Do you need a plumbing permit in Scottsdale?

The general rule: a plumbing permit is "Required to install, alter, reconstruct, or repair any plumbing system, gas system, or lawn sprinkler supply." The page then lists, under "Work that requires a Minimum Permit," the jobs that need only a Minimum Plumbing Permit:

• Repair or replacement of existing plumbing fixtures in the same location
• Water heater (gas or electric) replacement
• Replace water lines for single family residence
• Repair broken water lines
• Plumbing for a water softener
• Plumbing for hot water re-circulator
• Sewer line repair
• Connect a new irrigation system to your waterline

And under Gas Piping (Plumbing Permit): gas lines to exterior appliances such as a BBQ, pool heater, fire pit or fireplace, torches, gaslights and patio heaters; repair of a natural gas or propane line; and existing gas meter clearance. "These projects do not require a plan review, only a Minimum Permit application."

The no-permit list has a single plumbing entry: repairing or replacing "Existing landscape irrigation piping."

• Minimum Permit. A single-trade permit for single-family work, applied for in Scottsdale SPUR, checked by inspection instead of plan review.
• Minimum Combination. The same idea for work covering all trades, priced separately on the fee schedule.
• Same location. The fixture goes back where the old one was. Moving it is an alteration that falls under the broader plumbing permit rule.
• Lawn sprinkler supply. The page does not define it. A reasonable reading is the connection from the house water line to the irrigation system, as opposed to the irrigation piping downstream.

Homeowners, landlords and contractors working on Scottsdale single-family homes. Commercial plumbing also needs a plumbing permit, but the Permit Services page lists Minimum Permits under "Single Family Residential," and the Home Improvement page says other permitted projects "begin with plan review."

This does not apply to repairing or replacing existing landscape irrigation piping, which the city lists as work "that can be done by the homeowner, or their contracted professional, without a permit."

A North Scottsdale repipe. Pinhole leaks in copper lead the owner to repipe in PEX. The contractor applies for a Minimum Plumbing Permit in SPUR. No drawings, just the application, then inspections.

A backyard remodel. The masonry fire pit itself is on the courtesy-review list ("Building masonry outdoor fireplaces; fire pits and barbeques"). The gas line feeding it is not: exterior appliance gas lines are on the plumbing permit list. Two different approvals for one project.

The edge case. The sewer line under the yard cracks. The page lists "Sewer line repair" under the Minimum Plumbing Permit and "Repair of sewer" under Building Permits. Which path applies can turn on the scope, so ask Permit Services before you dig. Work in the street also needs a right-of-way permit; see Scottsdale's right-of-way rule.

1. 1Find your job on the Minimum Permit list. If it is there, no plans are needed.
2. 2Create a Scottsdale SPUR account and apply; search by permit type or keyword.
3. 3Budget the schedule fee: $121 for a one-discipline Minimum Permit, $379 for a Minimum Combination.
4. 4Schedule inspections in SPUR. The first inspection must happen within 180 days of issuance, and each later one within 180 days of the last.
5. 5For administrative questions, call the One Stop Shop at 480-312-7725.

• Myth: a faucet or toilet swap never needs a permit. Scottsdale lists fixture repair or replacement in the same location under the Minimum Plumbing Permit.
• Myth: anything outdoors is exempt. Only existing landscape irrigation piping is on the no-permit list. Connecting a new irrigation system to the waterline needs a permit.
• Myth: a permit means waiting on plan review. Minimum Permits skip plan review.
• Myth: the fine for skipping it is small. Work completed without a permit "will be fined an amount equal to double the permit fee."

The city fines unpermitted work at double the permit fee. The Building Official may reactivate an expired permit at no charge within 90 days for justifiable cause; after that, reactivation is charged per the fee schedule.