This covers the city, which is also Orleans Parish. Jefferson, St. Bernard and St. Tammany parishes have their own offices.
The rule
From the City's Guide to Building Permits and the Sewerage and Water Board's Plumbing Information page (both read 24 October 2026):
| What the rule says | Source | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| A plumbing permit is needed to remove or replace any water piping or plumbing fixture | City | A toilet, sink, faucet set, shower valve or repipe is permit work |
| "Only your Orleans Parish licensed master plumber may apply for this permit" | City | No homeowner permit is described |
| "A Licensed Master Plumber (registered with sewerage and water board) is required to file a plumbing permit" | Sewerage and Water Board | The plumber must be registered with the Board |
| "Plumbing Permits are issued through the City of New Orleans One Stop" | Sewerage and Water Board | Filed and searched in the One Stop App |
| Gas-fired equipment, heaters and gas lines need a mechanical permit from "the appropriate City-licensed contractor" | City | A gas water heater or new gas line is a separate gas permit |
| Work covered before inspection "shall be uncovered for inspection"; failure to comply "shall result in water service interruption" | Sewerage and Water Board | Do not close walls before the inspection |
The City's building-permit exemptions include replacing cabinets and countertops only "when it does not also include replacement of plumbing fixtures"; a kitchen with a new sink is plumbing work. Plumbing fees are charged by the Sewerage and Water Board separately from City building permit fees; we could not find the Board's published fee table, so ask the plumber for the permit cost on the quote.
How to apply and get it inspected
- Your master plumber files the permit in the One Stop App.
- Inspection. The Board says inspections "shall be conducted for all new work, and such portions of existing systems as may be affected by new work."
- Gas. A gas water heater, gas line or gas appliance needs the City's mechanical (gas) permit, pulled by the appropriate City-licensed contractor.
- Check it closed. Search the address in the One Stop App; a finished permit shows as Finaled or with a certificate.
What 7,492 plumbing and gas permits show
| Measure | New Orleans residential plumbing and gas |
|---|---|
| Permits, October 2024 to September 2026 | 7,492 (27% of all residential permits) |
| October 2024–September 2025 / October 2025–September 2026 | 3,649 / 3,843 (+5%) |
| Plumbing permits / Mechanical Fuel Gas permits | 3,918 (52%) / 3,574 (48%) |
| Usual days, issue to final (permits from October 2024 to September 2025) | 41 (middle half 8 to 158) |
| Finished / expired, same permits | 77.8% / 0.5% |
| Usual declared value | $750 (middle half $400 to $2,000), from 3,504 permits with one |
| Busiest / quietest month | May (110) / January (86) |
| ZIPs with the most | 70117 (802), 70115 (770), 70118 (758), 70122 (666) |
Almost half of these are gas permits, which in the City's file include gas lines, water heaters and the gas test needed after a house has sat empty. The usual declared value of $750 says most are small jobs, and a quarter of those that reached a final did so within 8 days. Filing barely moves with the seasons (86 to 110). 70117 leads, just ahead of 70115 and 70118. Monthly counts are on New Orleans plumbing permits, times for every kind of work on how long a permit takes in New Orleans, counts by year on New Orleans permit statistics, and the rows on browse New Orleans permits.
Before you hire
Search the plumber's name or the address in the One Stop App, as the New Orleans building permit search guide shows. Elsewhere: do I need a permit for plumbing repairs, a water heater and a gas line; labor rates in plumbing labor cost.
What this does not tell you
Our counts cover single-family homes, two-family homes and doubles only. Days to final run from issue, not from application, and permits marked Closed count as finished without adding days. More than half of these permits carry no declared value. We have not matched plumbers' names to license records, so we do not rank them.
How we know this
The permit rules are quoted from the City of New Orleans' Guide to Building Permits and the Sewerage and Water Board's Plumbing Information page, both read 24 October 2026. Our figures are the City's NOLA Permits BLDS file, read 18 October 2026: residential plumbing and gas permits issued October 2024 to September 2026; time to final uses permits issued October 2024 to September 2025.
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 replace a toilet or sink in New Orleans?
Yes. The City's Guide to Building Permits says a plumbing permit is needed to remove or replace any water piping or plumbing fixture, and only an Orleans Parish licensed master plumber may apply for it.
- Who issues plumbing permits in New Orleans?
The Sewerage and Water Board's plumbing department regulates them, but the Board says plumbing permits are issued through the City of New Orleans One Stop, so they are filed and looked up in the One Stop App like other permits.
- Can a homeowner pull a plumbing permit in New Orleans?
No route for homeowners is published. The City says only your Orleans Parish licensed master plumber may apply, and the Sewerage and Water Board says a licensed master plumber registered with the Board is required to file one.
- Does a gas water heater or gas line need a permit in New Orleans?
Yes. The City treats gas-fired equipment and gas lines as mechanical permits pulled by the appropriate City-licensed contractor. In the City's file these Mechanical Fuel Gas permits were 3,574 of the 7,492 plumbing and gas permits.
- How long does a plumbing permit take to final in New Orleans?
The usual plumbing or gas permit issued October 2024 to September 2025 reached the City's final 41 days after it was issued; the middle half took 8 to 158 days, and 77.8% had finished by October 2026.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
Related guides
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
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- Do I need a permit to build a house in Albuquerque? GB-2 or homeowner, the plan set and the fee
- Do I need a solar permit in Albuquerque? Building and electrical permits, the engineer triggers and the fee
- Guide to Building Permits — City of New Orleans (2026-10-24)
- Plumbing Information — Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (2026-10-24)
- One Stop App — City of New Orleans (2026-10-24)
- Permits - BLDS (data.nola.gov, 72f9-bi28) — City of New Orleans (2026-10-18)