Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia plumbing permit cost
Philadelphia prices plumbing permits in three categories
each with its own residential exception. New construction and additions: $284 for the first seven fixtures and $25 for each additional one — one row for every occupancy — with additions to one-or-two-family homes at $50 and $22.50 instead. Alterations to existing buildings: $189 for the first seven fixtures, $22.50 each after, or $50 and $22.50 in a one-or-two-family home. Repairs and replacements are priced row by row: a water heater is $37 each ($31 flat for a house) and fixture replacement with no piping is $75 for seven fixtures plus $6.30 each ($31 flat for a house). The $100 filing fee is credited toward the permit fee, and $7.50 of City and State surcharges ride on top.
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 — addition (other occupancies), $284 for seven fixtures then $25 eachPermit fee | $284.00 for the first 7 fixtures, plus $25.00 for each additional fixture | Work type is addition and not (single or two family is true) | — |
| Plumbing permit — addition to a one- or two-family home, $50 for seven fixtures then $22.50Permit fee | $50.00 for the first 7 fixtures, plus $22.50 for each additional fixture | Work type is addition and single or two family is true | — |
| Plumbing permit — alteration of an existing building, $189 for seven fixtures then $22.50Permit fee | $189.00 for the first 7 fixtures, plus $22.50 for each additional fixture | Work type is one of alteration, remodel, repair and not (single or two family is true) | — |
| Plumbing permit — alteration in a one- or two-family home, $50 for seven fixtures then $22.50Permit fee | $50.00 for the first 7 fixtures, plus $22.50 for each additional fixture | Work type is one of alteration, remodel, repair and single or two family is true | — |
| Plumbing permit — fixture replacement with no piping, $75 for seven fixtures then $6.30Permit fee | $75.00 for the first 7 fixtures, plus $6.30 for each additional fixture | Work type is one of repair, replacement and plumbing activity is fixture replacement and not (single or two family is true) | — |
| Plumbing permit — fixture replacement with no piping in a one- or two-family home, $31 flatPermit fee | $31.00 flat fee | Work type is one of repair, replacement and plumbing activity is fixture replacement and single or two family is true | — |
| Plumbing permit — new construction, $284 for seven fixtures then $25 eachPermit fee | $284.00 for the first 7 fixtures, plus $25.00 for each additional fixture | Work type is new construction | — |
| Plumbing permit — water heater replacement, $37 eachPermit fee | $37.00 per heater | Work type is one of repair, replacement and plumbing activity is water heater and not (single or two family is true) | — |
| Plumbing permit — water heater replacement in a one- or two-family home, $31 flatPermit fee | $31.00 flat fee | Work type is one of repair, replacement and plumbing activity is water heater and single or two family is true | — |
| Filing fee floor — plumbing permit, $100.00Permit fee | the shortfall up to the $100.00 minimum on calculated permit fee | permit fee under 10000 | — |
| City surcharge, $3.00 per permitSurcharge | $3.00 flat fee | Every permit of this type | — |
| State surcharge, $4.50 per permitState surcharge | $4.50 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 bathroom remodel in a one-or-two-family home that replaces twelve plumbing fixtures, piping included, with the one-or-two-family flag set.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $6,000 |
| Fixtures | 12 |
| Type of work | Alteration |
| Single or two family | Yes |
Example total
$170.00
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 3Rules considered 12
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Plumbing permit — alteration in a one- or two-family home, $50 for seven fixtures then $22.50Permit feePG_012: "$50 for first 7 fixtures; $22.50 for each additional fixture above 7" for a one- or two-family dwelling (§4-A-905.3.2). The same $50 base the addition row carries, so a bathroom remodel and a home addition in a house start at the same figure; only the work type in the input tells them apart, which is the same switch the schedule uses.Show the working
| $50.00 for the first 7 fixtures, plus $22.50 for each additional fixture | $162.50 |
City surcharge, $3.00 per permitSurchargeEvery L&I service page's Cost block: "City surcharge: $3 per permit". Flat, per permit, and outside the permit fee — the City's rough-in standard prints the two surcharges together as "Surcharges of $7.50 will apply". It is not in PG_012's table at all, which is why the table's own column totals are $7.50 short of what a filer pays.Show the working
| $3.00 flat fee | $3.00 |
State surcharge, $4.50 per permitState surchargeEvery L&I service page's Cost block: "State surcharge: $4.50 per permit" — a Commonwealth charge the City collects with its own fee, printed beside the City's $3.00 and summed as $7.50 in the rough-in standard. Neither PG_012 nor L&I's fee regulation contains the figure, so the source recorded here is the service page rather than an ordinance this pass could read.Show the working
| $4.50 flat fee | $4.50 |
| Total | $170.00 |
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 — addition (other occupancies), $284 for seven fixtures then $25 each — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — addition to a one- or two-family home, $50 for seven fixtures then $22.50 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — alteration of an existing building, $189 for seven fixtures then $22.50 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — fixture replacement with no piping, $75 for seven fixtures then $6.30 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — fixture replacement with no piping in a one- or two-family home, $31 flat — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — new construction, $284 for seven fixtures then $25 each — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — water heater replacement, $37 each — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — water heater replacement in a one- or two-family home, $31 flat — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Filing fee floor — plumbing permit, $100.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 3 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Twelve fixtures is the seven-fixture block of $50 plus five at $22.50 — $50 + $112.50 = $162.50 — which is the alteration row for a one-or-two-family dwelling. The $6,000 of cost in the inputs is deliberate and does not enter the calculation: Philadelphia does not price a plumbing alteration by value, and the only valuation row on this schedule's building side is the 2% election. The filing fee adds nothing, because $162.50 is already above the $100 credited against it, and the two surcharges bring the total to $170.00.
The neighbouring cases show each switch moving the figure. The same twelve fixtures in an office take the other column — $189 + 5 × $22.50 = $301.50. As an *addition* to the same house the row changes again, $50 + $22.50's, matching the addition table rather than the alteration table. And the same scope read as new construction is not a repair at all: the general new-work block applies at $284 for the first seven.
What is different in Philadelphia
The fixture count is the whole mechanism, and the seven-fixture block is where small jobs and large ones part company. A new house with ten fixtures is $284 + 3 × $25 = $359 — the $50 exception on the page is written for *additions* to one-or-two-family homes, not for new ones, so a new house takes the general row whatever occupancy column it sits in. An addition to a house with five fixtures is $50 flat against the $284 the same five fixtures would cost in a new commercial build.
The repair rows are the part readers underestimate. A like-for-like water heater swap in a house is a $31 permit on the schedule — and because the $100 filing fee is credited against it, the filer's permit fee lands at $100: the $31 schedule figure, a $69 shortfall to the filing fee, and neither is a duplicate charge. Nine fixture replacements in an office are $75 + 2 × $6.30 = $87.60, topped up the same way to $100.
One label on the City's own page is wrong, and this site says so rather than smoothing it: under the Alterations heading the rows are labelled "All new construction and additions" and "Additions to one-or-two-family homes" — the headings of the table above — while carrying the alteration amounts ($189 / $22.50 and $50 / $22.50) that PG_012 and L&I's regulation both print on the alteration row. The amounts are certain; the page's labels are a copy-paste error, recorded as a needs-review note.
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 PG_012's plumbing side — the new-construction and addition blocks, the alteration blocks, the two repair rows this site prices — plus the filing fee credited toward them and the $7.50 of surcharges. It excludes:
- The record retention fee of $4 per plan.
- Accelerated Plan Review, $1,050 for this permit, optional and not credited.
- The repair rows this calculator has no input for: "Repair or replace waste or water lines and stacks — $126 each pipe ($37 for one-or-two-family homes)", "Repair or replace house drain, trap, and fresh air inlet — $75 ($31)", "Repair or replace area drain, roof drain, and storm drain — $75 ($31)", and "Water distribution line replacement from curb stop into building — $126". Amounts named, never estimated — modelling only their residential halves would publish half a schedule.
- Two more rows on the new-work table: new plumbing systems without structures ($284) and a new water distribution and drainage system filed as a separate application ($253).
- The rough-in permit ($150) as a component — one-or-two-family dwellings and site permits are not eligible for it at all, and this page does not model the timing rule (60 days, work not concealed).
- Private water and sewer services, which "must be filed through a Site Work / Utility Permit", and the Philadelphia Water Department's own permits for connections to the main and for water meters.
- The Streets footway permit, which is issued automatically alongside a plumbing permit, and Department of Public Health approvals for food-preparation fixtures and large hot water heaters.
- Payment surcharges — credit +2.10%, debit +$3.45.
What you need before applying
- A licensed master plumber overseeing the workRequired
"A licensed master plumber must oversee plumbing work" — with an active license, current on City taxes and current insurance on file with L&I. If anyone other than the master plumber applies, "the application must be accompanied by a signed statement on the master plumber's letterhead confirming their association with the project", and backflow devices must be installed by an approved technician. Any property owner or their authorized agent (licensed master plumber, PA-licensed design professional, attorney or licensed expeditor) may be the applicant.
- What needs no plumbing permit, and what is filed as a Site Work / Utility PermitMay be required
"A Plumbing Permit is not required for: Minor repairs with the same material. This includes replacing faucets, valves, and parts. Removing and re-installing toilets, if no pipes or fixtures will be replaced or moved. Stopping leaks and clearing stoppages." Private water or sewer services are the opposite case — "Private water or sewer services must be filed through a Site Work / Utility Permit", with trade contractor details, and separate permits for each trade are generated on approval.
Common questions
How much is a plumbing permit for new construction?
$284 for the first seven fixtures and $25 for each additional fixture — one row for every occupancy, and it covers additions too, so a new house with ten fixtures is $284 + 3 × $25 = $359. The $50 residential row on the page is written for *additions* to one-or-two-family homes, not for new ones.
Plumbing permit page, "New construction and additions"; Philadelphia Code §4-A-905.3.1.
How much is a plumbing permit for an addition to a house?
$50 for the first seven fixtures and $22.50 for each one after — the schedule's residential exception, which exists because a home addition does not carry a whole building's worth of plumbing. Five fixtures in an addition to a house are $50; the same five in other occupancies are inside the $284 base of the general row.
Plumbing permit page, Exception row under "New construction and additions" (§4-A-905.3.1).
How much does it cost to replace a water heater?
$37 per water heater for other occupancies, and $31 flat for a one-or-two-family dwelling — L&I's own regulation prints " $37 per water heater; $31 flat fee if one- or two-family dwelling", so two water heaters in a house are one $31 permit row, not $62. Set the plumbing activity to water heater and the occupancy flag as appropriate.
Plumbing permit page, "Repairs and replacements"; §4-A-905.3.4 as quoted in L&I's fee regulation.
Why does a small plumbing repair cost $100?
Because of the filing fee, not the schedule. The plumbing filing fee is $100, nonrefundable and "applied toward the final permit fee" — so when the schedule's figure comes in below $100, the permit fee is topped up to the filing fee: a $31 water-heater permit picks up a $69 shortfall, and the filer owes $100 of permit fee (the $31 plus the $69, not $131) plus $7.50 of surcharges. Above $100 the floor adds nothing.
Plumbing permit page, Cost block: filing fee sentence and both surcharges, read 2026-09-25.
Is there a separate plan review fee for plumbing?
No separate plan review fee is published. The Cost block lists the filing fee, the permit fee, the two surcharges, record retention, an optional $150 rough-in and an optional $1,050 Accelerated Plan Review — and nothing else. Plan review sits inside the permit fee; and for scopes that fit the EZ permit categories — including replacement of any number of fixtures with fixtures of the same kind — plans are not required at all.
Plumbing permit page, "Fee types that may apply", "EZ permits" and Cost block.
Which plumbing work needs no permit?
"A Plumbing Permit is not required for: Minor repairs with the same material. This includes replacing faucets, valves, and parts. Removing and re-installing toilets, if no pipes or fixtures will be replaced or moved. Stopping leaks and clearing stoppages." Private water or sewer services are the case that needs a different permit rather than none — they "must be filed through a Site Work / Utility Permit", which generates separate permits per trade on approval.
Plumbing permit page, "Service overview", read 2026-09-25.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
Construction Permit Fees, effective January 1, 2025 (PG_012, Rev 2.2026)
Read 2026-09-25 in both pdftotext -layout and plain modes, because layout mode mispairs labels with amounts in this document (its "Foundation Only" row appears to sit beside "$16.40 per 100 sq. ft."). Four pages, two columns — Residential (1 or 2 family) and Other Occupancies — covering building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire suppression and administration. Every figure this site charges comes from this table; the pairings recorded in the research file are the ones both extraction modes and the City's service pages agree on.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Get a Plumbing Permit — City of Philadelphia
Read 2026-09-25. States the three plumbing categories as the City states them — new construction and additions / alterations / repairs and replacements — each row with its residential exception, the $100 filing fee, both surcharges, record retention, the $150 rough-in (one-or-two-family dwellings are not eligible) and the $1,050 accelerated review. Under its Alterations heading the row labels are pasted from the table above ("All new construction and additions" / "Additions to one-or-two-family homes") while the amounts are the alteration figures — a copy-paste error on the page, recorded as a needs_review verification against that rule rather than smoothed over. It also lists what needs no permit and what routes to a Site Work / Utility Permit.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.