Omaha, NE
Omaha plumbing permit cost
Omaha prices a plumbing permit per item from Table 49-304 in Sec.
49-304 of the Municipal Code, with a minimum permit fee of $22.70. A fixture, a roughed-in opening or a roof drain is $7.95; a residential water heater is $7.95; a pressure vacuum breaker assembly is $11.35. The permit fee is the sum of the items the application lists.
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 — pressure vacuum breaker assemblyPermit fee | $11.35 per backflow device | Each backflow device on the permit | — |
| Plumbing permit — fixture, roughed-in opening or roof drainPermit fee | $7.95 per fixture | Each fixture on the permit | — |
| Plumbing permit — residential water heaterPermit fee | $7.95 per heater | Each heater on the permit | — |
| Minimum plumbing permit feePermit fee | the shortfall up to the $22.70 minimum on calculated permit 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 residential remodel plumbing permit listing twelve fixtures, one residential water heater and two pressure vacuum breaker assemblies.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Fixtures | 12 |
| Number of heaters | 1 |
| Number of backflow devices | 2 |
Example total
$126.05
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 4
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Plumbing permit — pressure vacuum breaker assemblyPermit feeSec. 49-304(e)(2) — $11.35 for each pressure vacuum breaker assembly. The section's atmospheric vacuum breaker ($7.95) and reduced pressure principle / double check valve assembly ($28.85) rows are stated on the page and not modelled.Show the working
| $11.35 per backflow device | $22.70 |
Plumbing permit — fixture, roughed-in opening or roof drainPermit feeSec. 49-304(a) — $7.95 for each fixture, roughed-in opening or roof drain.Show the working
| $7.95 per fixture | $95.40 |
Plumbing permit — residential water heaterPermit feeSec. 49-304(i) — $7.95 for each residential water heater.Show the working
| $7.95 per heater | $7.95 |
Minimum plumbing permit feePermit feeSec. 49-304 — the minimum permit fee is $22.70, charged as the shortfall against the permit subtotal.Show the working
| $22.70 minimum on calculated permit fee, less the $126.05 calculated | $0.00 |
| Total | $126.05 |
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.
Twelve fixtures at $7.95 is $95.40, the water heater at $7.95 is $7.95, and two pressure vacuum breaker assemblies at $11.35 is $22.70, for $126.05. The $22.70 minimum does not bite, because the subtotal is already above it. The counts are the example's, not the City's.
What is different in Omaha
The section sets a floor first — "the minimum permit fee shall be $22.70 payable to the city prior to issuance of the permit" — and then prices the work. Most residential and light-commercial items land at $7.95 each: fixtures, roughed-in openings, roof drains, fixture relocations, water-heater replacements and storage tanks. Bigger items carry their own figures: a commercial water heater is $34.00, a residential water service over one inch is $50.00, a commercial fire-protection water service is $75.00, and a master water service is $150.00.
Because the schedule is written per item, the number that decides the fee is how many items your application lists. The plumbing permit is a separate permit from the building permit and is priced on its own.
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 covers the plumbing rows transcribed from Table 49-304: fixtures and openings, residential water heaters and pressure vacuum breaker assemblies, against the $22.70 minimum. It excludes:
- The rest of Table 49-304, which is long: below-ground swimming pools ($58.90), hot tubs and above-ground pools ($17.00), solar collector arrays ($11.35), commercial water heaters ($34.00), the atmospheric vacuum breaker ($7.95) and reduced pressure principle / double check valve assemblies ($28.85), indirect wastes, water services from $7.95 to $150.00, residential and commercial sewer connections ($45.30 and $61.80), building sewer repairs, manhole taps, lawn sprinkler heads ($11.30 per 50) and grease interceptors ($50.00).
- Water and sewer connection charges, which are utility charges rather than permit fees.
- The Planning Department's Technology and Training fee, which the City adds to the fees it collects; the building page shows it and this page does not charge it.
- The doubling of the fee when plumbing work starts before a permit is issued, which the code applies where the work was not an emergency.
What you need before applying
- A supervising master plumber signs the applicationRequired
Sec. 49-303 requires the permit application to state "the name, address and signature of the supervising master plumber", alongside the scope of work and a "listing and number of plumbing fixtures to be installed" — which is the count Table 49-304 charges.
Common questions
How much is a plumbing permit in Omaha?
A fixture, roughed-in opening or roof drain is $7.95, and the minimum permit fee is $22.70. Larger items are priced separately: a commercial water heater is $34.00, a sewer connection is $45.30 residential or $61.80 commercial, and a master water service is $150.00.
Is there a minimum plumbing permit fee?
Yes. Sec. 49-304 sets "the minimum permit fee ... $22.70 payable to the city prior to issuance of the permit", and any amount above it is determined by Table 49-304.
Is a water heater replacement a fixture?
No. Table 49-304 prices water heaters on their own rows — $7.95 for each residential water heater, $11.35 as the maximum for a residential replacement, and $34.00 for each commercial one — rather than counting them as fixtures.
What does the permit application have to list?
Sec. 49-303 requires the owner's details, the supervising master plumber's name and signature, a description of the scope, and a "listing and number of plumbing fixtures to be installed" — which is the count Table 49-304 charges.
What happens if plumbing work starts before the permit?
The fee is doubled. The code waives the doubling only for emergency work that had to be done immediately, and then only if a permit is secured at the earliest possible time afterwards.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Municipal codeCityPrimary source
Omaha Municipal Code — Chapter 49 (Plumbing), Sec. 49-304 Permit fees and Table 49-304
Read 2026-09-25. Sec. 49-304 sets a minimum permit fee of $22.70 and then prices each item on Table 49-304: fixtures, water heaters, backflow assemblies, water and sewer services, swimming pools, solar collectors, interceptors and more.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.