The Austin rule, line by line
From the City's Work Exempt from Building Permits page, read 23 October 2026:
| Job | Permit in Austin? | The City's words |
|---|---|---|
| Stop a leak in a drain, waste or vent pipe | No | "To stop leaks in drains, soil, waste, or vent pipes" |
| The same pipe is defective and has to be replaced | Yes | "it is necessary to remove and replace the same with new material, a permit shall be procured" |
| Clear a stoppage, including pulling and resetting a toilet | No | "To clear stoppages, including the removal and reinstallation of water closets" |
| Repair or replace a fixture, exposed trap or supply valve | No | "Work required to repair or replace fixtures and to replace exposed traps... fixture supply valves" |
| New or replacement shower or tub | Yes | "is not exempt from the permit requirements of this code" |
| Add or relocate a fixture with structural changes | Yes, building permit | An Interior Remodel Building Permit is required "if changes to structural components and/or new/relocating plumbing fixtures" (Types of Permits) |
Water heaters, sewer yard lines and water yard lines are not on the exempt list; the City prices them under its change-out program (below). The exemptions apply to one- and two-family houses and townhouses.
Who can pull it
A licensed plumber registered with the City, or you on a homestead permit. The City's homestead permit covers plumbing when:
- the house has a homestead exemption with the county appraisal district and is your principal residence;
- you do the work yourself (anyone else doing it is grounds to revoke the permit);
- you have not had a homestead permit on another house in the past 12 months.
It excludes "liquefied petroleum plumbing systems" and auxiliary water systems, so propane lines go to a licensed plumber. If the job outgrows the homestead permit, a licensed contractor takes it over and more fees apply.
How to apply
- Repair or change-out on its own: a stand-alone plumbing permit, which skips formal plan review. Contractors apply in the AB+C Portal; stand-alone trade permits are for licensed trade contractors or homeowners who qualify for the homestead permit (Apply for a Stand-Alone Permit).
- Plumbing inside a remodel: issued with the building permit after residential plan review.
- Homeowners: run the City's Homestead Permit Qualification Guide, submit the homestead web form, then pay the invoice under "My Bills" in AB+C.
- Inspections: Austin's plumbing checklists are Sewer Yard Line, Rough, Top-Out and Final (Building Inspections). Schedule them in AB+C; the City says inspections usually happen about 24 hours after scheduling. Do not close walls before the rough and top-out pass.
What it costs
From the City's residential fee schedule, effective 1 October 2026:
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plumbing Base Fee | $220.47 |
| Plumbing, 1,001–2,000 sq ft project | $223.49 + $3.16 per sq ft over 1,000 |
| Residential change-out program, first system (the schedule lists water heaters, backflow devices, irrigation systems, water and sewer yard lines under it) | $74.05 |
| Inspections for stand-alone projects | $73.81 (then $28.01 per inspection after two) |
| Reinspection | $83.85 per inspection |
The schedule does not say which line a given repair falls under; the invoice in AB+C is the figure you pay. National labour rates are in plumbing labor cost.
What 23,406 Austin plumbing permits show
| Measure | Austin plumbing |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 23,406 |
| Firms | 991 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months of the window | 588 |
| Reached Final (permits a year or more old) | 86.3% |
| Usual days from issue to Final | 75 |
| Firms with 10+ permits finishing under 70% | 33 of 268 |
| Busiest / quietest month | April (116) / November (90) |
The finish rate varies more by firm than by job: among Austin plumbers with 10 or more permits, the 10th-percentile firm finished 67.2% and the 90th 97.2%. A permit that never reaches Final is a job the City never signed off, and it stays open on your address. Ask your plumber who books the final inspection. Austin plumbing permits record no job value.
See every Austin plumber by permits finished →
Next steps
Check the plumber's state license on the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners search (steps in the Austin contractor license lookup) and its record on the Austin plumber list. Look up past permits on your address with the Austin building permit search. Other cities' repair rules are in do I need a permit for plumbing repairs, and water heaters in do I need a permit for a water heater. Monthly and yearly counts: Austin permit statistics.
What this does not tell you
We see permits, not unpermitted work. A Final says the City passed the inspection, not what the job cost or whether it was priced fairly. Austin fees change every 1 October.
How we know this
Exemptions, homestead rules and application steps are quoted from City of Austin Development Services pages read 23 October 2026; fees from the City's residential fee schedule effective 1 October 2026. Counts are City of Austin issued construction permits classified as plumbing, October 2023 to September 2026; finished share uses permits a year or more old, and days to Final is the median from issue to completion.
Numbers come from City of Austin issued construction permits, data through October 10, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to fix a leak in Austin?
No, as long as you are stopping the leak. Austin exempts stopping leaks in drains, waste and vent pipes and repairing leaks in pipes and valves, but if a trap, drain, soil, waste or vent pipe is defective and has to be removed and replaced with new material, a permit is required.
- Do I need a permit to replace a shower or tub in Austin?
Yes. The City's exempt list says 'a new installation or replacement of a shower, tub, or combination tub and shower is not exempt'. Moving or adding a fixture also needs a permit, and with structural changes it becomes an interior remodel building permit.
- Can a homeowner pull a plumbing permit in Austin?
Yes, on the City's homestead permit, if the house is your homestead and principal residence and you do the work yourself. It does not cover liquefied petroleum (propane) plumbing systems or auxiliary water systems.
- How much is a plumbing permit in Austin?
The residential fee schedule effective 1 October 2026 lists a Plumbing Base Fee of $220.47 and $73.81 for inspections on a stand-alone project. Water heaters, sewer yard lines and water yard lines are listed with the change-out program, whose first-system line is $74.05.
- How long does a plumbing permit take in Austin?
Stand-alone plumbing permits skip formal plan review. Closing the permit takes longer: the usual Austin plumbing permit in our file reached Final 75 days after issue, and 86.3% of permits a year or more old got there.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Austin building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Do I need a permit for plumbing repairs or a repipe? The rule in 13 cities
- What can a homeowner do without a permit? Exempt work in 7 cities, and when you can pull your own
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Arlington, VA? The like-for-like rule, gas, and timing
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Bernalillo County? What homeowners may do, the gas rule and the per-fixture fee
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Cambridge, MA? Licensed plumbers only, the fixture-count fee and the final
For one city
- Austin contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- Do I need a demolition permit in Austin? The 45-year historic review, the pre-demolition inspection and neighbor notice
- Do I need a driveway permit in Austin? The right-of-way line, the DS permit and the $220 review fee
- Work Exempt from Building Permits — City of Austin Development Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Homestead Permit for Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical Work — City of Austin (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Types of Permits — City of Austin Development Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Apply for a Stand-Alone Permit — City of Austin Development Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Residential Building Plan Review & Inspection Permit Fees (effective 1 October 2026) — City of Austin (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building Inspections — City of Austin Development Services (accessed 2026-10-23)