Memphis, TN
Memphis plumbing permit cost
A Memphis plumbing permit is $20 issuance plus $4 processing plus a price list.
Each fixture, roof drain, electric water heater, interceptor and backflow is $7.50; residential sewer connections and private sewage disposal $30; commercial sewer, fire and medical gas $8.00 per $1,000 ($100 minimum); commercial water service 2-1/2" and larger $8.00 per $1,000 ($200 minimum); household water service 1" $20 and 1-1/4"–2" $30. The second reinspection and each trip thereafter is $50, and every permit carries the same $4 admin and $1/$5 surcharge as the building 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative charge — $4.00 per plumbing permitOther fee | $4.00 flat fee | Every permit of this type | — |
| Surcharge — residential plumbing, $1.00Other fee | $1.00 flat fee | plumbing scope is residential | — |
| Plumbing permit — commercial sewer, $8.00 per $1,000 of valuation ($100 minimum)Permit fee | $8.00 per $1,000 of project valuation | sewer scope is commercial | min $100.00 |
| Plumbing permit — commercial water service 2-1/2 inch and larger, $8.00 per $1,000 ($200 minimum)Permit fee | $8.00 per $1,000 of project valuation | water service size is over 2 1 2in | min $200.00 |
| Plumbing permit — fire protection, $8.00 per $1,000 ($100 minimum)Permit fee | $8.00 per $1,000 of project valuation | plumbing scope is fire protection | min $100.00 |
| Plumbing permit — $7.50 per plumbing fixture or trapPermit fee | $7.50 per fixture | Each fixture on the permit | — |
| Plumbing permit — permit issuance $20.00Permit fee | $20.00 flat fee | Every permit of this type | — |
| Plumbing permit — residential sewer connection, $30.00Permit fee | $30.00 flat fee | sewer scope is residential connection | — |
| Plumbing permit — water service 1-1/4 inch through 2 inch, $30.00Permit fee | $30.00 flat fee | water service size is 1 1 4 to 2in | — |
| Plumbing permit — water service 1 inch, $20.00Permit fee | $20.00 flat fee | water service size is 1in | — |
| Plumbing permit — reinspection (second trip), $50.00Inspection fee | $50.00 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 5-fixture house addition with a new 1-1/4" water service, Memphis.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Fixtures | 5 |
| Water service size | 1_1_4_to_2in |
Example total
$91.50
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 4Rules considered 11
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Administrative charge — $4.00 per plumbing permitOther feeThe same $4.00 processing charge, on the plumbing permit.Show the working
| $4.00 flat fee | $4.00 |
Plumbing permit — $7.50 per plumbing fixture or trapPermit feeSection P-1.1 "EACH PLUMBING FIXTURE OR TRAP OR SET OF FIXTURES ON ONE TRAP (INCLUDING WATER & DRAINAGE PIPING) $7.50" — the same figure the sheet charges for roof drains, electric water heaters (each and replacement), interceptors and backflow preventers.Show the working
| $7.50 per fixture | $37.50 |
Plumbing permit — permit issuance $20.00Permit feeThe plumbing header: "PERMIT ISSUANCE $20.00" — the $4.00 data processing is the same admin line measured separately on the building cover and carried as PLUMB-ADMIN, so issuance and admin together are $24.00 before any unit fee.Show the working
| $20.00 flat fee | $20.00 |
Plumbing permit — water service 1-1/4 inch through 2 inch, $30.00Permit feeSection P-1.4 "WATER SERVICE 1-1/4" THROUGH 2" $30.00".Show the working
| $30.00 flat fee | $30.00 |
| Total | $91.50 |
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.
- Surcharge — residential plumbing, $1.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — commercial sewer, $8.00 per $1,000 of valuation ($100 minimum) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — commercial water service 2-1/2 inch and larger, $8.00 per $1,000 ($200 minimum) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — fire protection, $8.00 per $1,000 ($100 minimum) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — residential sewer connection, $30.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — water service 1 inch, $20.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plumbing permit — reinspection (second trip), $50.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 4 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Fixtures: 5 × $7.50 = $37.50. Water service 1-1/4" through 2" $30.00. Issuance $20 + processing $4 = $24.00. Total $91.50 before the per-permit surcharge — so a $3,000 residential sewer connection at $30 beside those fixtures is a different fact (`custom.sewer_scope`) and never charged as a fixture.
Commercial sewer tells the other story: $8.00 per $1,000 on a $5,000 commercial sewer job is $40 computed and $100 charged at the $100 minimum; on a $50,000 job it is $400. The same $8.00/$100 for fire protection: a $5,000 fire system pays $100, a $50,000 one pays $400.
Large commercial water service is the same $8.00 with its own $200 floor: a $10,000 commercial water service is $80 computed and $200 charged; a $50,000 one is $400.
What is different in Memphis
The plumbing header is "PERMIT ISSUANCE $20.00" plus "ISSUING EACH PERMIT (DATA PROCESSING) $4.00" — so $24.00 of opening charges before any unit fee, the same $20 plumbing and mechanical and electrical all open with. "RESIDENTIAL/COMMERCIAL (SURCHARGE) $1.00/$5.00" prints beside them; the $4.00 below that is the same processing line building's cover names, now carried as the plumbing permit's own `other` row so the permit is whole.
The unit fee schedule is one line repeated: P-1.1 "EACH PLUMBING FIXTURE OR TRAP OR SET OF FIXTURES ON ONE TRAP (INCLUDING WATER & DRAINAGE PIPING) $7.50" and the same $7.50 for roof drains, electric water heaters (each and replacement), interceptors and backflow preventers — five separate scopes, one price, one `fixtures` fact where each counts as a fixture. A 5-fixture addition is therefore $37.50 of fixtures plus $24 issuance = $61.50 before surcharge — cheaper than Clark County's 2030 figure ($9), dearer than Green Bay's ($7–$8), and $3.50 less than Nashville's $11.
Sewer and water branch by occupancy and size: residential sewer $30 (and the same $30 for residential sewer repair/replacement and private sewage disposal), commercial sewer $8.00 per $1,000 of valuation with a $100 minimum — and the same $8.00/$100 for commercial sewer repair, fire protection (P-1.5) and medical gas (P-1.6). Water service 1" is flat $20, 1-1/4" through 2" $30, and commercial water service 2-1/2" and larger is the $8.00 valuation rate with a $200 floor — the same $8.00 rate as sewer, with a different floor. Reinspection is "SECOND RE-INSPECTION TRIP $50.00 / EACH TRIP THEREAFTER $50.00" as an inspection component, the first trip free.
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 schedule (Section P) at the prices the 2022 fee schedule prints. It excludes:
- Mechanical and gas permits — Sections M and G, the other OCCE trades, at $15/$8/$3 per $1,000 (valuation), transcribed beside plumbing in the research record.
- Elevator/escalator — the same $15/$8/$3 shape with its annual landing renewals.
- Zoning compliance and records research — $50–$100 per letter/hour on the same fee directory.
- The reinspection before the second trip — the first reinspection trip is free; only the second and later $50 rows are charged.
- State and county planning — LUCB, BZA and ARC fees on the same directory.
Common questions
How much is a plumbing permit in Memphis?
Issuance $20 plus $4 processing plus the unit fee: $7.50 per fixture/trap/roof drain/electric water heater/interceptor/backflow; residential sewer or private sewage disposal $30; water service 1" $20 and 1-1/4"–2" $30; commercial sewer, large commercial water service, fire protection and medical gas $8.00 per $1,000 of valuation with floors $100 ($200 for large water service). Reinspection $50 from the second trip, plus the $4 + $1/$5 surcharge.
What does $7.50 buy on the plumbing schedule?
One fixture (or trap or set of fixtures on one trap), one roof drain opening, one electric water heater (each or replacement), one waste pretreatment interceptor or one backflow preventer — five scopes the sheet prices at the same $7.50 and carried as one fixtures fact. A 5-fixture addition is $37.50 before issuance.
How much is commercial sewer and fire protection?
$8.00 per $1,000 of valuation — the same rate the sheet charges for commercial water service 2-1/2" and larger and for medical gas — with floors of $100 for sewer/fire/medical and $200 for large water service: so $5,000 of commercial sewer is $100, $50,000 is $400.
Does the schedule double the fee for work without a permit?
"WORK COMMENCING BEFORE PERMIT ISSUANCE DOUBLE FEE" — on building (permit amendment), mechanical (M-2) and gas (G-2), and the plumbing page's "PERMIT AMENDMENT $20.00" — the fee the schedule would have charged, doubled, a multiplier rather than a rule here.
Why is residential sewer $30 and commercial sewer $8.00 per $1,000?
Because the schedule branches by occupancy: P-1.2 is residential sewer $30 flat, P-1.3 is commercial sewer $8.00 per $1,000 of valuation with a $100 minimum. A residential sewer connection is one sewer connection at $30; a commercial one reads the valuation — a $5,000 commercial sewer job computes $40 and pays $100.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CountyPrimary source
Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement — 2022 Building Fee Schedule
Read 2026-09-25 with pymupdf in blocks mode and pdftotext in layout mode (9 pages, 357,947 bytes, HTTP 200). The cover line is the whole surcharge mechanism: "ALL FEES BELOW DO NOT INCLUDE AN ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGE OF $4.00 AND A SURCHARGE OF $1.00 FOR RESIDENTIAL OR $5.00 FOR COMMERCIAL (ADD $5 TO RESIDENTIAL TOTAL AND $9 TO COMMERCIAL TOTAL)". Commercial building: "NEW CONSTRUCTION/ ADDITIONS/ ACCESSORY BUILDINGS COMMERCIAL" at $5.00/1,000 to $25,000, $125 + $3.50/1,000 to $1,000,000, $3,537.50 + $2.25 to $25,000,000, $57,537.50 + $1.75 beyond, minimum $75; plan review at nine flat bands ($80-$3,000); signs by valuation; residential at $0.07 per sq ft ($125 minimum) and alteration/repair at $5.00/1,000 ($50-$325). Electrical E-0 to E-8 (issuance $20, minimum $15, new multi-family by amperage with $1.00 per tenant, existing residential by circuit count, commercial KVA ladder). Plumbing P-1 (fixtures $7.50, residential sewer $30, commercial sewer/water/fire/medical gas at $8.00/1,000, water service by size). Mechanical and gas tables at $15/$8/$3 per $1,000.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.