What Dallas exempts
The City's Building Inspection FAQs (read 24 October 2026) give a partial list of work exempt from the Dallas Building Code (Chapter 52, Section 301(b) holds the full one). The only plumbing item is "Stopping of leaks in pipes, drains or plumbing fixtures". Exemptions do not apply in historic districts, conservation districts and planned development districts.
The FAQ adds a point many homeowners miss: plumbing and mechanical contractors working on a home must hold a Texas license "even if the scope of the work doesn't require a permit and inspection."
Who can pull it
| Applicant | Condition | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed plumber | Texas plumbing license | City FAQ |
| Homeowner | Owns, occupies and has homesteaded the house; "may do any kind of plumbing or mechanical work on his/her homestead themselves" | City FAQ |
| Homeowner, paperwork | Homestead exemption "granted and recorded by the Appraisal District"; notarized sworn statement | No-license plumbing checklist |
| Anyone else without a license | Reviewed first by the Chief Plumbing code administrator | Same checklist |
The City's homeowner exemption form has you attest "That the work described on the permit application will be performed by me", so hiring an unlicensed helper voids the exemption. All other code requirements still apply, and required inspections must pass before use.
How to apply
- A licensed plumber applies in DallasNow, the City's Accela portal. A homestead owner uses the no-license checklist and its sworn statement.
- Pay the fee on the City's permit fee schedule; the FAQ refers to the schedule but does not print the amounts, so the invoice is the figure to use.
- Schedule inspections in DallasNow; the work has to pass before it is covered or used.
- The record turns Complete when the final passes. Help line: (214) 948-4480.
What 19,009 Dallas plumbing permits show
| Measure | Dallas plumbing |
|---|---|
| Issued November 2022 to October 2024 | 19,009 (24% of City permits) |
| November 2022 to October 2023 / November 2023 to October 2024 | 8,741 / 10,268 (+17%) |
| Complete, permits issued November 2022 to October 2023 | 91.5% (0.3% expired) |
| Usual declared value (middle half) | $2,500 ($1,200–$5,000) |
| Busiest / quietest month (index, 100 = average) | February (110) / June (86) |
| ZIPs with the most | 75248 (1,299), 75229 (1,214), 75230 (1,017), 75214 (920), 75228 (887) |
Dallas plumbing permits peak in February and are quietest in June, so a non-urgent repipe or water heater swap is easiest to book in early summer. The north Dallas ZIPs 75248, 75229 and 75230 lead, and 75214 (Lakewood) is fourth. A plumbing permit that is still Issued after a year is unusual in Dallas, since nine in ten close. Monthly counts are on Dallas plumbing permits, all categories on Dallas permit statistics, and rows on Dallas permits.
Before the plumber starts
Look up the plumber's license on TDLR's site, explained in how to check a contractor's license in Texas, and find older permits on the address with the Dallas building permit search. Rules elsewhere: do I need a permit for plumbing repairs, a water heater and a sewer line; labor rates in plumbing labor cost.
What this does not tell you
The City's open file stops in November 2024, so our counts end with October 2024; newer permits are only in DallasNow. The file names no contractor, and statuses are as of December 2024. Irving, Garland, Richardson and the other suburbs run their own permit offices.
How we know this
Exemptions and licensing rules are quoted from the City of Dallas Building Inspection FAQs, its no-license plumbing checklist and its homeowner exemption form, read 24 October 2026. Our counts are the City's New Permits 1971-2024 open file, read 18 October 2026: plumbing and backflow permits issued November 2022 to October 2024, with cancelled and revoked permits left out.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 18, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to fix a leak in Dallas?
No. The City's FAQ lists 'Stopping of leaks in pipes, drains or plumbing fixtures' among work that needs no permit. Replacing or adding piping, fixtures or a water heater is permit work, and it must be done by a Texas-licensed plumber or a homestead owner.
- Can a homeowner pull a plumbing permit in Dallas?
Yes, on a house you own, occupy and have homesteaded, if you do the work yourself. The City's no-license plumbing checklist says the homestead exemption 'must be granted and recorded by the Appraisal District', and you sign a notarized sworn statement.
- How many plumbing permits does Dallas issue?
19,009 from November 2022 to October 2024, the last full month in the City's open file: 8,741 in the first year and 10,268 in the second (+17%). Plumbing is the City's biggest permit category, 24% of all permits.
- Do Dallas plumbing permits get finished?
Mostly. 91.5% of plumbing permits issued November 2022 to October 2023 were Complete by December 2024, and 0.3% had expired. That is the best finish rate of any trade in the Dallas file.
- Where do I check a Dallas plumbing permit?
In DallasNow, the City's Accela portal, by address or permit number; no account is needed to search. Our open-data pages end in October 2024, so newer permits are only in DallasNow.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
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- Building Inspection FAQs — City of Dallas Development Services (2026-10-24)
- Plumbing Permit Application Checklist (for plumbing permit without license) — City of Dallas Development Services (2026-10-24)
- Homeowner's Exemption from Registration as a Contractor — City of Dallas Building Inspection (2026-10-24)
- City of Dallas GIS New Permits 1971-2024 (ArcGIS FeatureServer) (2026-10-18)