What needs a permit in Bend
The City's Building Safety sheet When is a Residential Plumbing Permit Required (undated, read 23 October 2026):
| No permit needed | Permit required |
|---|---|
| "Repair or replace a sink, toilet, or faucet not concealed in the wall" | "Replace a water heater (including expansion tank) or underground piping" |
| "Install a water filter" | "Alter piping inside a wall, ceiling, or beneath a floor" |
| "Replace a hose bib" | "Install a plumbing fixture where one did not exist previously" |
| Emergency repair or replacement of freeze-damaged or leaking concealed pipe, if "new piping doesn't exceed five feet in length" | "Replace existing plumbing if the replacement involves concealed plumbing connections" |
| "Make an emergency repair or alteration on a section of pipe five feet or longer" | |
| "Install or replace a shower pan" |
The five-foot rule matters in Bend winters: a burst pipe fixed with under five feet of new pipe needs no permit; a longer repair does.
What it costs
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Water heater permit (City water heater guide) | $180* |
| 2.3.01 Residential minimum permit fee | $160.98 |
| 2.3.04 Individual fixtures, pumps or traps (sink, lavatory, tub, drain) | $48.90 each |
| 2.3.03 One and two family, solar non-prescriptive | $239.42 |
Schedule lines are from Resolution No. 3482, the FY 2026-27 fee schedule effective 1 July 2026, and plumbing permits carry a 12% State of Oregon surcharge. The water heater page's asterisk notes extra fees if the job needs more work, such as new piping; a gas unit with new gas piping or venting also needs a mechanical permit, and an electrical permit may be needed if the work involves outlets.
Who can do the work
The City sheet is blunt: "Other than the homeowner, only a licensed plumber can legally perform plumbing work", and that covers friends, neighbors, tenants and general contractors. The owner exemption is ORS 693.020(1)(a): "A person working on a building or premises owned by the person, regardless of whether the person holds a license under this chapter", if they follow the codes. "If you are using a licensed contractor, they are required to obtain all necessary permits for the work being performed."
A plumbing business needs a CCB license (CCB License Search) and its plumbers a Building Codes Division license (BCD license search). 72.3% of the 191 Bend plumbing firms matched an active CCB license by name. More in the Bend contractor license lookup.
How to apply
The City's water heater guide lays out the steps, and they apply to any plumbing permit:
- Create an account on the Online Permit Center.
- Choose the Plumbing application type, enter the project, and tick every permit the job needs (plumbing, plus electrical or mechanical).
- Pay; plan review follows, and the City says processing "typically takes 2–3 days".
- Request the final under My Items: pick the project and click Request Inspection.
- Questions: the Permit Center, permitcenter@bendoregon.gov or 541-388-5580.
What 3,257 Bend plumbing permits show
| Measure | Bend plumbing |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 3,257 |
| Firms | 191 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months of the file | 116 |
| Firms with one permit only | 67 (35.1%) |
| Finaled (permits a year or more old) | 82.4% |
| Usual days from issue to final | 67 |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm (10+ permits) | 82.5% / 94.5% |
| Five busiest firms' share | 38.7% |
| Busiest / quietest month | April (index 120) / November (80) |
Plumbing is Bend's slow trade: 82.4% finaled against 93.4% for HVAC, and a usual 67 days to final against 28. Among the 16 firms with 10+ permits whose rate we can show, the spread is narrow, 82.5% to 94.5%. Filings peak in April (index 120) and are lowest in November (80). Bend records no job value on trade permits, so for prices see water heater replacement cost and plumbing labor cost.
See every Bend plumber by permits finaled →
Related
Rules elsewhere: do I need a permit for plumbing repairs, for a water heater, for a bathroom remodel. Choosing: plumber vs handyman, tankless vs tank water heater. In Bend: HVAC permit, electrical permit, building permit search, permit statistics.
What this does not tell you
The City's exempt list is undated and its water heater fee carries an asterisk; the Permit Center has the current figure. Four of the five busiest Bend plumbing firms in the last 12 months of our data show no finished rate, so the finished share above leans on smaller firms; ask a large firm who books the final. Trade permits inside a builder's new-home application finish when the house does and are left out of the finished share.
How we know this
Exempt and permit-required work and the homeowner rule are quoted from the City of Bend's "When is a Residential Plumbing Permit Required" sheet; the $180 water heater permit and application steps from the City's Water Heater Permitting Guide; fees from Resolution No. 3482 (FY 2026-27, effective 1 July 2026); the owner exemption from ORS 693.020, all read 23 October 2026. Counts are City of Bend plumbing permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026; "finaled" uses permits a year or more old, and days are issue to final. License status is a name match against the Oregon CCB active-license file.
Numbers come from City of Bend building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits on homes, data through October 16, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to replace a toilet or faucet in Bend?
No. The City's 'When is a Residential Plumbing Permit Required' sheet says no permit is needed to repair or replace a sink, toilet or faucet not concealed in the wall, install a water filter or replace a hose bib.
- Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Bend?
Yes. The City says a permit is required to replace a water heater, including the expansion tank, and lists the water heater permit at $180. New gas piping or venting adds a mechanical permit.
- How much is a plumbing permit in Bend, Oregon?
Under the FY 2026-27 fee schedule the residential minimum plumbing permit is $160.98 and each individual fixture, pump or trap is $48.90. The City's water heater page lists that permit at $180. A 12% State of Oregon surcharge applies to plumbing permits.
- Can a homeowner do their own plumbing in Bend?
Yes. The City says that other than the homeowner, only a licensed plumber can legally do plumbing work, and that includes friends, neighbors, tenants and general contractors. ORS 693.020 exempts an owner working on their own building.
- How long does a plumbing permit take in Bend?
The City's water heater page says processing typically takes 2 to 3 days. In our file the usual Bend plumbing permit was finaled 67 days after issue, and 82.4% of permits a year or more old were finaled.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Arlington, VA? The like-for-like rule, gas, and timing
- Austin building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Austin? What is exempt, who can pull it, and the fees
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Bellevue, WA? Fixtures, showers, water heaters and the homeowner rule
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Cape Coral? Repairs, repipes and gas lines, fees and who can pull them
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Chicago? Usually, with an exception for water heaters and for owners of detached houses
For one city
- When is a Residential Plumbing Permit Required — City of Bend Building Safety Division (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Water Heater Permitting Guide — City of Bend (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Resolution No. 3482, Fiscal Year 2026-27 Fee Schedule (effective 1 July 2026) — City of Bend (accessed 2026-10-23)
- ORS Chapter 693 (ORS 693.020) — Oregon Legislature (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Online Permit Center — City of Bend (2026-10-23)
- License search (Plumbing, Electrical, MDI) — Oregon Building Codes Division (2026-10-22)
- Oregon CCB License Search (2026-10-22)