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Plumbing permits in Norfolk, VA

Data through September 2026 · updated 19 Oct 2026

2,609 plumbing permits were issued in Norfolk, October 2024 through September 2026: about 1,304 a year and 20% of all permits. 1,444 plumbing permits in the last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026), 24% more than the 1,165 in the 12 months before. The busiest month is March. The usual one took 16 days from issue to the city's final. 23518 has the most, 416.

2,609permits issued
1,444last 12 months
Marbusiest month
16days, usual issue to final
80%finished
$2,550usual declared value
Sep 2026records through

Plumbing permits by month

Permits issued each month, October 2024 through September 2026.

Oct 2024: 105Oct2024Nov 2024: 78Dec 2024: 110Jan 2025: 120Jan2025Feb 2025: 92Mar 2025: 117Apr 2025: 97May 2025: 77Jun 2025: 92Jul 2025: 91JulAug 2025: 116Sep 2025: 70Oct 2025: 95Nov 2025: 83Dec 2025: 97Jan 2026: 98Jan2026Feb 2026: 119Mar 2026: 198Apr 2026: 141May 2026: 119Jun 2026: 147Jul 2026: 111JulAug 2026: 127Sep 2026: 109
The same numbers as a table
MonthPermits
Oct 2024105
Nov 202478
Dec 2024110
Jan 2025120
Feb 202592
Mar 2025117
Apr 202597
May 202577
Jun 202592
Jul 202591
Aug 2025116
Sep 202570
Oct 202595
Nov 202583
Dec 202597
Jan 202698
Feb 2026119
Mar 2026198
Apr 2026141
May 2026119
Jun 2026147
Jul 2026111
Aug 2026127
Sep 2026109

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When plumbing permits are filed

By calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line). March is the busiest (145), November the quietest (74). A busy month at the permit counter usually means a longer wait for a contractor.

January: 100 (100 = an average month)February: 97 (100 = an average month)March: 145 (100 = an average month)145April: 109 (100 = an average month)May: 90 (100 = an average month)June: 110 (100 = an average month)July: 93 (100 = an average month)August: 112 (100 = an average month)September: 82 (100 = an average month)October: 92 (100 = an average month)November: 74 (100 = an average month)December: 95 (100 = an average month)JFMAMJJASOND
The same numbers as a table
MonthIndex
January100
February97
March145
April109
May90
June110
July93
August112
September82
October92
November74
December95

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How long a plumbing permit takes

Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, at least 12 months before the file ends. Usual days is the middle permit among the 936 with a final date.

MeasureValue
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 20251,165
Finished80.3%
Expired18.3%
Usual days, issue to final16
Middle half, days5–102

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What a plumbing permit is declared at

The value written on the permit at application, from 2,539 permits with one. Not a quote and not the final bill.

MeasureValue
Usual declared value$2,550
Middle half$1,200–$5,000

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ZIP codes with the most plumbing permits

Counted at the property's ZIP code. Share is the part of the city's 2,609 plumbing permits.

ZIP codePermitsShare
2351841616%
2350537915%
2350337514%
2351331812%
2350826210%
235022158%
235092038%
235041998%
23507833%
23523683%

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The city's own permit types

How the city filed these permits. We group its types into kinds of work; this is the split.

Permit typePermitsShare
Plumbing: Replacement1,82670%
Plumbing: New78330%

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How Norfolk compares with other cities

From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.

How these numbers are made

Source: City of Norfolk Open Data, Permits (data.norfolk.gov, dataset fahm-yuh4), read 19 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.

Residential permits the City of Norfolk issues inside the city: building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and demolition permits for single-family homes, duplexes, townhouses and their garages and sheds. Commercial permits, zoning permits and short-term rental inspections in the same file are not counted. Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth and the other Hampton Roads cities run their own permit offices and are not in this file.

  • The city's file names no contractor, so there are no contractor lists, rankings or firm pages for Norfolk.
  • The city files roof replacements and rooftop solar under one work type. We count a permit of that type as solar when the city issued an electrical permit under it, and as roofing when it did not.
  • A new house or a big renovation gets separate building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, so one project can count several times, once under each kind of work.
  • The value is the project cost declared on the permit. The ZIP code comes from the city assessor's record for the parcel.

Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:

Contractor Records, "Plumbing permits in Norfolk, VA", https://contractorrecords.com/norfolk/plumbing-permits, data through September 2026, from the City of Norfolk Development Services Center building-permit records.

Link to a table: By month · Season · Days to final · Declared value · By ZIP code · Permit types.

Download the tables (CSV): Plumbing permits by month · Plumbing permits by calendar month (index) · Plumbing permits: days to final · Plumbing permits: declared value · Plumbing permits by ZIP code · Plumbing permits by permit type.

Common questions

  • How many plumbing permits does Norfolk issue a year?About 1,304 a year in Norfolk: 2,609 permits issued October 2024 through September 2026, 1,444 of them in the last 12 months.
  • How long does a plumbing permit take in Norfolk?The usual one took 16 days from issue to the city's final inspection, and the middle half took 5 to 102 days (936 permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 that reached a final). The wait to get the permit issued is not in this file.
  • When do people in Norfolk file the most plumbing permits?March (145 against an average month of 100); November is the quietest (74). If you can choose, a quiet month at the permit counter can mean contractors have more room in their schedules.
  • Which ZIP code has the most plumbing permits in Norfolk?23518, with 416 of the 2,609 (16%); then 23505 (379).