Sioux Falls, SD
Sioux Falls plumbing permit cost
A Sioux Falls plumbing permit prices on the same common ladder as electrical and mechanical — a $40.00 flat band to $5,000 of plumbing valuation
then seven bands chaining exactly to a $3,903.75 base above $1,000,000, every excess rounded up to whole $1,000. The permit reads the plumbing valuation on a stand-alone application, never the building's.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade permit valuation band 1Permit fee | $40.00 flat fee | Project valuation up to $5,000 | — |
| Trade permit valuation band 2Permit fee | $40.00 + $6.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $5,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $5,000 and up to $25,000 | — |
| Trade permit valuation band 3Permit fee | $160.00 + $5.25 per $1,000 of project valuation above $25,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $25,000 and up to $50,000 | — |
| Trade permit valuation band 4Permit fee | $291.25 + $4.50 per $1,000 of project valuation above $50,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $50,000 and up to $100,000 | — |
| Trade permit valuation band 5Permit fee | $516.25 + $4.25 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $100,000 and up to $250,000 | — |
| Trade permit valuation band 6Permit fee | $1,153.75 + $4.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $250,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $250,000 and up to $500,000 | — |
| Trade permit valuation band 7Permit fee | $2,153.75 + $3.50 per $1,000 of project valuation above $500,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $500,000 and up to $1,000,000 | — |
| Trade permit valuation band 8Permit fee | $3,903.75 + $3.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $1,000,000 | — |
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 stand-alone commercial plumbing scope with a declared plumbing valuation of $18,000.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $18,000 |
| Occupancy class | Commercial |
| Type of work | New construction |
Example total
$118.00
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 1Rules considered 8
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Trade permit valuation band 2Permit fee"$5,000.01 to $25,000 — $40 for the first $5,000 plus $6 per additional $1,000 or fraction thereof, to $25,000."Show the working
| $40.00 + $6.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $5,000, or fraction thereof, in $1,000 steps | $118.00 |
| Total | $118.00 |
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.
- Trade permit valuation band 1 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Trade permit valuation band 3 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Trade permit valuation band 4 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Trade permit valuation band 5 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Trade permit valuation band 6 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Trade permit valuation band 7 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Trade permit valuation band 8 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 1 fee rule in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
One line — $118.00.
Common MEP ladder, band 2 ('$5,000.01 to $25,000'): base $40.00. The excess is $13,000 — 13 whole $1,000 steps at $6.00 = $78.00.
Total: $40.00 + $78.00 = $118.00.
What moves it: 'or fraction thereof' — $18,000.01 would round to 14 steps; and inside a building permit for the same project the plumbing work prices inside the building ladder instead, with the 25% plan review attaching there.
What is different in Sioux Falls
The plumbing trade shares the electrical and mechanical ladder word for word — that is the City's own presentation, on the one-page MEP form a contractor files with. The seams chain: $40 + 20 × $6.00 is $160.00; $160.00 + 25 × $5.25 is $291.25; $291.25 + 50 × $4.50 is $516.25.
An $18,000 plumbing scope lands in band 2: $40 plus 13 whole $1,000 steps at $6.00 — $118.00. The 2024 UPC ordinance's own Table 104.5 prints bases a few dollars higher in the bands above $50,000 — an inconsistency inside the ordinance; the common figures the MEP form publishes are what this page charges, and the divergence is documented in the research file.
Plan review follows the building project, not the trade permit: the trade codes' 25%-of-the-Table-1-B-fee phrasing is charged once on the building page, and the MEP form states the collection order — plan review up front, permit fees at issuance.
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 on the common MEP ladder. It excludes:
- The building permit and its 25% plan review — on the building page.
- Table 104.5's higher plumbing bases above $50,000 — the 2024 UPC ordinance's internal inconsistency; the common ladder the MEP form publishes is charged, and the divergence is recorded.
- Administrative flats — the $25.00 homeowner's permit.
- Event fees — the hourly inspection rates and additional plan review for changed plans.
What you need before applying
- Plan review is collected before the permit fee on commercial submittalsMay be required
The MEP form states the order: 'PLAN REVIEW FEE ONLY: Building permit fees will be collected at the time of permit issuance.' The plumbing trade's plan review mirrors § 150.213's phrasing — 25% of the Table 1-B fee — charged once on the building page.
Common questions
How much is a plumbing permit in Sioux Falls?
The common trade ladder on the declared plumbing valuation: $40.00 flat to $5,000, then $6 per additional $1,000 to $25,000, $5.25 to $50,000, $4.50 to $100,000 — up to a $3,903.75 base above $1,000,000.
Why do plumbing and electrical permits cost the same?
Since January 1, 2022 all three trades — electrical, mechanical, plumbing — price identically on the trade's own valuation. The City's one-page MEP form publishes the ladder once for all three.
Is the plumbing fee table different in the plumbing code?
Slightly, on paper: Table 104.5 of the 2024 UPC ordinance prints bases $31.75–$32 higher in the bands above $50,000 of trade valuation. The City's own MEP form publishes the common (lower) figures, which is what this page charges; the divergence is documented in the research file.
Does a water heater replacement need a valuation-based permit?
Any stand-alone plumbing permit prices on the declared plumbing valuation, so even a small scope reads the ladder — a $3,000 water-heater job pays the $40.00 flat band. The $25.00 homeowner's permit is the administrative alternative for owner-occupied work.
When is the plumbing plan review fee collected?
On commercial submittals, before the permit: the MEP form states 'PLAN REVIEW FEE ONLY: Building permit fees will be collected at the time of permit issuance.' The trade's 25% plan review is the building permit's Table 1-B amount, charged once on the building page.
Where do Sioux Falls plumbing permits come from?
Building Services, under Chapter 150's plumbing article (§§ 150.302–150.304, the 2024 UPC adoption). The common trade ladder took effect January 1, 2022.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
City of Sioux Falls — MEP Permit Fees (2026 one-page form: electrical, mechanical, plumbing)
Read 2026-09-26 via reader proxy. One page publishing the common eight-band trade ladder ('Electrical/Mechanical/Plumbing Valuation' from $40 at $5,000 to $3,903.75 base above $1,000,000), the $25.00 homeowner's permit and $5.00 state wiring permit administrative rows, and the collection order: 'PLAN REVIEW FEE ONLY: Building permit fees will be collected at the time of permit issuance.' This is the form a contractor actually files with, and it is the resolution of Table 104.5's higher plumbing bases.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.