The Greensboro rule
The City's Building Permits FAQs (read 23 October 2026) require a permit for construction, alteration and repair, a separate one for each trade, and a plumbing permit for sewer and water service lines, new or replaced. The City does not publish a list of exempt plumbing repairs. What it does publish is a per-fixture fee schedule, which shows what it expects to inspect: fixtures, water heaters, water softeners, backflow preventers, the sewer and the water line to an existing house.
On the licensing side, the state plumbing board says "Minor repairs and service work to plumbing and heating systems do not require a state license" (Consumer Awareness); installing or altering a system does. A new water line is an installation, not service.
Who can pull it
A plumber licensed by the North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating & Fire Sprinkler Contractors (search it on the board's license search), or you. Greensboro's Residential Construction page issues homeowner plumbing permits when:
- "You own and live in the house (must show proof)";
- "You are going to do the work yourself"; and
- you "sign an affidavit of ownership and terms of permits and inspections".
How to apply and get inspected
- Apply at Development Services, 300 W. Washington Street, 336-373-2155 (Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm); permits are paid at application by check, cash or card.
- Inspections through APRIL, 336-373-2400, with the permit number, by 8 pm the business day before.
- Keep the permit card on site and have the inspector sign it; the City says that card is how the day's inspections are tracked.
- Check the final on the GSO BI Scheduler by address or permit number.
What it costs
From the City's Plumbing Permit Fee Schedule (Document #4300, dated 7/16/24):
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Minimum permit/inspection fee | $85.00 |
| Water closet, lavatory, sink, shower, bathtub | $7.00 each |
| Water heater, all kinds | $7.00 each |
| Gas connection for water heater replacement | $10.00 |
| Sewer | $7.00 |
| Water line, existing house | $7.00 |
| Water softener unit | $7.00 |
| Backflow preventer | $15.00 |
| Extra inspection, first follow-up | $45.00 |
| More than 3 inspections on a crawl-space house, or 4 on a slab house | $45.00 each |
At $7 a fixture, a full bathroom (toilet, sink, tub) is $21 in line items and a sewer replacement $7, so small jobs pay the $85 minimum. Gas piping and a gas water heater are also on the mechanical schedule, which says that if one contractor does both the plumbing and the gas connection on a water heater, the fee is $75. Labour rates are in plumbing labor cost.
What 8,165 Greensboro plumbing permits show
| Measure | Greensboro plumbing |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 8,165 |
| Firms | 415 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months of the window | 269 |
| Final inspection made (permits a year or more old) | 94.1% |
| Usual days from issue to final | 121 |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm (10+ permits) | 74.5% / 98.6% |
| Share held by the busiest firm / five busiest | 13.0% / 34.8% |
| Busiest / quietest month | June (133) / December (65) |
Plumbing permits take longer to final here than HVAC (48 days), but nearly all still close: 94.1%. On a plumbing-only repair, ask the plumber to book the final when the work is done rather than leaving the permit open. Greensboro plumbing is concentrated, with the five busiest firms holding 34.8% of permits. Plumbing permits record no job value.
See every Greensboro plumber by permits finaled →
Next steps
Compare plumbers on the Greensboro plumber list, check the license with the Greensboro contractor license lookup, and use hiring a plumber for the questions to ask. Water heater rules in other cities: do I need a permit for a water heater; repairs: do I need a permit for plumbing repairs. Past permits on your address: Greensboro building permit search. Monthly counts: Greensboro permit statistics.
What this does not tell you
City of Greensboro permits only; Guilford County permits houses outside city limits. A final inspection means the work passed code, not what it cost. The schedules are dated July 2024; confirm the fee when you apply.
How we know this
Permit rules and homeowner conditions are quoted from the City of Greensboro's Building Permits FAQs and Residential Construction pages, read 23 October 2026; fees from the City's Plumbing (Document #4300) and Mechanical (Document #4200) Permit Fee Schedules dated 7/16/24; licensing from the NC plumbing and heating board, read 22 October 2026. Counts are City of Greensboro plumbing permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026; finished share uses permits a year or more old, and days to final is the median from issue to the final inspection.
Numbers come from City of Greensboro building and trade permits, data through October 18, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How much is a plumbing permit in Greensboro?
The City's plumbing fee schedule (Document #4300, dated 7/16/24) has an $85 minimum permit and inspection fee. Fixtures are $7 each (toilet, sink, shower, tub, water heater, sewer, water line), a backflow preventer $15 and the gas connection for a replacement water heater $10. Follow-up inspections are $45.
- Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Greensboro?
Plan on one: the plumbing fee schedule lists 'Water Heater, all kinds' at $7 and a gas connection for a water heater replacement at $10, under an $85 minimum. A gas water heater also touches the mechanical schedule. Confirm with Development Services on 336-373-2155.
- Do I need a permit to replace a sewer line in Greensboro?
Yes. The City's permit FAQ lists 'Installation of sewer and or water service systems, including replacement' as work that needs a plumbing permit.
- Can a homeowner pull a plumbing permit in Greensboro?
Yes, if you own and live in the house, do the work yourself and sign the City's affidavit of ownership and terms of permits and inspections. Anyone else installing or altering plumbing needs a license from the NC plumbing and heating board.
- How long does a plumbing permit take in Greensboro?
Longer than the other trades: the usual Greensboro plumbing permit in our file reached its final inspection 121 days after issue, against 48 for HVAC and 52 for electrical.
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 Nashville? Metro's rules for fixtures, meters and backflow
- Do I need a plumbing permit in NYC? The Master Plumber rule, the $35,000 LAA limit and what 11,000 permits show
For one city
- Building Permits FAQs — City of Greensboro Engineering & Inspections (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Residential Construction — City of Greensboro Engineering & Inspections (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Plumbing Permit Fee Schedule (Document #4300, 7/16/24) — City of Greensboro (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Mechanical Permit Fee Schedule (Document #4200, 7/16/24) — City of Greensboro (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Consumer Awareness — NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating & Fire Sprinkler Contractors (2026-10-22)
- Verify License Search — NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating & Fire Sprinkler Contractors (2026-10-22)