The County rule
The County's Plumbing and Mechanical page says "It is unlawful for any person to perform any installation, alteration, or any plumbing without first obtaining a plumbing permit," and lists the common complaints it investigates: "installing a water heater, utility lines, swamp cooler, sprinkler/ irrigation lines" without a permit, and unlicensed people doing the work. Inspectors work to the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code and 2021 Uniform Mechanical Code.
Section 105.2 of the County Building Ordinance (Ordinance 2024-8, posted as "unsigned"; read 26 October 2026) exempts only:
| Exempt | Not exempt |
|---|---|
| Stopping minor leaks in drain, waste or vent pipe | Replacing a defective concealed trap or drain pipe: "shall be considered as new work" |
| Clearing stoppages, repairing leaks in pipes, valves or fixtures | Any repair that replaces or rearranges valves, pipes or fixtures |
| Removing and reinstalling a toilet | A new or relocated fixture |
| Temporary test lines | Water heaters, gas lines, irrigation, water and sewer service lines |
| Emergency work | The permit, "not later than the next business day" |
This covers the unincorporated County and trade permits for the Village of Los Ranchos; a City of Albuquerque address goes to the City.
Who can pull it
A licensed plumber, normally. The County's online portal is for contractors with "A valid State of New Mexico Contractors License for the respective Permit Type" and "A current Bernalillo County Business License" (Plumbing/Gas page). In New Mexico that is an MM-1 for plumbing and an MM-2 for natural gas piping and appliances (14.6.6 NMAC); MM-1 alone does not cover gas. Check both on PSI's license search; the steps are in How to check a contractor's license in New Mexico.
You, for three jobs only. The County's homeowner sheet (revised July 2026) says homeowners "may do the work for the following three things only":
| Homeowner may | Homeowner may not |
|---|---|
| Domestic water distribution in the house and the water yard line | Gas piping |
| Sanitary drain lines in the house and the sewer yard line | Ductwork for heating or cooling |
| Venting for the sanitary drainage | Radiant tubing for in-floor heat |
| Installing gas heating or cooling appliances (boilers, furnaces, air conditioners) | |
| Venting for gas heating appliances or water heaters |
So a gas water heater replacement is a licensed job. The sheet also says the County supplies no code books and gives no classes for the homeowner test; apply at 415 Silver Ave SW, 2nd floor, or call 505-314-0351.
What it costs
From Administrative Resolution 25-2009, Table 3-D (effective 1 May 2009, "as amended from time to time"):
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Administrative charge, every permit | $23.50 |
| Plumbing fixture | $5.00 each |
| Water distribution system | $7.00 |
| Water service, property line to house | $7.00 |
| House sewer, property line to house, with 2-way clean-out | $14.00 |
| Gas outlet | $3.00 each |
| Lawn sprinkler system on one meter, with backflow | $9.00 |
| Re-inspection | $47.00 |
By our arithmetic a water heater counted as one fixture is $28.50; a new sewer line to the house is $37.50; adding two gas outlets for a range and dryer is $29.50. The resolution has a catch-all of $5 for equipment "not classed in other fixture categories", so the counter may class a water heater differently.
How to apply and get inspected
- Apply in Accela Citizen Access. Submittals received by 3:00 p.m. are usually processed the same day; a County flag or hold on the property blocks trade permits.
- Rough piping inspection before anything is covered (Ordinance 110.5.2).
- Gas test. Gas piping must hold at least 10 psi for at least 15 minutes with no drop, and "An air test is required for a final gas inspection, even if a temporary gas inspection was made previously."
- Final, booked on (505) 314-0351 with the application number. A permit expires if work does not start, or stops, for 180 days.
What 2,774 County plumbing permits show
| Measure | Unincorporated Bernalillo County plumbing |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 2,774 |
| Firms / with a permit in the last 12 months | 420 / 261 |
| Closed (permits a year or more old) | 65.9% |
| Usual days from issue to close (where dated) | 195 |
| Firms with 10+ permits closing under 70% | 27 of 45 |
| Busiest firm in the last 12 months | TLC Services LLC (147 permits) |
| Share held by the five busiest firms | 27.1% |
| Busiest / quietest month | March (122) / January (86) |
More than half of the busier plumbing firms (27 of 45) closed fewer than 70% of their year-old permits, so an open plumbing permit is common here; the compare list shows which firms close theirs. Plumbing permits carry no job value because the County charges by fixture; for prices see plumbing labor cost and water heater replacement cost.
See every Bernalillo County plumber by permits closed →
Related
Rules elsewhere: do I need a permit for plumbing repairs and for a water heater. Counts by year: Bernalillo County permit statistics. Hiring: hiring a plumber.
What this does not tell you
The County records a completion date on only about half of its closed trade permits, and closed is not always a passed final. Owner-builder permits name no business and are not ranked. Fees are from the 2009 resolution the County still links; we have not seen later amendments.
How we know this
The permit rule, homeowner limits and septic contact are quoted from Bernalillo County's Plumbing and Mechanical page and its July 2026 homeowner test sheet; exemptions, inspections and expiry from Building Ordinance 2024-8 (unsigned copy); fees from Administrative Resolution 25-2009, all read 26 October 2026. Fee examples are our arithmetic. Our figures are County plumbing permits on homes in unincorporated Bernalillo County, October 2023 to September 2026.
Numbers come from Bernalillo County Planning & Development Services permits on homes in unincorporated Bernalillo County (the County's Accela permit layer; the City of Albuquerque issues its own permits and has its own separate pages), data through October 15, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Bernalillo County?
Yes. The County's plumbing and mechanical page lists installing a water heater without a permit as a common complaint, and the ordinance's plumbing exemptions cover only leak repairs, clearing stoppages and resetting a toilet. A gas water heater also involves gas and venting work a homeowner may not do.
- Can a homeowner pull a plumbing permit in Bernalillo County?
For three things only: water distribution in the house and the water yard line, sanitary drain lines in the house and the sewer yard line, and venting for those drains. The County's 2026 homeowner sheet says owners may not do gas piping, ductwork, radiant tubing, gas heating or cooling appliances, or venting for gas appliances or water heaters.
- How much is a plumbing permit in Bernalillo County?
Resolution 25-2009 prices it by item: a $23.50 administrative charge, $5 per plumbing fixture, $7 for a water distribution system, $3 per gas outlet and $9 for a lawn sprinkler system. By our arithmetic a water heater swap counted as one fixture is $28.50.
- How long does a plumbing permit stay open in Bernalillo County?
In our file the usual plumbing permit with a recorded completion date closed 195 days after issue, and 65.9% of permits a year or more old were closed. Ask the plumber to book the final as soon as the work is done.
- Who handles septic permits in Bernalillo County?
Not the plumbing inspectors. The County's plumbing page sends septic (wastewater) system permits to Natural Resource Services, 505-314-0375 or NRS-applications@bernco.gov.
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 Chicago? Usually, with an exception for water heaters and for owners of detached houses
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Cincinnati? Yes, even for replacing a fixture: the fee per fixture, and who can pull it
For one city
- Do I need an electrical permit in Bernalillo County? The exemptions, the homeowner exam and the fixture-based fee
- Home improvement costs in Bernalillo County, NM (2026): what 6 kinds of jobs were filed at
- Do I need an HVAC permit in Bernalillo County? Furnaces, AC, swamp coolers and the mechanical permit
- Bernalillo County Building Ordinance, Ordinance 2024-8 (unsigned copy, Sec. 105.2, 105.5, 110.5.2) (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Plumbing and Mechanical — Bernalillo County Planning & Development Services (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Plumbing homeowner test information (rev. 07/2026) — Bernalillo County (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Plumbing/Gas (trade permit application) — Bernalillo County Planning & Development Services (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Administrative Resolution 25-2009, Permit Fee Schedule (Table 3-D Plumbing) — Bernalillo County (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Accela Citizen Access — Bernalillo County (2026-10-26)
- License search — PSI (New Mexico CID licensing) (2026-10-20)