Las Cruces, NM
Las Cruces plumbing permit cost
Las Cruces prices plumbing by what the job is built of.
New construction is on bathrooms and dwelling units: $100.00 for a one-dwelling-unit structure at 1½ baths or less, $150.00 for one or two units at 2–3½ baths, $200.00 for one or two units at 4 or more, and $200.00 plus $30.00 per unit above two for larger structures — with the schedule's own note that "a roughed-in bathroom constitutes a bathroom". Everything else — remodels, additions and commercial work — follows the plumbing valuation: $50.00 at $500 or less, $100.00 to $1,000, then $100.00 for the first $1,000 plus $5.00 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof. Every trade permit carries a $10 technology fee, and fees are tripled for work started without a permit.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New one-dwelling-unit structure, 1½ baths or less — $100.00Permit fee | $100.00 flat fee | one two family is true and Work type is new construction and Dwelling units is 1 and bathrooms up to 1.5 | — |
| New one- or two-dwelling-unit structure, 4 or more baths — $200.00Permit fee | $200.00 flat fee | one two family is true and Work type is new construction and Dwelling units is one of 1, 2 and bathrooms at least 4 | — |
| New one- or two-dwelling-unit structure, 2–3½ baths — $150.00Permit fee | $150.00 flat fee | one two family is true and Work type is new construction and Dwelling units is one of 1, 2 and bathrooms over 1.5 and bathrooms up to 3.5 | — |
| New structure over two dwelling units — $200.00 plus $30.00 per unit above twoPermit fee | $200.00 for the first 2 dwelling units, plus $30.00 for each additional dwelling unit | one two family is true and Work type is new construction and Dwelling units over 2 | — |
| Plumbing valuation $500.01–$1,000 — $100.00Permit fee | $100.00 flat fee | not (one two family is true and Work type is new construction) and Project valuation over $500 and up to $1,000 | — |
| Plumbing valuation $500 or less — $50.00Permit fee | $50.00 flat fee | not (one two family is true and Work type is new construction) and Project valuation up to $500 | — |
| Plumbing valuation above $1,000 — $100.00 plus $5.00 per $1,000 or fractionPermit fee | $100.00 + $5.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000, or fraction thereof | not (one two family is true and Work type is new construction) and Project valuation over $1,000 | — |
| Technology fee, trade permit — $10.00Other fee | $10.00 flat fee | Every permit of this type | — |
| Reinspection, $45.00 per occurrenceInspection fee | $45.00 flat fee | reinspection is true | — |
| Work without a permit — the permit fee tripledSurcharge | 200% of calculated permit fee | unpermitted work 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
New construction of a one-dwelling-unit structure with 1½ bathrooms (a rough-in counts), ordinary review, no unpermitted work.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Dwelling units | 1 |
| Occupancy class | Residential |
| Type of work | New construction |
| Number of bathrooms or kitchens | 1.5 |
| One two family | Yes |
Example total
$110.00
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 10
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
New one-dwelling-unit structure, 1½ baths or less — $100.00Permit feeResolution 21-019, Residential Plumbing Permit Fees: "For new construction, the fee is based on the number of bathrooms and/or dwelling units. Please note that a roughed-in bathroom constitutes a bathroom. One dwelling unit structures (1½ baths or less) — $100.00." A rough-in counts, which is what the parenthetical note is there to settle.Show the working
| $100.00 flat fee | $100.00 |
Technology fee, trade permit — $10.00Other feeResolution 21-019, Administrative Fees: "Technology Fee — Trade Permit (Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical & Rock Wall): $10 per permit." The trade row of the technology table, flat, on every trade permit.Show the working
| $10.00 flat fee | $10.00 |
| Total | $110.00 |
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.
- New one- or two-dwelling-unit structure, 4 or more baths — $200.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- New one- or two-dwelling-unit structure, 2–3½ baths — $150.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- New structure over two dwelling units — $200.00 plus $30.00 per unit above two — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing valuation $500.01–$1,000 — $100.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing valuation $500 or less — $50.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing valuation above $1,000 — $100.00 plus $5.00 per $1,000 or fraction — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Reinspection, $45.00 per occurrence — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Work without a permit — the permit fee tripled — 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.
The first residential band answers exactly: "One dwelling unit structures (1½ baths or less) — $100.00". One dwelling unit, 1½ baths — $100.00 of plumbing permit fee, and the $10.00 trade technology fee brings the total to $110.00. The rough-in note is what makes 1½ the edge of the band rather than an estimate: a roughed-in bathroom is a bathroom.
The valuation bands are not charged, and the answer of "new construction on a one- and two-family dwelling" is what excludes them: "Remodel and/or Addition — Based on plumbing valuation" points the other direction, at a table for everything that is not new dwelling work. Had this been a remodel instead, the same inputs would need the plumbing valuation — the dollar value of the complete installation — and would price from the $50 / $100 / $100-plus-$5 ladder.
The schedule's cross-reference sits over this whole calculation: "Additional fees may apply. Refer to the Utility Fees section" — and the resolution contains no such section. This example therefore totals what the document actually publishes and says, on the page, where the rest of the money would be looked for.
What is different in Las Cruces
The residential bands are pairs of facts, and the pairing is the first thing to get right: a one-unit structure at 1½ baths is $100.00, the same structure at 2 or 3½ baths is $150.00, and at 4 baths $200.00 — while a three-unit building is $260.00 whatever its bathrooms, because units above two switch to the per-unit ladder. A structure whose bathroom count lands between 3½ and 4 is in no printed band, and this site leaves it unpriced rather than moving it into one.
Remodels do not use the bathroom counts at all: "Remodel and/or Addition — Based on plumbing valuation (see commercial)" sends them to three valuation bands on "the total dollar value of the complete plumbing installation including materials, fixtures, and all installation costs" — a plumbing figure separate from the building valuation the same job carries. This ladder does print "or fraction thereof", so $1,100 of plumbing is charged as two thousands: $105.00, not $100.50. That is the direct contrast with the building Fee Table, which omits the phrase and prorates.
The third thing to know is what the schedule points at but does not contain: the plumbing fee's own line says "Additional fees may apply. Refer to the Utility Fees section" — and the resolution has no Utility Fees section. Whatever those additional fees are, they are in another document, and this page says so instead of guessing at them.
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 permit fee — the bathroom-count bands for new construction, the plumbing-valuation bands for everything else, the $10 technology fee, and tripling for unpermitted work. It excludes:
- The "Utility Fees" the schedule's cross-reference promises: the plumbing fee line reads "Additional fees may apply. Refer to the Utility Fees section for additional information" — a section this resolution does not contain. Whatever it holds is not visible in the source of record, so nothing is charged for it here.
- Water and sewer connection charges made by the utility, which are service charges rather than permit fees and do not appear as rows in the plumbing table.
- Mechanical — the same three-band shape on material value ($50 / $100 / $100 plus $5 per $1,000 or fraction) — and gas piping work priced under it rather than here, plus the roofing and demolition permits that share the building page.
- Inspection charges beyond reinspection: after-hours at $60.00 an hour with a two-hour minimum, partial inspections at $45.00, and the $150.00 for a "second or more reinspection fee on same team" — the $45.00 per-occurrence reinspection is the one modelled, and "Reinspection Fees are due before any other inspections may be performed."
- Fire sprinkler and suppression work, which the schedule prices from its own head-count ladders ($120–$640 by head band plus $200 per hundred), and backflow or cross-connection testing, which is not a row of this table.
- The building and site work this plumbing permit sits beside: the building fee and its 25% plan check, grading, floodplain review and right-of-way, all named on the building page.
- The expedited option (the greater of $1,000 or an additional permit fee) and the UNAPPROVED OR NON-PERMITTED variance fees ($100–$2,000), both charged elsewhere than on this permit.
- Anything charged by another authority — Doña Ana County, the State's plumbing licensing, and the utility's own fees.
What you need before applying
- A rough-in counts as a bathroomRequired
Resolution 21-019, Residential Plumbing Permit Fees: "For new construction, the fee is based on the number of bathrooms and/or dwelling units. Please note that a roughed-in bathroom constitutes a bathroom." The three residential bands are pairs of facts — dwelling units and bathrooms — so both numbers are asked for, and a structure between 3½ and 4 baths falls in no printed band.
Common questions
How does Las Cruces calculate a plumbing permit fee?
For new construction, by bathrooms and dwelling units: $100.00 for a one-unit structure at 1½ baths or less, $150.00 for one or two units at 2–3½ baths, $200.00 for one or two units at 4 or more baths, and $200.00 plus $30.00 per unit above two for larger structures. For remodels, additions and commercial work, by the plumbing valuation: $50.00 at $500 or less, $100.00 to $1,000, then $100.00 plus $5.00 per $1,000 or fraction thereof.
Does a rough-in bathroom count?
Yes. The schedule states it plainly: "Please note that a roughed-in bathroom constitutes a bathroom." A one-unit house roughed for a second bath is in the 2-to-3½ band at $150.00, not the 1½-or-less band at $100.00.
What is the plumbing valuation?
"The total dollar value of the complete plumbing installation including materials, fixtures, and all installation costs" — the commercial table's own definition, which the residential rows point at for remodels and additions. It is a plumbing figure, separate from the building valuation the same project also carries on the building page.
Does the plumbing ladder round partial thousands up?
Yes — unlike the building Fee Table. This row prints the phrase: "$100.00 for the first $1000.00 plus 5.00 for each additional $1000.00 or fraction thereof." A $1,100 plumbing installation is charged as two thousands, $105.00 rather than $100.50. The building table omits that phrase and prorates, which is a real difference between two ladders in the same document.
What happens if plumbing work started without a permit?
The fee is tripled: "This fee is tripled on permits for work started or completed without an approved permit." The $100.00 band becomes $300.00. The technology fee and the separate UNAPPROVED OR NON-PERMITTED variance fee ($100–$2,000 by valuation, assessed by the board) are not the permit fee and do not triple with it.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- OrdinanceCityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-25 from the City's own document portal, which serves the resolution as a text-extractable PDF. Adopted August 17, 2020; the resolution's title states it is "to be effective September 1, 2020" and its enactment clause repeats the date. The whole fee schedule is Exhibit "A": general information and contact block, administrative fees (technology fees, expedited review, revision fees), building permit fees (the $0.20 residential rate, the commercial valuation process, plan check, the Fee Table and the scope and local-area modifiers), the ICC-derived valuation tables, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, roofing, demolition and other building permit fees, site permit and grading fees, floodplain, rock walls, signs, fire systems, mobile home installation, inspection fees, right-of-way, traffic, land-use and administrative review application fees, the unpermitted-work variance fees, and a historic preservation section marked "to be developed". Every rate modelled on this site comes from this one document.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.