This is the City of Philadelphia, which is also Philadelphia County. Suburbs in Bucks, Montgomery and Delaware counties issue their own permits.
The rule and its three exemptions
L&I's Get a plumbing permit page (read 24 October 2026) covers installation, alteration, renewal, replacement and repair. It lists three things that need no plumbing permit:
| Work | Permit? |
|---|---|
| "Minor repairs with the same material. This includes replacing faucets, valves, and parts." | No |
| Removing and re-installing a toilet, if no pipes or fixtures are replaced or moved | No |
| "Stopping leaks and clearing stoppages" | No |
| A new or moved fixture, a water heater, a repiped stack or drain line, a new bathroom | Yes |
| Private water or sewer service | A Site Work / Utility Permit instead |
Water main and sewer connections and water meters need separate Philadelphia Water Department permits.
Who can pull it
Any property owner or authorized agent can apply; L&I names a licensed master plumber, a Pennsylvania design professional, an attorney and a licensed expediter as agents. The work itself must be overseen by a licensed master plumber with an active license, current City taxes and insurance on file with L&I. If anyone other than the master plumber files, the application needs a signed statement on the master plumber's letterhead. L&I's EZ permit page lists plumbing among the trades that always need the specific license, so the owner-occupant exception that applies to EZ building work does not reach plumbing.
What it costs
From the plumbing permit page, for a one- or two-family home:
| Fee item | One- or two-family home |
|---|---|
| Filing fee (credited to the permit fee) | $100 |
| Alterations | $50 for seven fixtures, $22.50 each additional |
| Water heater | $31 |
| Fixture replacement without piping | $31 |
| Waste or water line or stack repair or replacement | $37 per pipe |
| House drain, trap or fresh air inlet | $31 |
| Rough-in permit | $150 |
| City and State surcharges | $3 and $4.50 per permit |
The City's fee summary (revised July 2026) gives the same $50 and $22.50 alteration rates. Card payments carry a 2.10% surcharge.
How to apply and get it inspected
- The plumber (or you, with the master plumber's letter) applies in eCLIPSE, or in person by appointment at the Permit and License Center, 1401 John F. Kennedy Blvd.
- Most home jobs qualify as an EZ permit, with no plans: alterations in buildings with four or fewer dwellings, replacing fixtures with the same kind, pipe repair, water service and house drain work.
- Without plans, L&I reviews in person while you wait or usually within 5 business days online; with plans, within 20 business days. A water heater or house drain replacement filed by a licensed contractor is issued immediately (EZ permits).
- When the plumber is ready, request inspections in eCLIPSE or at (215) 255-4040. L&I issues a Certificate of Approval once all required inspections pass.
A renovation also needs a building permit; see the Philadelphia remodel permit guide.
What 20,008 Philadelphia plumbing permits show
From Philadelphia plumbing permits, residential permits issued October 2024 to September 2026:
| Measure | Philadelphia plumbing |
|---|---|
| Issued | 20,008 (35% of all residential permits) |
| Last 12 months / 12 months before | 10,244 / 9,764 (+5%) |
| Filed as Alterations / New Construction or Additions | 15,722 / 4,286 |
| Busiest / quietest month (index, 100 = average) | March (124) / November (83) |
| Completed, permits issued Oct 2024 to Sep 2025 | 78.0% (12.4% expired) |
| Usual days, issue to completed | 41 (middle half 13 to 190) |
| ZIPs with the most | 19146 (1,188), 19134 (1,083), 19143 (1,007) |
Plumbing permits close fast here: the usual one was marked completed in 41 days, against 80 for electrical and 162 for HVAC. One in eight expired instead, so ask the plumber to call for the final before the last payment. March is the busy month; November the slow one. Counts for every kind of work by year and month are on Philadelphia permit statistics, the rows are on browse Philadelphia permits, and permits by ZIP code splits them by neighbourhood.
Before you hire
Look up what is already permitted at your address in Atlas, using the Philadelphia building permit search guide, and check the firm's state registration with how to check a contractor's license in Pennsylvania. Rules elsewhere: plumbing repairs and a water heater. Costs: plumbing labor cost and water heater replacement cost.
What this does not tell you
The City's open file has no job value, so we show no costs, and we have not matched contractor names to licence records, so there are no firm lists. We count residential permits only; a home job filed as commercial is missing. Plumbing filed inside an EZ bathroom and kitchen remodel permit counts under remodels, not here.
How we know this
The permit rule, exemptions, applicant and master-plumber rules, fees, review times and inspection steps are from L&I's Get a plumbing permit and EZ permits pages, read 24 October 2026; alteration rates were checked against the City's fee summary revised July 2026. Our counts are L&I's Building and Zoning Permits file on OpenDataPhilly, read 19 October 2026: residential plumbing permits issued October 2024 to September 2026.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 19, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to replace a faucet or toilet in Philadelphia?
No, if it is like for like. L&I says no plumbing permit is needed for minor repairs with the same material, such as faucets, valves and parts, for removing and re-installing toilets when no pipes or fixtures are replaced or moved, or for stopping leaks and clearing stoppages.
- Can a homeowner pull a plumbing permit in Philadelphia?
A property owner can apply, but L&I says a licensed master plumber must oversee plumbing work. If the owner or another agent files, the application needs a signed statement on the master plumber's letterhead.
- How much is a plumbing permit in Philadelphia?
There is a $100 filing fee, credited to the permit fee. For a one- or two-family home, alterations are $50 for the first seven fixtures plus $22.50 for each more, a water heater is $31, and every permit adds a $3 City and $4.50 State surcharge.
- Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Philadelphia?
Yes. A water heater has its own line on L&I's plumbing fee list ($31 in a one- or two-family home), and the EZ permit page says a water heater replacement is issued immediately when a licensed contractor with current insurance and tax account applies.
- How long does a Philadelphia plumbing permit take?
Without plans, L&I reviews it while you wait in person or usually within 5 business days online. After issue, the usual residential plumbing permit issued October 2024 to September 2025 was marked completed 41 days later.
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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- Get a plumbing permit — City of Philadelphia (2026-10-24)
- Get permits without plans (EZ permits) — City of Philadelphia (2026-10-24)
- Summary of construction permit fees (PG 012), rev. July 2026 — City of Philadelphia (2026-10-24)
- Licenses and Inspections Building and Zoning Permits — OpenDataPhilly (2026-10-19)