Plumbing Permit in New York City, New York

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a plumbing permit in New York City?

Work involving the alteration, rearrangement, relocation or permanent removal of any piping must be supervised by a Licensed Master Plumber or Master Fire Suppression Piping Contractor, who is the one who pulls the permit and arranges the DOB tests and inspections. DOB exempts simple repairs and direct replacement of existing faucets or fixtures such as toilets and sinks as cosmetic work, where the hot and cold shutoff valves and the fixture trap are not disturbed. A second, wider carve-out is AC 28-105.4.4 ordinary plumbing work, which needs no permit but must be done by a licensed plumber who files a monthly report of the work, pays the code fees, and certifies the work; it covers things like relocating up to two fixtures within the same room up to 10 feet, repairing or replacing up to 25 feet of non-gas non-fire-suppression piping, and replacing a gas water heater, furnace or boiler of 350,000 BTU or less in buildings of five families or fewer. Between that and a full plumbing filing sits the Limited Alteration Application, defined in AC 28-101.5 in two categories: Category 1 covers adding five or fewer fixtures or new piping within a $35,000 cost limit per building in any 12-month period, and Category 2 covers rerouting branch piping, in-kind fixture and gas appliance replacement, and relocating fixtures on existing roughing with no cost limit. Direct replacement of an existing fixture or faucet that does not alter the hot and cold shutoff valves or the fixture trap. Always confirm with the office before starting.

How much does a plumbing permit cost in New York City?

Limited Alteration Application is the usual homeowner-scale route. Table 28-112.2 item 11 sets the one-, two- or three-family LAA minimum filing fee at $130.00, and DOB's "Limited Alteration Application (LAA) Fees and Penalties, Category 1 & 2 Filing, 1, 2, 3 Family Fees" chart prices it at $130.00 for any estimated job cost up to $5,000, rising by $2.60 per $1,000 above that ($143.00 at $9,001 to $10,000; $208.00 at $34,001 to $35,000). The matching 1 and 2 family penalty for filing after the fact starts at $780.00. Full plumbing alterations are filed as work type PL, priced on construction cost with a PW3 (DOB PW3 fee-structure sheet, Rev. 04/25). See the official fee schedule for current amounts.

Where do you apply for a plumbing permit in New York City?

You can apply through the New York City permit portal or contact the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) directly. The links are listed on this page.

Can a homeowner pull a plumbing permit themselves in New York City?

Under New York law (Inside New York City: NYC Admin. Code 28-104.1, 28-105.1, 28-105.4, 28-105.5.1, 28-401.3 (definition of "general contractor"). Outside New York City: N.Y. Exec. Law 381(2); 19 NYCRR 1203.3(a)(1).): New York State sets no owner-builder rule at all outside New York City. Executive Law 381(2) puts administration and enforcement in the hands of each local government, and 19 NYCRR 1203.3(a)(1) only requires each authority having jurisdiction to make building permits mandatory for work that must conform to the codes, leaving who may apply to local law. The state licenses no general contractors and imposes no owner-builder affidavit, disclosure form or post-permit sale restriction of the kind Florida uses, so whether a homeowner may pull the permit is a question for the specific city, town, village or county. New York City is the genuine outlier. Administrative Code 28-105.1 makes the work itself unlawful without a written permit, and Administrative Code 28-104.1 bars the department from issuing that permit until it approves the required construction documents, which must be prepared by or under the supervision of a registered design professional, meaning a licensed architect or engineer, as required by the code. A homeowner therefore cannot self-prepare and file the plans for permit-requiring work in New York City even though Administrative Code 28-105.5.1 defines the permit applicant as the person who performs the work or retains a subcontractor, and even though the general contractor registration definition in Administrative Code 28-401.3 expressly excludes an individual who constructs a residential structure of no more than three dwelling units for his or her own occupancy. Note that Administrative Code 28-105.4 exempts minor alterations and ordinary repairs from the permit requirement entirely, so the design professional bottleneck applies only to work that needs a permit in the first place. Confirm how New York City applies this before you apply.