# Do you need a permit to repipe a house in San Francisco?

> Yes. How San Francisco repipe permits work: what DBI requires, who files on PermitSF, fees by category, inspections, and Daly City and South SF rules.

URL: https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/guide/san-francisco-repiping-permit/

Learn

Yes, and the permit shapes the job: who files it, which fee category applies, when the inspector comes and what the inspector looks for before a single wall is closed.

Last Updated: October 30, 2026

Yes. San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection requires a plumbing permit “before cutting into or replacing pipes, particularly pipes that will be covered by a wall or buried in the ground.” A contractor with a qualifying license files it on PermitSF, the house permit is $549, or $809 with underground work, and the new pipe is inspected before any wall is closed.

[Hilltop Repipe San Francisco](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/) manages repipes under that permit across San Francisco, Daly City and South San Francisco, with the work carried out by licensed and insured contractors who hold the C-36 or C-4 license a San Francisco plumbing permit requires and who pull the permit. This guide covers what needs a permit, who can file it, what it costs, how inspection works and how the two neighboring cities differ.

Key takeaways

- DBI requires a permit before pipe is cut into or replaced, especially pipe a wall or the ground will cover.
- New plumbing permits without plans are filed and inspections scheduled only on PermitSF.
- Contractors need a C-36 or C-4 license (B after scope review); only owners living in a stand-alone single-family house may pull their own.
- A house permit is $549, or $809 with underground work; each condo and apartment unit needs its own permit.
- Inspection comes before the walls close; a re-inspection costs $259 per half hour.

## What needs a permit

DBI’s rule is short: a permit is needed before cutting into or replacing pipes. A repipe always does both. San Francisco’s plumbing code lists the work that is exempt, and the exemptions all turn on not cutting pipe:

- Repairing a leak that does not require cutting into or removing pipe.
- Replacing or repairing a faucet, angle stop or hose bibb without cutting into or removing pipe.
- Replacing a toilet, unless it uses alternate water piping.
- Removing piping, but only after its supply has been disconnected under a permit.

So clamping a pinhole is exempt, while cutting out a section and splicing in new pipe is not; the [pipe repair](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/pipe-repair/) page covers both. The [repipe vs repair guide](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/guide/repipe-vs-repair/) covers where that line falls in practice.

## Who can file the permit

DBI lets contractors holding a C-4, C-16, C-20, C-36, C-54, B or A license apply for plumbing and mechanical permits. For plumbing, that means C-36 plumbing or C-4, with a B general contractor allowed after the scope is reviewed. An owner may pull a plumbing permit and do the work only in a stand-alone single-family house the owner lives in, and only after talking with an inspector, who may still require a licensed contractor. Owners of flats, condos and apartment buildings cannot pull their own.

Since September 14, 2026, new plumbing and mechanical permits that need no plans are applied for, and inspections scheduled, only on PermitSF. Paper applications are no longer accepted and there is no paper job card.

## What it costs

DBI prices plumbing permits by category, set by the number of units and whether underground work is included. The fees below apply to permits issued on and after July 12, 2026.

| Category | What it covers | Fee |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1P | Single residential unit: water service, sewer replacement, a single fixture or a single kitchen or bath remodel (up to two inspections) | $290 |
| 2PA | Residential, six or fewer units, without underground plumbing (up to three inspections) | $549 |
| 2PB | The same, with underground plumbing (up to four inspections) | $809 |
| 3PA | 7 to 12 units (up to five inspections) | $1,045 |
| 3PB | 13 to 36 units (up to eight inspections) | $2,104 |
| 3PC | More than 36 units (up to 30 inspections) | $8,679 |
| Re-inspection | A failed or additional inspection | $259 per half hour |
| Hourly | Work not covered by a category, regular hours | $519 per hour |
| Off-hours inspection | Two- or four-hour minimums | $555 per hour |

Which category a particular repipe falls under is confirmed when the permit is filed. On the record, practice varies: among 273 DataSF permit descriptions from 2021 to 2025 that describe a water repipe, 106 were filed as 1P, 29 as 2PA, 30 as 2PB and 102 with no category stated. Fees are paid before final signoff. The [repipe cost guide](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/guide/repiping-cost/) shows how the permit fits into the total.

## One permit or several

DBI requires a separate permit for each structure, each condominium unit and each existing apartment unit. In a three-flat building, that can mean three permits; recent PermitSF filings include a run of per-unit repipe permits at a single apartment building. Plumbing and mechanical work need separate permits, and a kitchen or bath remodel filed on PermitSF generates its own plumbing and electrical permits. Gas piping is covered in the [gas line permit guide](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/guide/gas-line-permit-san-francisco/).

Some repipes touch other agencies. Where plastic replaces metal water pipe, a licensed electrician confirms the electrical bonding, possibly under a separate electrical permit. Replacing the owner’s service line and opening the public sidewalk needs a Public Works excavation permit, about $802 for a small project. The [water service line replacement](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/water-service-line-replacement/) page covers that line.

## Inspection

The rule is simple: inspect before covering. The new system is pressure tested first ([how long a repipe takes](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/guide/how-long-does-repiping-take/) shows where this falls in the schedule), with water at working pressure or air at 50 psi or more held for at least 15 minutes without leakage, and the inspector sees it before any wall closes. Each permit category includes a maximum number of inspections, and a failed or extra inspection costs $259 per half hour.

The inspector checks the work against the 2025 San Francisco Plumbing Code, the state code with local amendments, in force since January 1, 2026. For a repipe, the local amendments that matter most are:

- A fullway valve where the supply enters, a separate valve for each building on the lot and a valve on each water heater’s cold supply.
- Shutoffs in each dwelling unit, so its hot and cold can be turned off without interrupting the others; a remodeled unit has to meet the rule.
- A control valve ahead of each fixture’s hot and cold supply.
- Dielectric or insulating fittings, or brass nipples at least 6 inches long, where copper meets steel.
- Air chambers at quick-closing valves such as single-handle faucets and shower valves.
- A backflow assembly near the meter for buildings four or more stories tall, or where the supply rises more than 40 feet above the meter.

State code adds a pressure regulator with a strainer and an expansion tank where static pressure exceeds 80 psi, and water heater straps in the upper and lower thirds of the tank. Material choice is not restricted locally: PEX and copper are both listed in the state code, as the [guide to whether PEX is allowed in California](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/guide/is-pex-allowed-in-california/) explains.

## Rules that come with opening walls

Two other sets of rules travel with the permit in older buildings. Paint in pre-1979 buildings is presumed to contain lead, and the San Francisco Existing Building Code requires containment, signs, three business days’ notice to residents and HEPA cleanup for work that disturbs it in rentals and shared buildings. In buildings of one to four units, the air district requires asbestos sampling before textured or skim-coated walls are disturbed. In an occupied rental, if a unit would be uninhabitable during the work, the Rent Board requires permits to be issued before any temporary-eviction notice is served. The [apartment building repiping](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/apartment-building-repiping/) page covers those jobs.

## Daly City and South San Francisco

San Francisco’s permit, fees and local amendments stop at the county line.

**Daly City.** The Building Division’s online portal lists a “Water Pipe Replacement” permit type for water pipe repair and replacement at a residential property. Fees under the city’s master fee schedule include $101 to issue a plumbing permit, $56.50 for each water piping item and $14 per fixture. The rough plumbing inspection comes after the water piping is installed and tested, before walls are covered. Plumbing outside the building, including the service line, is inspected by the city’s water and wastewater department rather than the Building Division. Contractors need a Daly City business license. The [Daly City page](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/service-areas/daly-city/) covers repipes there.

**South San Francisco.** The Building Division requires a plumbing permit to install, alter, repair or replace any plumbing system, and treats replacing defective concealed water pipe as new work needing a permit and inspection. Permits are applied for online, priced per trade by job valuation, and a repipe is not on the city’s over-the-counter list, so the application path is confirmed per project. Work stays exposed until it is approved, and contractors need a South San Francisco business license. The [South San Francisco page](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/service-areas/south-san-francisco/) covers repipes there.

Across California, plumbing permits are issued by the city or county where the building is, so the answer to whether a repipe needs one is given locally; in all three cities here, it does.

## Looking up a permit

DataSF publishes DBI’s plumbing permits, and DBI’s legacy permit tracking system still holds older permits and inspection scheduling for them. A past repipe permit shows what was replaced and when, which helps when [buying a house with galvanized pipes](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/guide/buying-a-house-with-galvanized-pipes/) or deciding how much of a system is original.

For a repipe scoped, permitted and inspected in San Francisco, Daly City or South San Francisco, call or send the form. The [whole-house repiping](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/whole-house-repiping/) page describes the work.

## Questions about this guide

### Can I look up past plumbing permits for a San Francisco house?

Yes. DataSF publishes DBI's plumbing permit records, searchable by address, and DBI's legacy permit tracking system still holds older permits. Permits filed since PermitSF took over are tracked there. A past repipe permit, or the lack of one, is useful when buying a house or deciding how much of the system is original.

### Can repipe work start before the permit is issued?

No. DBI requires the permit before pipe is cut into or replaced, so it is filed on PermitSF and issued before work begins. In an occupied rental where a unit would have to be vacated, the Rent Board also requires permits to be issued before any temporary-eviction notice is served.

### What happens if a repipe fails its city inspection?

The inspector lists the corrections, the contractor makes them, and the work is inspected again before the walls close. In San Francisco a re-inspection costs $259 per half hour. That is one reason the new system is pressure tested and checked against the code before the inspector arrives.

## Related service

### Whole-house repiping

Every hot and cold supply line from the main valve to each fixture, in PEX or copper, tested and inspected.

Whole-house repiping

## More guides

- Learn [How does repiping a house work?](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/guide/repiping-guide/)The whole picture in one place: what the water supply system is, what San Francisco buildings were piped with and why it fails here, how a repipe is scoped, permitted, installed, tested and lived through, and what to ask before agreeing to one.
- Cost Guide [How much does it cost to repipe a house in San Francisco?](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/guide/repiping-cost/)Typical San Francisco-area ranges for a whole-house repipe by number of baths, what sits inside the price, the permit fees by city, the programs that help and why two quotes for the same house can differ.
- Learn [How long does it take to repipe a house?](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/guide/how-long-does-repiping-take/)A repipe runs in stages: scope, permit, new lines, cut-over, test, inspection, patching. The pipe work is only one of them, and the building decides how long each one takes.
- Learn [Is PEX allowed in California?](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/guide/is-pex-allowed-in-california/)PEX is listed in the California Plumbing Code for drinking water, and San Francisco adds no restriction. The state does attach a few conditions of its own, and one of them works in a repipe's favor.
- Learn [Do you need a permit for gas line work in San Francisco?](https://hilltoprepipesanfrancisco.com/guide/gas-line-permit-san-francisco/)Gas piping is the plumbing job where the permit decides whether the gas comes back on. What DBI requires, what the test and inspection involve, how the release to PG&E works, and how the rules shift in Daly City and South San Francisco.