Planning / Permit or No permit

Permit or no permit?

Whether you need a permit for plumbing depends on your city, not a national rule. Stopping a leak needs none in Chicago, while replacing the pipe does. Before work starts, ask the local building department and put the answer in the contract.

Updated November 4, 2026. Sources are listed at the foot of this page.

Find your line

• If pipe in Chicago is being removed and replacedPermitChicago lists replacing water, drain, soil, waste or vent pipe as permit work.
• If a leak in Chicago is only being stoppedNo permitChicago's list of exempt work includes stopping a leak.
• If a licensed contractor is swapping an electric heater in PhoenixNo permitPhoenix says none is required with a licensed contractor; doing it yourself needs one.
• If you are adding a new fixture in Portland, OregonPermitPortland requires one, and also for replacements with concealed connections.
• If nobody can say which rule appliesPermitAsk the building department in writing before work starts, then decide from the answer.

Where does each city draw the line?

Sources for this table: Boston, San Diego, Phoenix, Portland, Chicago

Which facts could flip the permit question?

• You are in another city. None of these rules travel; ask locally and check state rules.
• The job grows once a wall opens. A stopped leak can become a pipe replacement, which changes the answer in Chicago.
• The heater changes type. San Diego's simple permit covers water heater replacements except tankless.
• You plan to do the work yourself. Phoenix treats that differently from a licensed swap.
• A firm suggests skipping the permit to save money. Ask them to put that in writing and see what happens.

What does a permit cost, and what does skipping one cost?

No dated permit fee was found for any city on this page, so no figure appears here. Fees are set locally. Get the real number from the building department, and ask the plumber whether the estimate includes it. A written estimate, by the FTC's account, covers work, materials, finish date and price, and the permit fits naturally on that list.

There is also no official statement of the risk of unpermitted work among the sources found for this site. Claims that an insurer will deny a claim, or that a sale will fall through, may be repeated online, but no regulator page found here states them, so this page does not present them as fact. Ask your insurance agent and your local building office what applies to you.

What can be said is narrower. In New York, the attorney general advises holding final payment until "all required inspections and certificates of occupancy are finalized." That gives you a practical checkpoint in that state. For a job where the scope may grow, repair or repipe sets out the larger decision.

Who pulls the permit, and who answers for it?

The answer varies again. In Boston, it must be a contractor with a valid Massachusetts trade license for water heaters and boilers. In San Diego, homeowners, property owners and licensed contractors can all obtain simple permits. In California, a home improvement contract must say who gets the permits, and the state board has a form to report a contractor who fails to pull one.

In New York, the attorney general says that even with a contractor handling permits, "you should know them as well," and points homeowners to the local building department. That advice travels well as judgement: whoever files, you are the one living with the result. This is general information, not legal advice.

If the permit would go in your name, ask the office what that means locally before you agree. To confirm who is doing the work, use licensed or unlicensed.

Also asked

Do you need a permit to replace a water heater?

It depends on the city. Boston limits applications to licensed trade contractors. San Diego offers a simple permit, except for tankless. Phoenix needs one for a do-it-yourself electric heater, but not with a licensed contractor. Ask your local building department. Timing is on the water heater page.

Will insurance refuse a claim on unpermitted plumbing?

No official statement on this was found for this site, in either direction. Rather than rely on what circulates online, ask your own agent in writing how your policy treats it. The answer can differ by insurer and by state.

Can a homeowner pull a plumbing permit instead of the plumber?

In some places. San Diego allows it for simple permits. Boston does not for water heaters and boilers, where a licensed trade contractor must apply. Ask your city's office before agreeing to file it yourself.

What can California homeowners do if a contractor skipped the permit?

The contract should have said who gets permits, and the state contractor board has a form for reporting a contractor who fails to pull one. For the wider process, see complaint routes.

Sources

1. Install or Replace a Water Heater or Boiler, City of Boston Boston licensed trade contractor rule
2. Simple Plumbing Permit, City of San Diego San Diego homeowner permits, tankless exception
3. Resident Plan Reviews, City of Phoenix Phoenix electric water heater rule
4. Residential Permits, City of Portland Portland fixtures and concealed connections
5. Plumbing Work Without a Permit, City of Chicago Chicago leak versus pipe replacement
6. Filing a Complaint, CSLB California report form for unpulled permits
7. What Is a Contract, CSLB California contract must name who gets permits
8. Hiring a Home Improvement Contractor, New York AG Homeowners should know the permits too
9. Home Improvement Advice, New York AG Inspections finalized before final payment