P-5Pipes · permits and plumbers
Plumbing permits and licensed plumbers in NYC
NYC plumbing permits and nearly all pipe and gas work go through a Licensed Master Plumber, who files in DOB NOW: Build; only small swaps from an exposed stop valve to the trap count as ordinary repairs.
Which building is yours?
- Prewar walk-upBuilding pipes and gas lines are the owner’s, so the owner hires the Licensed Master Plumber; tenants report problems rather than hiring a plumber.
- Brownstone or row houseYou may swap a faucet past an exposed stop valve; moving pipes, gas work or a new boiler needs a Licensed Master Plumber and a DOB filing.
- Co-op or condo high-riseWork inside your apartment still needs an LMP for any pipe or gas change; the proprietary lease and bylaws decide who pays for it.
- Two-family houseReplacing a gas water heater or boiler of 350,000 BTU or less needs no permit here, but a licensed plumber must do it and report it to DOB.
- New-build condoFixture swaps in your unit follow the same DOB rules; whether you or the board pays for pipe work is set by the condo’s bylaws and declaration.
What work needs a Licensed Master Plumber?
Almost all of it. The Admin Code makes it unlawful to do plumbing work unless you are a Licensed Master Plumber (LMP) or work under one’s "direct and continuing supervision", and plumbing work includes gas piping (2022 NYC Construction Codes, Ch. 4). DOB adds that altering, rearranging, relocating or permanently removing any piping must be supervised by an LMP, who pulls the permit and arranges the tests and inspections (DOB, Plumbing Permits).
Boilers are the same story. DOB says no boiler work can be done without a work permit or without hiring a Licensed Oil Burner Installer or an LMP (DOB, Project Requirements: Plumbing).
What can you do without a permit?
Ordinary repairs. The code lists them as repairing or replacing a fixture, piping or faucet "from any exposed stop valve to the inlet side of a trap" (2022 NYC Construction Codes, Ch. 1). They exclude any work on water distribution, sewer, drainage, soil, waste or vent piping, and any gas piping. Swapping like for like, say one sink for another, is what DOB calls cosmetic work, provided the shutoff valves and the trap are left unchanged.
In a rental, even that is the owner’s call. A tenant in a prewar walk-up reports the drip to the super; rent-regulated tenants cannot replace the owner’s equipment without written consent, according to HCR. If you are unsure whether a job is ordinary, ask the super, the owner, or a licensed plumber.
What is "ordinary plumbing work"?
It is a middle category: no permit, but a licensed plumber does it and files monthly reports with DOB. In residential buildings of five families or fewer it includes replacing a gas water heater, gas furnace or gas boiler of 350,000 BTU or less, where the appliance shutoff valve is not moved and the chimney is inspected. It also covers swapping gas ranges, ovens and dryers where the shutoff valve stays and is in good shape, moving up to two fixtures within 10 feet in the same room, and replacing a sump pump. These terms were changed by Local Law 142 of 2025, effective Feb 24, 2026.
For a two-family house or a brownstone, that is the rule that covers most water heater and boiler swaps.
| Job | DOB permit? | Who does it |
|---|---|---|
| Swap a faucet or toilet, valves and trap unchanged | No (ordinary repair) | Owner, or super in a rental |
| Replace a gas water heater, 5 families or fewer, 350,000 BTU or less | No, but reported (ordinary plumbing work) | Licensed plumber |
| Move, add or remove piping | Yes, filed in DOB NOW: Build | LMP |
| Any gas piping change | Yes | LMP |
| Boiler work | Permit, or a Licensed Oil Burner Installer or LMP | Licensed pro |
| Gas leak repair in an emergency | EWN within 2 business days after the work | LMP |
How are permits filed?
Plumbing filings and permits have gone through DOB NOW: Build since July 2019, with Limited Alteration Applications and Emergency Work Notifications there since Oct 15, 2018. Work beyond a Limited Plumbing Alteration needs drawings from a licensed engineer or architect. Most buildings’ gas piping also needs a Local Law 152 inspection every four years.
Emergencies get a grace period. DOB lets licensed contractors start emergency work, such as a gas leak repair or replacing residential heating or hot water equipment during heat season, before a permit, provided the plumber files an Emergency Work Notification no later than two business days once the job is finished (DOB, permit guide). Restoring gas after a shutoff follows its own steps, set out on gas shut off in your building.
Legend: the numbers on this plate
- 350,000 BTULargest gas water heater, furnace or boiler a licensed plumber may swap without a permit, buildings of 5 families or fewerDOB permit requirements
- 2 business daysDeadline to file an Emergency Work Notification once emergency work is doneDOB permit requirements
- 2019Year plumbing permits moved to DOB NOW: Build (July)DOB owner project requirements
How do you check a plumber’s license?
Use DOB’s License Search to confirm the license is active; it searches by name, business name or license number (DOB, Find Licensed Professionals). DOB also asks you to review disciplinary actions and voluntary surrenders, kept in its Know Your Construction Professional records from 1998 on, and it keeps a Contractor Watch List under Local Law 155 of 2017. A contractor doing fixture swaps as home improvement needs a separate Home Improvement Contractor license from the city’s consumer agency, DOB notes.
Look up your own building
- DOB License Search · whether a plumber’s license is active, plus disciplinary records
- DOB NOW Public Portal · permits and filings at your address, including emergency work notices
- DOB BIS · your building’s older DOB job filings and complaints
How does a licensed firm describe its work?
The listing below is from a plumbing and heating service company in Bucks and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, not New York. It is an example of how a licensed firm lays out its scope; Pennsylvania permits follow that state’s code, not DOB’s.
Who hires the plumber in each building?
The person who owns the pipe. In a co-op or condo high-rise, the board hires for risers and common lines, and the proprietary lease or bylaws decide the rest. In a new-build condo, the bylaws and declaration split the work between board and unit owner. Who fixes what goes through the split building by building.
Questions people ask
Can you replace your own toilet in NYC?
A direct swap that leaves the shutoff valves and trap alone is cosmetic work and needs no permit. In a rental, ask the owner or super first, because the fixtures are theirs.
Does a new water heater need a permit?
In a residential building of five families or fewer, replacing a gas water heater of 350,000 BTU or less is ordinary plumbing work: no permit, but a licensed plumber does it and reports it to DOB.
Can a handyman move a sink a few feet?
No. Moving a fixture is plumbing work. Even when it fits the ordinary plumbing work category, a licensed plumber does it and reports it to DOB.
What is an EWN?
An Emergency Work Notification, filed in DOB NOW: Build. It lets a licensed plumber start urgent work, such as a gas leak repair, before a permit, with the notice filed within two business days after the work.
How do you know the plumber is really licensed?
Look them up on DOB’s License Search and check DOB’s disciplinary records before you hire.
How this plate was drawn
Based on the 2022 NYC Construction Codes administrative and licensing chapters, DOB’s pages on plumbing permits, owner project requirements, permits in general and finding licensed professionals, and HCR’s essential services page, checked 11 Nov 2026. Rules for steam boiler inspections and LL152 filings sit on their own pages. The table of permit-exempt service equipment (1 RCNY §101-14) is not covered here. The Pennsylvania firm is shown for its description only; this site has no plumber to recommend.
Sources
- NYC DOB — 2022 Construction Codes, Ch. 4 Licensing · LMP requirement, gas piping as plumbing work · checked 11 Nov 2026
- NYC DOB — 2022 Construction Codes, Ch. 1 Administration · ordinary repairs, ordinary plumbing work · checked 11 Nov 2026
- NYC DOB — Plumbing Permits · what needs an LMP, cosmetic work · checked 11 Nov 2026
- NYC DOB — Permit requirements guide · emergency work notices, home improvement licenses · checked 11 Nov 2026
- DOB — finding a licensed professional (License Search) · License Search, disciplinary records · checked 11 Nov 2026
- HCR — essential services for regulated tenants · a regulated tenant needs the owner’s consent to swap equipment · checked 11 Nov 2026
Plate P-5 · revised 11 Nov 2026