What needs a permit, and who can do it
From Portland Permitting & Development's residential plumbing permits and do you need a permit pages (read 24 October 2026):
| Needs a permit | No permit |
|---|---|
| Repairing or relocating piping | Fixing or maintaining existing fixtures or parts |
| Installing new fixtures, or replacing one that "involves concealed plumbing connections" | Replacing items that don't use water, such as a toilet seat |
| Replacing a water heater | Replacing accessible fixtures for emergency repairs |
| Installing or replacing a water service line | Removing and reinstalling a toilet to put in new flooring |
| Installing or capping a sewer line (needs plans) |
"Homeowners can do their own plumbing work," the City says, if they are the recorded owner and not an LLC. Contractors need a license from the Oregon State Plumbing Board, or from the Landscaping Contractors Board for backflow devices. Swapping a metal water line for plastic may also need an electrical permit and a new grounding electrode.
How to apply and get it inspected
- Apply on DevHub, the City's fastest route; email and in-person applications use the PDF form. Sewer and sewage ejection permits need plans and cannot go through DevHub. The City says the application takes 15 minutes and the permit is issued within 24 hours after payment.
- Call for the rough-in inspection before covering any pipe: "Do not cover work until approved."
- Finish with the "399 Final Plumbing Permit" inspection, without which the permit stays open. A permit expires if more than 180 days pass between inspections.
Fees depend on the fixtures and the work; the City's page points to its fee schedule under "Plumbing permit" and lists no amounts.
What 15,031 Portland plumbing permits show
| Measure | Portland plumbing permits |
|---|---|
| Issued October 2024 to September 2026 | 15,031 (20% of all permits) |
| October 2024 to September 2025 / October 2025 to September 2026 | 6,938 / 8,093 (17% more) |
| Residential 1 & 2 family plumbing | 9,553 (64%) |
| Single-family sewer repair / sewer connection | 1,744 / 431 |
| Finished, permits issued October 2024 to September 2025 | 97.7% (0.7% expired) |
| Usual days, issue to final | 26 (middle half 9 to 96) |
| Busiest / quietest calendar month (index) | April (112) / December (82) |
| ZIPs with the most | 97206 (1,185), 97202 (1,133), 97219 (1,058) |
Plumbing is the quickest Portland trade to close: 26 days against 36 for electrical and 29 for HVAC. About one in nine plumbing permits is a single-family sewer repair, filed under the City's BES (Environmental Services) permit types. Monthly counts are on Portland plumbing permits, timing on how long a Portland permit takes, the totals on Portland permit statistics, and the rows on browse Portland permits.
Before you hire
Check a plumbing contractor's CCB license as How to check a contractor's license in Oregon shows, and the permits already on the house with the Portland building permit search guide. Other cities' rules are in do I need a permit for plumbing repairs and to replace a water heater; labor rates in plumbing labor cost.
What this does not tell you
The City's file names no contractor and carries no value on plumbing permits, so we show counts and timing, not firm rankings or costs.
How we know this
Rules, exemptions and inspection steps are quoted from Portland Permitting & Development's residential plumbing permits and do-you-need-a-permit pages, read 24 October 2026. Our counts are the City's PortlandMaps All Permits layer, read 18 October 2026: plumbing and sewer permits issued October 2024 to September 2026 inside the City of Portland; finished share and days to final use 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 water heater in Portland, Oregon?
Yes. Portland Permitting & Development lists replacing a water heater as plumbing work that needs a permit. Gas piping between the meter and an appliance is separate mechanical permit work.
- Can a homeowner do their own plumbing in Portland?
Yes. The City says 'Homeowners can do their own plumbing work' if they are the recorded property owner and not an LLC. Contractors need a license from the Oregon State Plumbing Board, or the Landscaping Contractors Board for backflow devices.
- What plumbing work doesn't need a permit in Portland?
Fixing or maintaining existing fixtures or parts, replacing items that don't use water such as a toilet seat, replacing accessible fixtures for an emergency repair, and pulling and resetting a toilet to lay new flooring.
- Do I need a permit to replace a sewer line in Portland?
Yes. Installing or capping a sewer line needs a permit, and because sewer permits need plans they cannot be applied for on DevHub. 1,744 single-family sewer repair permits were issued from October 2024 to September 2026.
- How long does a Portland plumbing permit take?
Permits are issued within 24 hours after payment, the City says. In our file the usual plumbing permit issued October 2024 to September 2025 reached final 26 days after issue, with the middle half between 9 and 96 days.
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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