Buffalo, NY
Buffalo plumbing permit cost
A Buffalo plumbing permit is a price list, not a valuation:
$50.00 to apply on every filing, $100.00 of plan review when plans are required, fixtures at $12.00 each in a 1- or 2-family home or $50.00 for the first and $20.00 each after anywhere else, and underground piping at $60.00 for the first 100 linear feet with $20.00 or $55.00 per additional 100 feet by pipe size. The declared job valuation is taken for the record and prices nothing.
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 — application fee, $50.00Other fee | $50.00 flat fee | Every permit of this type | — |
| Plumbing permit — fixtures, $50.00 first and $20.00 each additional (commercial / other)Permit fee | $50.00 for the first fixture, plus $20.00 for each additional fixture | not (one two family is true) and Fixtures over 0 | — |
| Plumbing permit — fixtures, $12.00 each (1- or 2-family residential)Permit fee | $12.00 per fixture | one two family is true and Fixtures over 0 | — |
| Plumbing permit — underground piping, first 100 linear feet, $60.00Permit fee | $60.00 flat fee | linear feet over 0 | — |
| Plumbing permit — underground piping over 100 ft, $20.00 per 100 ftPermit fee | the first 100 linear feet is included in the permit fee, then $20.00 for each additional 100 linear feet or part thereof | linear feet over 100 and not (ug over 6in is true) | — |
| Plumbing permit — underground piping over 100 ft, $55.00 per 100 ftPermit fee | the first 100 linear feet is included in the permit fee, then $55.00 for each additional 100 linear feet or part thereof | linear feet over 100 and ug over 6in is true | — |
| Plumbing permit — plan review, $100.00 when plans are requiredPlan review | $100.00 flat fee | plan review is true | — |
| Plumbing permit — reinspection, $75.00Inspection fee | $75.00 flat fee | reinspection 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 bathroom and laundry remodel in a one-family home: four fixtures, 250 linear feet of underground pipe at 6 inches or under, plans required for review.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Fixtures | 4 |
| Linear feet | 250 |
| Plan review | Yes |
| One two family | Yes |
Example total
$298.00
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 5Rules considered 8
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Plumbing permit — application fee, $50.00Other feePlumbing page, General Fees: "Application Fee: $50.00 (flat fee, required for all applications)". The first line of the page's own total ("Total Permit Fee … Application fee, Plan review fee (if required), Fixture fees, Underground piping fees, Reinspection fees (if applicable)"), and the only plumbing charge that answers every job.Show the working
| $50.00 flat fee | $50.00 |
Plumbing permit — fixtures, $12.00 each (1- or 2-family residential)Permit feePlumbing page, Fixture Fees, "1‑ or 2‑Family Residential": "Fixture Fee: $12.00 per fixture", where the fixture list is the page's own — toilet, urinal, basin, bathtub, shower, sink, water heater, sump pump, floor drain, backflow device, drinking fountain, laundry connection, catch basin, manhole, other. No first-fixture break and no cap: each fixture is twelve dollars.Show the working
| $12.00 per fixture | $48.00 |
Plumbing permit — underground piping, first 100 linear feet, $60.00Permit feePlumbing page, Underground (UG) Piping Fees: "First 100 linear feet (any pipe size): $60.00". One flat charge for the first hundred feet of any diameter — the size split only starts beyond it — and it answers whenever the application reports a run of underground pipe, because "Total linear footage must be reported on the application."Show the working
| $60.00 flat fee | $60.00 |
Plumbing permit — underground piping over 100 ft, $20.00 per 100 ftPermit feePlumbing page, Underground (UG) Piping Fees: "Piping 6 inches in diameter or under: $20.00 per additional 100 linear feet". The first 100 feet are the flat line above; everything after them is bought in whole 100-foot segments, so 250 feet is two segments — $40.00 at the 6-inch-or-under rate — beside the $60.00 first line. The size flag is the page's own split, and the application must report the footage either way.Show the working
| the first 100 linear feet is included in the permit fee, then $20.00 for each additional 100 linear feet or part thereof | $40.00 |
Plumbing permit — plan review, $100.00 when plans are requiredPlan reviewPlumbing page, General Fees: "Plan Review Fee: $100.00 (only required if plans are required)". A flat charge rather than a percentage — the page publishes no rate for it — and it is in addition to the application and fixture fees, per the page's own total.Show the working
| $100.00 flat fee | $100.00 |
| Total | $298.00 |
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.
- Plumbing permit — fixtures, $50.00 first and $20.00 each additional (commercial / other) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — underground piping over 100 ft, $55.00 per 100 ft — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — reinspection, $75.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 5 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
The page adds five lines, and its total says which: application, plan review, fixture fees, underground piping fees, reinspection fees if applicable.
Application fee: $50.00 — flat, required for all applications.
Plan review: $100.00, because plans are required.
Fixtures: four at $12.00 each in a 1- or 2-family residence is $48.00.
Underground piping: $60.00 for the first 100 linear feet, then 150 feet past the first hundred buy two whole 100-foot segments at $20.00 each — $40.00 — because the schedule charges each additional 100 linear feet "or part thereof" by segments. Total underground: $100.00.
Total: $50.00 + $100.00 + $48.00 + $100.00 = $298.00. What moves it: the same job in a commercial building puts four fixtures on the $50-first/$20-additional row at $110.00; pipe over 6 inches takes $55.00 a segment instead of $20.00; and no reinspection is owed unless one happens, at $75.00 each. The declared valuation changes none of it.
What is different in Buffalo
The page is explicit that no cost is a fee basis: "The declared valuation is used for record-keeping purposes and does not replace the required permit fees listed above." Everything the fee is made of is a count — fixtures installed, linear feet of underground pipe laid — plus two flat lines (the $50 application on every filing, the $100 plan review when plans are required) and the $75 reinspection when one is needed.
The fixture row splits on the construction class the same way the building sheets do: $12.00 each for a 1- or 2-family residential fixture, and for commercial or other work $50.00 for the first fixture plus $20.00 each additional — four fixtures are $48.00 in a house and $110.00 in a store. The page's own fixture list is the one that counts: toilet, urinal, basin, bathtub, shower, sink, water heater, sump pump, floor drain, backflow device, drinking fountain, laundry connection, catch basin, manhole, other.
Underground piping is priced in 100-foot segments: $60.00 covers the first 100 feet of any size, then each additional 100 feet or part of one is $20.00 at 6 inches and under or $55.00 over 6 inches — so 250 feet of small pipe is the $60.00 line plus two segments, $40.00. "Total linear footage must be reported on the application", and the fee comes from that number alone.
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 as the Department's price list prints it. It excludes:
- Any valuation-based charge. The declared job valuation is taken for the record and, in the page's own words, "does not replace the required permit fees" — so no line here changes because the job got more expensive.
- The separate permit required after a failed inspection. The page states that for "failure to pass inspection, or work not ready at the agreed-on inspection time, a separate permit, with application fee, will be required" — that is a new permit at its own application fee, not an addition to this one; the $75.00 reinspection charged here is the reinspection itself.
- Building, electrical and heating work. The commercial building sheet's header keeps the trades apart — "Heating, Electrical, and Plumbing (M/E/P) permits and fees are separate" — and each has its own page here. The building sheets' residential plan review line includes M/E/P plan review fees, so only the reviews ride along.
- Work performed before the permit issues. "A valid Plumbing Permit must be approved before work begins" — a compliance requirement rather than a fee, and no penalty line for starting early is printed on this page.
- Code compliance work with no fee. "All plumbing work performed within the City of Buffalo must comply with applicable codes, rules, and regulations" — the rules are requirements, not prices, and none is charged.
What you need before applying
- A City of Buffalo Licensed Master Plumber signs the applicationRequired
The plumbing fee page states it in its notes: "Applications must be completed and signed by a Licensed Master Plumber", and "A valid Plumbing Permit must be approved before work begins." The page adds what happens when an inspection fails or the work is not ready at the agreed time: "a separate permit, with application fee, will be required" — beside the $75.00 reinspection fee this site charges.
- The linear footage is reported; the declared valuation prices nothingRequired
"Total linear footage must be reported on the application", and the underground run is priced in 100-foot segments by pipe size from that number. The valuation is a different matter: "Applicants must declare the total value of the plumbing work being performed. The declared valuation is used for record-keeping purposes and does not replace the required permit fees" — so no plumbing rule on this site reads a cost, and a plumbing total never changes because a job got more expensive.
Common questions
How much is a plumbing permit in Buffalo?
$50.00 to apply on every application, then: $100.00 of plan review if plans are required; fixtures at $12.00 each in a 1- or 2-family home, or $50.00 for the first fixture plus $20.00 each additional elsewhere; underground piping at $60.00 for the first 100 linear feet plus $20.00 (pipe 6 inches and under) or $55.00 (over 6 inches) per additional 100 feet; and $75.00 per reinspection if one is needed.
Does the value of the plumbing work affect the permit fee?
No. Applicants declare the total value of the plumbing work, and the page states what the declaration is for: "The declared valuation is used for record-keeping purposes and does not replace the required permit fees." Every fee on this page is made of counts — fixtures and linear feet — plus flat lines.
How is underground piping priced?
In 100-foot segments. The first 100 linear feet of any pipe size are $60.00; beyond that, each additional 100 linear feet or part of one is $20.00 for pipe 6 inches in diameter or under and $55.00 for pipe over 6 inches. The application must report the total linear footage, and that number is the whole basis.
Who signs the plumbing application?
A City of Buffalo Licensed Master Plumber: "Applications must be completed and signed by a Licensed Master Plumber", and "A valid Plumbing Permit must be approved before work begins." The fee page also provides that a failed or missed inspection requires a separate permit with its own application fee.
What does a reinspection cost?
$75.00 per reinspection, charged for "failure to pass inspection, or work not ready at the agreed-on inspection time". The same note adds that a separate permit with an application fee will be required in that case — that is a new permit, not part of this total.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
City of Buffalo — Plumbing Permit Fee Schedule
Read 2026-09-25 as the Department's own plain-text page, which says of itself that it "provides a plain-text summary of the Plumbing Permit fees". Every figure on the plumbing page comes from it: the $50 application, the $100 plan review when plans are required, the $12 residential fixture and the $50-first/$20-additional commercial fixture rows with the page's own fixture list, the underground piping lines ($60 for the first 100 feet, then $20 or $55 per additional 100 by pipe size), the $75 reinspection, the note that the declared valuation "is used for record-keeping purposes and does not replace the required permit fees", the requirement that applications be signed by a Licensed Master Plumber, and the page's own total. The page carries no effective date; it is read as current because the Department publishes it as its live fee page.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.