Houston, TX
Houston plumbing permit cost
Houston prices plumbing permits per fixture and per appliance under Bldg.
Code Sec. 118.5. Most rows share the same shape: a base charge covering the first one to three items on the permit, then a flat amount for each additional item on the same 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furnace installation (non-duct)Permit fee | $34.24 for the first furnace, plus $11.41 for each additional furnace | Each furnace on the permit | — |
| Yard light or BBQ grillPermit fee | $34.24 for the first opening, plus $11.41 for each additional opening | Each opening on the permit | — |
| Plumbing fixture feePermit fee | $34.24 for the first 3 fixtures, plus $11.41 for each additional fixture | Each fixture on the permit | — |
| Wall heaterPermit fee | $34.24 for the first heater, plus $11.41 for each additional heater | Each heater on the permit | — |
| Septic tank or individual sewage treatment plantPermit fee | $53.71 per septic tank | Each septic tank on the permit | — |
| Sewer connectionPermit fee | $53.71 per connection | Each connection on the permit | — |
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 remodel with every fixture on one plumbing permit. The shape of the row is what matters: the first three fixtures are covered by a single base charge, and each fixture after that is charged on its own.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Fixtures | 10 |
Example total
$114.11
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 |
|---|---|---|
Plumbing fixture feePermit feeBldg. Code Sec. 118.5.4 — base charge for 1 to 3 fixtures, plus $11.41 for each additional fixture over 3 on the same permit.Show the working
| $34.24 for the first 3 fixtures, plus $11.41 for each additional fixture | $114.11 |
| Total | $114.11 |
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.
- Furnace installation (non-duct) — furnace count was not provided, so this component could not be calculated.
- Yard light or BBQ grill — opening count was not provided, so this component could not be calculated.
- Wall heater — heater count was not provided, so this component could not be calculated.
- Septic tank or individual sewage treatment plant — septic tank count was not provided, so this component could not be calculated.
- Sewer connection — connection count was not provided, so this component could not be calculated.
- Minimum permit fee — Rule status is "draft".
- Minimum permit fee (plumbing) — Rule status is "draft".
Limits of this estimate
- furnace count is required by at least one fee rule and was not provided (input "custom.furnaces").
- opening count is required by at least one fee rule and was not provided (input "custom.openings").
- heater count is required by at least one fee rule and was not provided (input "custom.heaters").
- septic tank count is required by at least one fee rule and was not provided (input "custom.septic_tanks").
- connection count is required by at least one fee rule and was not provided (input "custom.connections").
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.
The fixture count is the example's, not the City's. Houston's minimum permit fee for plumbing is $97.56 — the one trade whose minimum differs from the $91.06 charged on the others — and it is not added to this total; see the note on the minimum below.
What is different in Houston
The plumbing fixture row is the one most permits touch. Bldg. Code Sec. 118.5.4 charges $34.24 for 1 to 3 fixtures, then $11.41 for each additional fixture on the same permit. The same $34.24-then-$11.41 pattern applies to furnaces, wall heaters, yard lights and BBQ grill openings, and roof drains.
Some items are priced flat instead: a sewer connection is $53.71, and so is a septic tank or individual sewage treatment plant. Tanks have their own size bands, running from $94.00 for up to 1,000 gallons to $228.28 above 30,000 gallons.
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 covers the plumbing rows we have transcribed from Bldg. Code Sec. 118.5: fixtures, furnaces, wall heaters, yard light or BBQ openings, sewer connections and septic tanks. The schedule also publishes a 16-row group under Bldg. Code Sec. 118.5.1 that has not yet been read, covering other plumbing permit types. Until it is, treat this figure as covering the items listed above and not as a complete plumbing schedule.
Gas piping beyond the fixtures listed, backflow prevention and grease interceptors are not modelled here.
Common questions
Why is the plumbing minimum permit fee higher than other trades?
The City's own schedule separates it. Bldg. Code Sec. 118.1.3 lists a minimum permit fee of $97.56 for plumbing and $91.06 for everything else, naming structural, electrical, HVAC equipment and several other permit types explicitly in the $91.06 group.
Do fixtures on separate permits each get the base charge?
Yes. The schedule's wording is per the same permit: $34.24 covers the first three fixtures on one permit, and $11.41 applies to each additional fixture on that permit.
Is a water heater charged as a fixture?
Water heaters are not one of the rows transcribed here. The schedule prices furnaces, wall heaters and gas appliances as their own items under Bldg. Code Sec. 118.5.2 and 118.5.4, so a water heater is not simply counted as a plumbing fixture.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Authoritative current fee schedule for all City departments. Each row carries a statutory authority (for example 'Bldg. Code Sec. 118.2.1'), the amount or a 'Calculation' note, and an 'As Of' date. The HPW department section was read in a browser; the page renders its tables client-side, so it cannot be fetched as plain HTML.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.