Austin Plumbing Permit Requirements

When you DO NOT need a permit

• Stand-alone plumbing permits (Repairs, Change Out, Irrigation, Auxiliary Water, Abandon Septic and Connect to Sewer Tap, New Construction in ETJ) do not require a formal plan review by review staff.
• Austin maintains a separate 'Work Exempt from Building Permits' list referenced by DSD, but its contents were not included in the fetched pages and must be confirmed at the city's Work Exempt from Building Permits page.
• Use the city's 'Do I Need A Permit?' interactive tool to confirm whether a specific project requires a permit based on jurisdiction, property type, and scope.

Required permits and forms

• Contractor registration with City of Austin
  Must be registered as a contractor before applying for any stand-alone plumbing permit. Registration is done through the Contractor Registration webpage.
• Plumbing permit (stand-alone trade permit)
  Austin issues separate stand-alone plumbing permit types depending on scope: Plumbing Repairs, Plumbing Change Out, Plumbing Irrigation, Plumbing Auxiliary Water, Plumbing Abandon Septic Tank and Connect to City Sewer Tap, and Plumbing New Construction in ETJ.
• Application via AB+C Portal
  Most stand-alone plumbing permits (Repairs, Change Out, Irrigation, Auxiliary Water, Abandon Septic and Connect to Sewer Tap) are applied for through the AB+C Portal. Plumbing New Construction in ETJ uses the Stand-Alone Trade Permit Web Form.
• Water/Wastewater Tap permit (Austin Water)
  Required separately for permanent water and/or wastewater service, permanent water meter installation, reclaimed water service line and meter, or temporary hydrant/truck-mounted water meters. Applied via AB+C Portal.
• On-Site Sewage Facility (septic) permit
  Required for septic tank work within the City of Austin full purpose jurisdiction and annexed areas. Submit completed documents via email to OSSF.

Fees

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Typical timeline

Timeline varies by project complexity; the city does not publish a typical range.

Contractor licensing

Austin requires the applicant to be registered as a contractor with the City of Austin before applying for any stand-alone plumbing permit, per the Contractor Registration webpage referenced on the Types of Permits page. The fetched pages do not state Texas state plumbing license requirements, though Texas state law (administered by the TSBPE) generally requires a state Master or Journeyman Plumber license to perform plumbing work; this is not directly sourced from the Austin pages provided.

Apply online

Contact

Austin Development Services (DSD), Permitting and Development Center (PDC). Phone: 512-978-4000 during business hours, 3-1-1 after hours. Walk-in services and appointments available at the PDC.

Sources

• https://www.austintexas.gov/dsd
• https://www.austintexas.gov/development-services/types-permits