Raleigh, NC
Raleigh plumbing permit cost
A City of Raleigh plumbing permit is a percentage of the calculated building permit fee:
34% for new residential construction and 56% for new commercial work, each floored at the City's $124.00 Minimum Trade Permit Fee and then carrying a 4% technology surcharge. Stand-alone plumbing work — fixture replacement and the plumbing utility inspection — is priced flat instead.
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 commercial plumbing permit, 56% of the calculated building permit fee — Tier 1, $0 to $500,000Permit fee | 0.1176% of project valuation | Occupancy is not residential and Work type is new construction and Project valuation up to $500,000.99 and plumbing item is not provided | min $124.00 |
| New commercial plumbing permit, 56% of the calculated building permit fee — Tier 2, $500,001 to $10,000,000Permit fee | 0.0336% of project valuation + $588.00 | Occupancy is not residential and Work type is new construction and Project valuation at least $500,001 and Project valuation up to $10,000,000.99 and plumbing item is not provided | min $124.00 |
| New commercial plumbing permit, 56% of the calculated building permit fee — Tier 3, $10,000,001 and abovePermit fee | 0.0056% of project valuation + $4,060.00 | Occupancy is not residential and Work type is new construction and Project valuation at least $10,000,001 and plumbing item is not provided | min $124.00 |
| New residential plumbing permit, 34% of the calculated building permit feePermit fee | 0.1292% of project valuation | Occupancy is residential and Work type is new construction and plumbing item is not provided | min $124.00 |
| Fixture replacement or retro-fit, 26 to 50 fixturesPermit fee | $236.00 flat fee | plumbing item is fixtures 26 50 | min $124.00 |
| Fixture replacement or retro-fit, 51 to 100 fixturesPermit fee | $297.00 flat fee | plumbing item is fixtures 51 100 | min $124.00 |
| Fixture replacement or retro-fit, over 100 fixturesPermit fee | $325.00 flat fee | plumbing item is fixtures over 100 | min $124.00 |
| Plumbing utility inspectionPermit fee | $133.00 flat fee | plumbing item is utility inspection | min $124.00 |
| Technology surcharge, 4%Technology fee | 4% of fees charged | 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 new single-family house in the City of Raleigh with a calculated construction value of $400,000, permitted for its plumbing work.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $400,000 |
| Occupancy class | Residential |
| Type of work | New construction |
Example total
$537.47
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 9
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
New residential plumbing permit, 34% of the calculated building permit feePermit feeDevelopment Fee Guide FY27: "New Residential Plumbing Permit — 34.00% % Of Calculated Building Permit." The building permit fee for new residential construction is 0.38% of calculated construction value, so this rule charges 34% of 0.38% composed, floored at the guide's "Minimum Trade Permit Fee … $124.00".Show the working
| 0.1292% of project valuation | $516.80 |
Technology surcharge, 4%Technology feeDevelopment Fee Guide FY27, Technology Fee Reference Guide: "A 4% technology surcharge is applied to the following development fees to support the technology resources that allow for permitting in the City of Raleigh. This guide will help you determine the total cost of your fee with the surcharge." The guide then restates each Building and Safety fee as "Fee" and "Fee Total = Fee + Surcharge" — $150.00 becomes $156.00, $124.00 becomes $129.00.Show the working
| 4% of fees charged | $20.67 |
| Total | $537.47 |
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 commercial plumbing permit, 56% of the calculated building permit fee — Tier 1, $0 to $500,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- New commercial plumbing permit, 56% of the calculated building permit fee — Tier 2, $500,001 to $10,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- New commercial plumbing permit, 56% of the calculated building permit fee — Tier 3, $10,000,001 and above — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Fixture replacement or retro-fit, 26 to 50 fixtures — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Fixture replacement or retro-fit, 51 to 100 fixtures — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Fixture replacement or retro-fit, over 100 fixtures — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing utility inspection — 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 guide prints the plumbing permit as 34% of the calculated building permit fee. That fee is 0.38% of $400,000, which is $1,520.00, so the plumbing permit is $516.80 — the rule charges 34% of 0.38%, which is 0.1292% of the value, without the building permit having to be charged on this page. The 4% technology surcharge is $20.67, and the permit is $537.47.
Two variations show the other shapes. A $10,000 project produces a building permit of $38.00 whose 34% is $12.92 — under the floor — so the permit is the $124.00 Minimum Trade Permit Fee, $128.96 with the surcharge. A $2,000,000 commercial project is Tier 2: the building permit is $1,050.00 plus 0.06% of value, $2,250.00, and 56% of that is $1,260.00 — which is $588.00 of base plus 0.0336% of the value — for $1,310.40 with the surcharge.
One caution belongs with the number. The floor is per trade per review, so an electrical permit on the same job carries its own $124.00 rather than sharing this one.
What is different in Raleigh
Plumbing is the same relationship as electrical at a different share, and comparing the two is the quickest way to understand the schedule: on a $400,000 new house the building permit is $1,520.00, so the plumbing permit is 34% of it — $516.80 — against electrical's 49% of $744.80. The City has priced the two trades as two percentages of one figure rather than as two schedules, and neither is sized by the amount of work in it. With the 4% surcharge of $20.67 the plumbing permit is $537.47.
The commercial share is larger than the residential one — 56% against 34% — and it is a share of a permit fee that already has base fees in it, so the composition has to be read carefully. On a $2,000,000 commercial project the building permit is Tier 2: $1,050.00 plus 0.06% of the value, which is $2,250.00. The plumbing share of that is $588.00 plus 0.0336% of the value, which is $1,260.00, and $1,310.40 after the surcharge. The base fee is part of what the share applies to, which is what "56% of the calculated building permit" means.
The four flat rows are the part priced by work rather than by share, and each counts something: fixture replacement or retro-fit is $236 for 26–50 fixtures, $297 for 51–100, $325 for over 100, and a plumbing utility inspection is $133. They are the guide's Stand Alone Trade Permits, and they are alternatives to the percentage — a plumbing utility inspection is not a share of a building.
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 is the plumbing permit as a share of the calculated building permit fee, its $124.00 floor, the four flat stand-alone plumbing permits and the 4% technology surcharge. It excludes:
- The building permit itself, which is priced on the building page and is what this figure is a share of.
- The alteration shares of 28%, 50% and 75% of the calculated building permit, applied to a building permit fee the guide never prints for an alteration.
- The mechanical permit, priced by the City at 28% residential and 76% commercial of the calculated building permit; no page of this site prices mechanical work.
- Water, sewer and meter charges, which are Raleigh Water's section of the same guide: meter installation from $290 for a 5/8-inch meter, water and sewer tap fees, capital facility fees and main reimbursement policies.
- Stormwater, thoroughfare and right-of-way fees, and the conditional service fees of $215 per trade per unit commercial and $157 residential.
- The special projects fee of 0.25% of calculated construction value per trade, re-inspections at $122 each, and after-hours inspections.
- The fire marshal's permits, which are a different department's fees in the same document.
What you need before applying
- The plumbing permit is a percentage of the building permit feeRequired
Development Fee Guide FY27: "New Residential Plumbing Permit — 34.00% % Of Calculated Building Permit" and "New Commercial Plumbing Permit — 56.00%". The same $124.00 per-trade minimum applies, and the same 4% technology surcharge is applied to the result.
Common questions
How much is a plumbing permit in Raleigh?
A share of the building permit: "New Residential Plumbing Permit — 34.00% % Of Calculated Building Permit" and "New Commercial Plumbing Permit — 56.00%", each floored at $124.00. On a $400,000 new house the 34% share of the $1,520.00 building permit is $516.80, or $537.47 after the 4% technology surcharge.
Development Fee Guide FY27, New Residential Plumbing Permit
Why is the plumbing share smaller than electrical's?
Because the City prints different shares per trade and they did not move together this year: residential electrical went from 54% to 49% while residential plumbing stayed at 34%, and commercial plumbing stayed at 56%. The shares are the guide's own figures, and this site charges each as published rather than assuming a trade relationship between them.
Development Fee Guide FY27, Prior Year Cost and FY27 Cost columns
Is there a minimum plumbing permit fee?
Yes, $124.00, and it is assessed per trade per review. A project whose 34% share comes to $12.92 pays $124.00, and the electrical permit on the same job pays its own $124.00 — the guide does not combine the floors into one per project.
Development Fee Guide FY27, Minimum Trade Permit Fee
What does a fixture replacement permit cost?
A flat amount that counts the fixtures: "Fixture Replacement/Retro-fit: 26-50 Fixtures - Commercial — $236.00", "51-100 Fixtures — $297.00" and "Over 100 Fixtures — $325.00". This is one of the few places in the schedule where the amount of work changes the fee, and each is a Stand Alone Trade Permit rather than a share of a building.
Development Fee Guide FY27, Stand Alone Trade Permits
Are water and sewer connection fees included?
They are not. They belong to Raleigh Water's section of the same guide — meter installation, water and sewer tap fees, capital facility fees and main reimbursement — and are charges for connection rather than for the plumbing permit. A reader will see them on the same bill, which is why this page names them instead of folding them into a permit fee.
Development Fee Guide FY27, Raleigh Water
What is the 4% technology surcharge?
The last step on any Raleigh permit: "A 4% technology surcharge is applied to the following development fees to support the technology resources that allow for permitting in the City of Raleigh." The guide reprints every fee with it applied, so a reader can check $516.80 becoming $537.47 on its own page.
Development Fee Guide FY27, Technology Fee Reference Guide
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-25. 993,935 bytes, sha256 beginning b10565b399afaede, linked from raleighnc.gov/permits/services/development-fee-guide-and-calculator. The cover page states the period: "Development Fee Guide — July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027", which is why this schedule has an effective date from its own cover rather than from an inference about when a previous version ended. Every fee row prints two cost columns, Prior Year Cost and FY27 Cost, and both were read: taking the left-hand column would publish last year's schedule throughout, and the differences are not small — the new residential electrical permit went from 54% to 49% and the commercial plan review from an unread prior rate to 65%. The Technology Fee Reference Guide near the end of the document is what carries the 4% surcharge, and it was read there rather than inferred from the difference between the guide's two columns.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.