plumbing scope is alterations | — |
| Plumbing permit — full fixture, fixture set or waste and vent, $41.40Permit fee | $41.40 flat fee | plumbing scope is one of full fixture, fixture set, waste and vent | — |
| Plumbing permit — rainwater leader, $41.40 per 10 stories or fraction thereofPermit fee | $4.14 per story, charged in blocks of 10 stories | stories is provided | — |
| Plumbing permit — water distribution piping, $41.40 per 100 lineal feet or fraction thereofPermit fee | $414.00 per 100 linear feet of linear feet, or fraction thereof | linear feet is provided | — |
| Plumbing permit — $85.20 minimum (includes the $1.00 state surcharge)Permit fee | the shortfall up to the $84.20 minimum on calculated permit fee | Every permit of this type | — |
| Minnesota state surcharge — $1.00 per permit applicationState surcharge | $1.00 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 basement finish's plumbing on one permit — a full fixture group and 120 feet of replacement water distribution piping, all occupancies.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Linear feet | 120 |
| Plumbing scope | full_fixture |
Example total
$125.20
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 4Rules considered 6
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Plumbing permit — full fixture, fixture set or waste and vent, $41.40Permit feeThree rows at one price: "Full Fixture - All Occupancies $41.40", "Fixture Set Only - All Occupancies $41.40" and "Waste and Vent Only - All Occupancies $41.40". One arithmetic prices all three, so one rule carries them, selected by the scope the applicant states. The minimum below binds a single-row permit: $41.40 charged at $85.20.Show the working
| $41.40 flat fee | $41.40 |
Plumbing permit — water distribution piping, $41.40 per 100 lineal feet or fraction thereofPermit feeThe schedule's "Replacing or extending water distribution piping, each 100 lineal feet or fraction thereof $41.40" — a block rate, the mirror of Buffalo's: 150 feet is two blocks, $82.80, because the fraction phrase is printed. Gated on the run the applicant supplies.Show the working
| $414.00 per 100 linear feet of linear feet, or fraction thereof, in $1 steps | $82.80 |
Plumbing permit — $85.20 minimum (includes the $1.00 state surcharge)Permit feeThe sheet's own minimum row: "Minimum Fee - Residential & Commercial $85.20 (Includes $1.00 State Surcharge)". The parenthetical is the schedule speaking: the $85.20 total includes the $1.00 surcharge that charges beside the rows, so the floor on the permit-fee subtotal is $84.20 — the printed minimum less the $1.00 — and a one-fixture permit ($41.40 of rows + $1.00 of surcharge) pays $85.20 in all while a ten-fixture permit ($414.00 + $1.00) pays its own arithmetic with the floor charging nothing.Show the working
| $84.20 minimum on calculated permit fee, less the $124.20 calculated | $0.00 |
Minnesota state surcharge — $1.00 per permit applicationState surchargeThe plumbing sheet's surcharge, stated twice: "MN State Surcharge fee of $1.00 is required for each permit application" and, beside the gas rows, "should be added to the total permit fee (except minimum as shown)". It is the sheet's own $1.00 — different from the building formula's 0.0005 factor — and it always charges: the minimum above is set to the printed $85.20 plus this $1.00, so the "(includes surcharge)" parenthetical holds at the floor while the sheet's "except minimum" note keeps the two from double-counting.Show the working
| $1.00 flat fee | $1.00 |
| Total | $125.20 |
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, $41.40 per $500 or fraction thereof — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — rainwater leader, $41.40 per 10 stories or fraction thereof — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 4 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Two $41.40 rows: the full fixture ($41.40) and the water distribution at 'each 100 lineal feet or fraction thereof' — 120 feet is two blocks ($82.80), because the fraction phrase buys the second block for the 20 feet. The rows total $124.20, plus the $1.00 state surcharge: $125.20, above the minimum, paid as computed.
A one-fixture permit would have computed $42.40 and paid the $85.20 minimum — the floor holds the $1.00 surcharge inside it, per the sheet's own parenthetical. And the same 120 feet at exactly 100 feet would be one block: $41.40, because the fraction rule only fires on a partial block.
Alterations read value instead of feet: $41.40 per $500 or fraction — a $2,000 alteration is four blocks, $165.60, before the surcharge.
What is different in Minneapolis
The $41.40 rows stack by scope: a permit for one full fixture computes $41.40 + $1.00 = $42.40 and pays the $85.20 minimum; a permit with three block rates computes its own arithmetic. The three block rows all say 'or fraction thereof' — 25 stories of rainwater leader is three whole $41.40 blocks, $124.20; 150 feet of water distribution is two blocks, $82.80; a $2,000 alteration is four blocks of $500, $165.60.
The minimum's parenthetical is where Minneapolis differs from most: the building sheet's minimum *excludes* its surcharge and the plumbing sheet's *includes* it — '$85.20 (Includes $1.00 State Surcharge)' against '$84.20 (does not include State Surcharge)' — so the calculator holds the $1.00 inside the plumbing floor and beside the rows above it, never doubled.
The sheet also carries the gas trade beside the plumbing one — non-heating gas burners at $73.30/$291.00 and 'Gas Piping Only: 1.99% of the value or the minimum fee, whichever is greater', under the pointer 'See Chapter 91 for Complete Fee Schedule' — transcribed, not charged: gas is its own trade, and this page prices the plumbing rows.
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 plumbing section of the City's plumbing fee schedule. It excludes:
- The gas rows on the same sheet — non-heating gas burners ($73.30 not exceeding 399,999 Btu, $291.00 at 400,000 and over, $85.20 minimum, with the combined-burner footnote) and gas piping only at 1.99% of value: gas permits, a trade this page does not price.
- The Chapter 91 pointer — 'See Chapter 91 for Complete Fee Schedule': the ordinance behind the sheet, named rather than read as the source.
- Plan review percentages and technology fees — none exist on the plumbing sheet; the $1.00 state surcharge is the only levy, and it is inside the minimum at the floor.
- Parkland dedication, signs, code compliance and refunds — separate City fee pages, other instruments entirely.
What you need before applying
- Gas work is priced on the same sheet and permitted as its own tradeMay be required
The plumbing sheet carries the gas rows beside the plumbing ones — non-heating gas burners at $73.30/$291.00 with an $85.20 minimum, gas piping only at "1.99% of the value or the minimum fee, whichever is greater", and the combined-burner footnote — under the pointer "See Chapter 91 for Complete Fee Schedule". This site prices the plumbing rows; the gas rows are named on the page and transcribed in the research record.
Common questions
How much is a plumbing permit in Minneapolis?
$41.40 per row: full fixture, fixture set only, or waste and vent only at any occupancy; rainwater leaders $41.40 per 10 stories or fraction; water distribution piping $41.40 per 100 lineal feet or fraction; alterations $41.40 per $500 or fraction. The minimum is $85.20, and it already includes the $1.00 state surcharge.
Why does the minimum say it includes the surcharge?
Because the sheet prints it that way: 'Minimum Fee - Residential & Commercial $85.20 (Includes $1.00 State Surcharge)'. The building sheet's minimum says the opposite — '$84.20 (does not include State Surcharge)'. The two sheets disagree about the surcharge on purpose, each in its own parenthesis, and the calculator follows each literally: at the plumbing floor the $1.00 is inside, never added twice.
What counts as a full fixture versus a fixture set?
The sheet prices them the same — 'Full Fixture - All Occupancies $41.40' and 'Fixture Set Only - All Occupancies $41.40' — so the calculator offers them as scopes at one price, with 'Waste and Vent Only' as the third $41.40 row. The sheet prices no per-fixture count; the $41.40 is the permit row, whatever the occupancy.
How do the block rates work?
All three say 'or fraction thereof': $41.40 for each whole block, and a partial block buys a whole one. 25 stories of rainwater leader is three blocks ($124.20); 150 feet of water distribution is two ($82.80); a $2,000 alteration is four ($165.60). Exactly 100 feet, 10 stories or $500 is one block.
Does the plumbing permit cover gas piping?
No — the sheet prices gas beside plumbing but as its own trade: 'Gas Piping Only: 1.99% of the value or the minimum fee, whichever is greater', and non-heating gas burners at $73.30/$291.00, under the pointer 'See Chapter 91 for Complete Fee Schedule'. Those rows are transcribed in the research record, not charged with the plumbing permit.
Where do the fees come from and when do they change?
From the City's published plumbing fee schedule — a Smartsheet embedded on the fee page — and they move 'upon City Council directive (or action)'. The pages stamp February 27, 2026 as their last update, which is the date this site's figures carry.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
Minneapolis Plumbing Fee Schedule (published Smartsheet)
Read 2026-09-25 as static HTML from the plumbing fee page's own link. The plumbing rows are $41.40 each — full fixture, fixture set, waste and vent, rainwater leader per 10 stories or fraction, water distribution per 100 lineal feet or fraction, alterations per $500 or fraction — with the minimum "$85.20 (Includes $1.00 State Surcharge)" and "$1.00 per permit application". The sheet also carries the gas rows (non-heating gas burners $73.30/$291.00, gas piping only at 1.99% of value) and the pointer "See Chapter 91 for Complete Fee Schedule" — gas is a trade this site's plumbing page does not price, and the rows are transcribed in the research record.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.