The Saint Paul rule
DSI's Plumbing and Gas Permits page (read 23 October 2026) states the rule in one sentence, quoted above, and it has no exemption list: replacing counts as much as adding. So a water heater, a toilet moved a foot, a new hose bib or a gas line to a range all need the permit. The separate building-permit exemptions (painting, tiling, cabinets and countertops) do not reach the pipes behind them (When is a permit required?). Sewer and radon mitigation are their own permit categories on the same page.
Who can pull it
"Licensed Plumbing/Gas Fitter Contractors and Homesteading Homeowners can apply for Plumbing, Gas Fitting, and Inside Water Piping Permits." In Minnesota a plumbing contractor needs a DLI license with a $25,000 bond and a responsible master plumber (DLI).
The homeowner's permit sheet sets the owner's terms, citing Minnesota Statute 326B.46:
- The house is a one- or two-family dwelling you own and "ACTUALLY OCCUPIED" as a residence.
- A plumbing inspector approves the application before the permit is issued.
- All work is done by the permit holder, who buys the materials.
- You keep a working bathroom (toilet, sink, shower or tub), a kitchen-type sink and one bedroom throughout the job.
- You may have to run the air tests yourself.
DSI's 2023 plan review guideline said owner-occupants applied in person at 375 Jackson Street with ID. Since PAULIE launched, DSI's pages send all plumbing applications to PAULIE; if you are applying as a homeowner, call 651-266-8989 to check whether an in-person step remains.
Plan review: the five-fixture line
DSI's plan review guideline exempts a "minor remodel" on a one- or two-family home from plan review: work limited to "five or fewer fixture-types", such as "a water closet/lavatory installation in existing facilities". Anything beyond that, or anything that leaves code compliance in doubt, needs two sets of plumbing plans with riser diagrams before work starts.
What it costs
From DSI's plumbing application page, read 23 October 2026:
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Initial permit fee | $92 |
| Per unit, plumbing | $36 |
| Per unit, water | $6 |
| Per unit, gas | $34 |
| Gas unit over 100,000 BTU, each extra 100,000 BTU or part | $15 |
| State surcharge | $1 |
A like-for-like electric water heater is about $92 + $36 + $1 = $129; a 40,000 BTU gas water heater adds a gas unit, about $163. Work you add later goes on a new application that cites the original permit number.
Inspections
From the homeowner's sheet, and the same for contractors: piping is inspected "before it is concealed by walls, ceiling, floors, dirt, or concrete"; air tests may be required; and the "final test and approval after fixtures have been installed must be received by this department before fixtures are used". Inspections are now scheduled and tracked in PAULIE; the plumbing inspector's line is 651-266-9005, 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. After the final, the permit shows on the address in PAULIE's Find Property Information (how to search).
What 9,237 Saint Paul plumbing permits show
| Measure | Saint Paul plumbing |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 9,237 |
| Firms | 463 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months | 323 |
| Finaled (permits a year or more old) | 76.8% |
| Usual days from issue to final | 126 |
| Usual filed value | $2,500 |
| Middle half of firms' usual value | $2,000 to $4,800 |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm finished share (10+ permits) | 64.6% / 88.1% |
| Busiest / quietest month | October (127) / August (64) |
Saint Paul plumbers finish more reliably than the City's HVAC firms: the 10th-percentile plumbing firm with 10 or more permits finaled 64.6%, against 34.2% for HVAC, and 30 of 135 plumbing firms were under 70%. The usual filed value of $2,500 says most permits are small jobs. Price ranges are on Saint Paul plumbing cost; the counts by year are on Saint Paul permit statistics.
See every Saint Paul plumber by permits finaled →
Before you hire
Look the firm's DLI plumbing contractor license up by name or number (Saint Paul contractor license lookup), then open it on the Saint Paul plumber list. 36 plumbing firms in our file matched a DLI license that has since lapsed. Other cities' rules are in do I need a permit for plumbing repairs and water heaters; prices in plumbing labor cost and water heater replacement cost; the checklist in hiring a plumber.
What this does not tell you
The fees above are DSI's published rates; whether a fixture counts as one unit or two is the inspector's call, and PAULIE's invoice is final. Our file misses permits issued from about July to mid-September 2025 and anything done without a permit.
How we know this
Rules, fees and inspection terms are quoted from City of Saint Paul DSI pages and handouts read 23 October 2026; the state license terms from Minnesota DLI, read 22 October 2026. The water heater examples are our arithmetic from DSI's fee table. Permit counts are City of Saint Paul plumbing permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026; finished share uses permits a year or more old, and days to final is the middle permit's issue-to-final time.
Numbers come from City of Saint Paul building and trade permits (the City's old approved-permits file up to June 2025, and the City's PAULIE permit system since September 2025), with the contractor named on each permit, data through October 22, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How much is a plumbing permit in Saint Paul?
DSI's plumbing application page lists an initial permit fee of $92, plus $36 per plumbing unit, $6 per water unit and $34 per gas unit, $15 more for each 100,000 BTU over 100,000 on a gas unit, and a $1 state surcharge. A one-fixture job is $92 plus $36 plus $1.
- Can a homeowner pull a plumbing permit in Saint Paul?
Yes, if you own and actually occupy the one- or two-family house, under Minnesota Statute 326B.46. You sign the homeowner's affidavit, a plumbing inspector must approve the application first, and all the work must be done by you.
- Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Saint Paul?
DSI's rule covers anything that will 'install new, alter, replace, repair, relocate, reinstall, or change' the water, waste, vent or gas of a plumbing system, so a water heater swap is permit work. A gas water heater adds the gas unit fee.
- How long does a plumbing permit take to final in Saint Paul?
The usual Saint Paul plumbing permit in our file was finaled 126 days after it was issued, and 76.8% of plumbing permits a year or more old had been finaled.
- Does a bathroom remodel need plumbing plan review in Saint Paul?
Not if it is a 'minor remodel': DSI exempts owner-occupant and contractor permits on one- or two-family homes from plan review when the work is five or fewer fixture types, such as a toilet and sink in an existing bathroom. Bigger jobs send two sets of plumbing plans to DSI.
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 permit for plumbing repairs or a repipe? The rule in 13 cities
- 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 Tyler, TX? Yes: $6 a fixture, a $50 minimum, and a licensed plumber
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Waco? What's exempt, the homestead rule, fees and inspections
For one city
- Plumbing and Gas Permits — City of Saint Paul DSI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Apply for a Plumbing Permit (fees) — City of Saint Paul DSI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Homeowner's Plumbing Permit and Affidavit — City of Saint Paul DSI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Plumbing Plan Review and Inspections (2023) — City of Saint Paul DSI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Plumbing contractor licensing basics — Minnesota DLI (2026-10-22)