Verified against the city’s published rules · page updated October 21, 2026 · rules change — confirm with the city before applying
A Conroe plumbing permit is a $75.00 base fee plus a charge for each inspection the job needs. For a work area under 1,000 square feet, each plumbing inspection is $15.00. A water heater replacement has its own line at $75.00, inspection included. Re-inspections run $75.00, then $100.00, then $150.00, then $300.00 for the same failure.
Those figures are in Exhibit A to the City of Conroe’s Ordinance No. 2756-25, passed on November 13, 2025 and effective “immediately upon adoption”. The city’s permit page says the new fees “are now reflected within the new permitting system.”
Everything below comes from the city’s own ordinance, pages, FAQ and PDFs, and from the Texas Occupations Code, read on 20 October 2026. Conroe’s Code of Ordinances is hosted on Municode, which blocked our reader. Where that matters, we say so.
The City of Conroe’s Building Inspections and Permits Department issues plumbing permits for work inside the city limits, through the OpenGov portal.
Permits@cityofconroe.orgconroetx.portal.opengov.com, linked from the city’s permit pageConroe is in Montgomery County. The city’s own FAQ ties a homeowner’s permit to “a homestead exemption with the Montgomery County Appraisal District”. The statewide rules are on Texas plumbing permits.
Yes. Conroe’s FAQ exempts fixture replacement from permits and then carves water heaters back in by name, and the fee schedule prints a water heater replacement line.
The city’s FAQ answer “When do I NOT need a permit?” says: “Replacing plumbing fixtures (except water heaters) or replacing electrical fixtures (without altering the wiring) does not require a permit.” The parenthesis is the whole answer.
The fee schedule agrees. Exhibit A to Ordinance 2756-25 lists “Water heater replacement (inspection included)” among its plumbing permit fees.
State law points the same way. Texas Occupations Code §1301.551(c) says a city with a plumbing ordinance must require “a person must obtain a permit before the person performs plumbing, other than the repairing of leaks, the replacement of lavatory or kitchen faucets, the replacement of ballcocks or water control valves, the replacement of garbage disposals, or the replacement of water closets.” A water heater is not on that list. Subsection (a) names the water heater among the things a city regulates.
What the inspector looks at is in the city’s residential plumbing checklist, whose filename carries an October 15, 2026 update date. It is written for new houses and says it “is intended to be used only as a guide”. Four of its seven water heater items:
Gas: unapproved locations (not located in or accessed thru a sleeping room or bathroom)
Gas: if located in a garage or near flammable liquid source, it must be elevated min 18”.
If located in attic, check for structural support, unit access and working space requirements.
Check pan drain and T&P drain for size, material type, and gravity flow.
If your water heater is gas, the schedule has a separate fuel gas article with its own $75.00 base and a “Gas test on existing service (inspection included)” line at $75.00. Nothing we read says whether a gas water heater swap is one permit or two. Ask when you apply.
The statewide picture on this job is on do you need a permit to replace a water heater in Texas?
A $75.00 base fee plus a per-inspection charge set by the size of the work area, with flat lines for the common repair jobs.
Conroe’s schedule does not price by fixture. Exhibit A says: “Permit = Base fee + required inspections determined by square footage of work area.” Each inspection the job needs is billed, and the price depends on the floor area.
From Article IV of Exhibit A to Ordinance 2756-25, adopted November 13, 2025:
| Line | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base Permit Fee | $75.00 |
| Each inspection (underground, top out, final), work area up to 1,000 sq. ft. | $15.00 |
| Each inspection, up to 5,000 sq. ft. | $50.00 |
| Each inspection, up to 10,000 sq. ft. | $100.00 |
| Each inspection, up to 50,000 sq. ft. | $150.00 |
| Each inspection, over 50,000 sq. ft. | $200.00 |
| Additional partial inspections | “Half the inspection fee determined by building area” |
| After hours inspection | $300.00 |
So a new house of 2,400 square feet with all three plumbing inspections is $75.00 plus three times $50.00, by the exhibit’s own formula.
The flat lines, under “Additional/ Miscellaneous Plumbing Permit Fees”:
| Line | Fee |
|---|---|
| Water heater replacement (inspection included) | $75.00 |
| Building sewer/ sewer line replacement (inspection included) | $75.00 |
| Backflow prevention device installation (inspection included) | $75.00 |
| Interior water line re-pipe or water line replacement (inspection included) | $100.00 |
| Installation of Grease trap or sand oils separator | $100.00 |
| Swimming pool plumbing permit | $150.00 |
For a water heater, we cannot give you a total. The water heater line is $75.00 with the inspection included. The exhibit does not say whether the $75.00 base fee is added to a miscellaneous line. The permit page says fees “will be generated once all the required information is entered” in OpenGov. Read the figure off the portal before you pay.
Gas has its own article. Article V prints a $75.00 fuel gas base, the same $15.00 to $200.00 inspection tiers, and “Yard line fuel gas replacement (inspection included)” at $100.00. The $75.00 gas test line is above, under water heaters.
Re-inspections climb for the same failure. The schedule prints:
1st reinspection $75.00 per reinspection
2nd reinspection for same failure $100.00 per reinspection
3rd reinspection for same failure $150.00 per reinspection
4th and each inspection thereafter $300.00 per reinspection
An inspector who cannot get in can also trigger one; the permit page’s wording is under inspections below. How Conroe compares with other cities is on plumbing re-inspection fees in Texas.
Paying. The permit page says fees “may be paid online using the Stripe through the OpenGov Applicant Portal” or in the office, by cash or check. The exhibit prints no technology or convenience fee for plumbing.
Two city documents price this, and they do not say the same thing.
Exhibit A prints an “Investigation Fee (work started prior to obtaining permit)” of “$2,000.00 or double permit fee. Whichever is greater”. On a $75.00 permit, that reads as $2,000.00.
The city’s FAQ says: “Usually, the first thing that will happen is the building inspector will place a stop work order on the project until the appropriate permits have been obtained. The permit fees will be assessed a double fee, and a violation may be issued with a fine of up to $2000.00 per day that the violation continues.”
The ordinance is dated November 13, 2025. The FAQ is undated. We print both and do not pick.
The exhibit also prints a $2,000.00 “Permit reinstatement Fee” for unlicensed contractors working without the appropriate license. More on what skipping a permit costs is on skipping a plumbing permit in Texas. How other Texas cities price a permit is on what a plumbing permit costs in Texas, city by city. Conroe is not in that table yet; the figures above are the city’s own.
Yes. Conroe’s FAQ says a homeowner with a homestead exemption on file may pull the permit, and tells you to register in OpenGov as a “homestead owner”.
The city answers the question in its own words. Under “I am not a contractor. Can I pull my own permit to work on my own residence?” the FAQ says:
“Absolutely! If you’ve filed a homestead exemption with the Montgomery County Appraisal District, you’re allowed to obtain construction permits and complete construction work on your own home. To apply for permits as a homestead owner, create an account in OpenGov, register as a contractor (be sure to select ‘homestead owner’), and then submit for the appropriate permit application.”
The registration answer confirms the route. “Anyone applying for permits must register as a contractor and select the correct license type.” Then: “Architects, general contractors, or homestead owners: Enter N/A for the license holder information.”
Conroe’s test is a filed homestead exemption, not just living in the house. State law words it differently. Texas Occupations Code §1301.051: “A property owner is not required to be licensed under this chapter to perform plumbing in the property owner’s homestead.” A rental or a flip is outside both as the city and the statute word them.
Who may legally do plumbing for someone else is on who can legally do plumbing in Texas.
A plumbing contractor registered in OpenGov with a copy of the license, or a named employee the master has authorized in writing.
The FAQ sets out the registration: “Trade contractors (electrical, mechanical, irrigation, plumbing, and water treatment specialists): Provide a copy of your contractor license and master license (if applicable).” The walk-through shows the form asking for a business name, a “License Holder Name”, a trade and a “License Number”.
Someone applying on the plumber’s behalf needs a letter. “If you are not the license holder: You must submit an authorization letter allowing, you to use the license holder’s information for permit applications.” The FAQ lists what the letter must do:
- Be on company letterhead.
- Include the Master’s signature.
- List each authorized user by full name.
- Match the names exactly to the OpenGov applicant profiles.
Registration fee. The Chapter 14 fee exhibit prints no contractor registration line for any trade. We did not read the other Appendix A chapters. State law speaks to it: Texas Occupations Code §1301.551(g) says a plumbing contractor “is not required to pay a plumbing registration fee or administrative fee in a municipality or any other political subdivision.” Subsection (h) still requires the plumber to register. How other cities handle it is on plumber registration fees in Texas.
Insurance. No city page or PDF we read sets an insurance figure for a plumbing contractor. State law does. Section 1301.552 requires the city to verify, through the state board’s website or by phone, that the responsible master plumber has a certificate of insurance on file with the board for “not less than $300,000 for all claims arising in a one-year period.” If Chapter 14 adds a city figure, it is in the part of the code we could not read.
One more step after registering, from the walk-through: “Once you have registered as a contractor, you will need to email us at permits@cityofconroe.org with a list of addresses that you want access to.”
Everything goes through OpenGov. Create an account, register as a contractor or homestead owner, wait a day for the registration, then apply.
The city switched portals in December 2025. “Effective December 8th, 2025: The City of Conroe now uses OpenGov as our online portal for building permits and inspections.” The previous portal closed first: “BluePrince portal access has ended as of December 5th, 2025. All permits and inspection requests must be submitted through OpenGov.”
The FAQ gives the order:
Fees appear at the end: “When applying for permits, fees will be generated once all the required information is entered.” The account that applies matters. From the OpenGov notice: “The email used to apply for the permit will have master access.”
Texas law also obliges a city to take a plumbing contractor’s application “by telephone, fax, or e-mail” under §1301.551(e). Conroe’s pages say OpenGov only. We note the two and leave it there.
Request every inspection in OpenGov by 4:00 PM the business day before, be home for interior work, and expect the inspector between 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM with no set time.
The city’s permit page is specific, so here it is in its own words.
“Inspection requests are no longer accepted by phone or email. To be scheduled for the next business day, requests must be submitted by 4:00 PM the previous business day. Same-day inspection requests are not permitted.”
“Due to the high volume of inspections, Building Inspectors do not schedule specific appointment times or meet on-site at designated times. Inspections are conducted between 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM. If the inspector is unable to access the site or complete the inspection, a reinspection fee may be applied.”
“For occupied homes, an adult (homeowner, tenant, or designated representative) must be present for all interior inspections. Exterior inspections may be performed without the homeowner present, provided the area is accessible and permission is noted in the inspection request.”
The December 2025 transition notice gave a fallback, “the permit office inspection line at 936-522-3616 or email inspections@cityofconroe.org”, for anyone unable to schedule in OpenGov “at this time”. The permit page now says phone and email requests are not accepted. We read the notice as the transition and the page as the rule.
Three plumbing inspections on a house. The fee schedule bills “Plumbing underground”, “Plumbing Top out” and “Plumbing Final”. The city’s order-of-occurrence sheet says the “Plumbing ground inspection must first pass” before the foundation pour can be scheduled, and “Electrical Rough, Plumbing Top-Out, and Mechanical Rough inspections must first pass” before the frame inspection.
The tests. From the checklist: under-slab drain, waste and vent gets a “Water test with 10’ pressure head”. At top-out, water lines are tested “for leaks (50 psi or working pressure)”. The “Final gas test to use 15 psi low pressure diaphragm gauge pressured to 10psi.” The checklist’s first general requirement for ground plumbing: “All workers must be licensed.”
The city lists the 2009 International Plumbing Code with local amendments, and says a newer state-adopted edition governs where one exists.
Two city documents say the same thing, and we read both raw. The permit page and the Adopted Codes PDF, whose filename carries an October 20, 2026 update date, each open: “The City of Conroe has adopted the 2009 International Codes with local amendments. In some cases, the State of Texas has adopted newer versions of certain codes and in those instances, The State adopted versions will govern.” Under “MEP’S” both list:
International Plumbing Code, 2009 Edition
International Fuel Gas Code, 2009 Edition
International Mechanical Code, 2009
The same list prints the 2012 IRC and IBC “(Adopted by State of Texas)” and the “National Electrical Code, 2026”. Both documents add: “Recently the Texas Legislature passed H.B. 2439 which preempts some of our local amendments.”
What we did not read is the adopting ordinance. The city says “Our local amendments can be found online at Municode, Chapter 14, Conroe Code of Ordinances.” That host blocked our reader, so the ordinance text behind the 2009 listing is unverified here. A search of the city’s council agenda items from 2022 to 2026 found no item adopting a newer plumbing code. The city’s own sentence about state-adopted versions matters here: the edition on the page may not be the edition the inspector applies. The statewide picture is on Texas plumbing code by city. Conroe is not in that table yet.
Several things a homeowner would want are not on any city page, PDF or FAQ answer we read.
library.municode.com, which blocked our reader. Every fee above comes from the city’s own Exhibit A PDF, whose header says “Fees referenced in Appendix A fee schedule supersede any fee referenced in the Codes of Ordinances”.Whoever pulls the permit, Exhibit A to Ordinance 2756-25 on the city’s Permit & Inspection Information page is the document to check any figure against, and the FAQ is where the city answers the homeowner question in its own words.
Every figure on this page comes from one of the documents below, each published by the body that sets, measures or administers the thing it describes. We record the document’s own date and the date we read it, because published pages change without notice.
| Source | Document date | We read it |
|---|---|---|
| City of Conroe — Ordinance No. 2756-25, Amending Appendix A – Fee Schedule, Chapter 14 Buildings (Exhibit A) | certificate and ordinance dated ‘this 13th day of November, 2025’; Section 6 ‘effective immediately upon adoption’; Exhibit A history note ends ‘Ord. No. 2756-25, §§ 3, 11-13-2025’; 12-page PDF created 9 February 2026 | 2026-10-20 (curl with a desktop Chrome user agent from the city’s permits1.php link, HTTP 302 to the city’s CMS host cms3.revize.com then HTTP 200; pdftotext -layout; read in full, every plumbing, fuel gas, reinspection and investigation line transcribed) |
| City of Conroe — Permit & Inspection Information (permits1.php) | undated city web page carrying notices headed ‘Effective December 8th, 2025’ and ‘Effective November 13th, 2025’ and a section ‘Updated Fee Schedules Approved November 13, 2025’ | 2026-10-20 (raw HTML with curl and a desktop Chrome user agent, HTTP 200; full text extracted; every quoted string matched) |
| City of Conroe — Building Inspections and Permits FAQs | undated city web page; its OpenGov answers postdate the December 8, 2025 portal change | 2026-10-20 (raw HTML, HTTP 200; all 18 answers read; every quoted string matched). Re-read 2026-10-21 by the fact gate: the page carries 19 answers (6 OpenGov, 13 Permit & Inspection), not 18; every quoted string matched again |
| City of Conroe — Building Inspections and Permits Department | undated city web page carrying the same December 8, 2025 and November 13, 2025 notices | 2026-10-20 (raw HTML, HTTP 200; address, phone, hours and email transcribed from the Contact Us block) |
| City of Conroe — Adopted Codes (PDF) | filename ‘AdoptedCodes Updated 10.20.26’; 1-page PDF created 20 June 2024, modified 20 October 2026 | 2026-10-20 (curl, HTTP 302 to cms3.revize.com then 200; pdftotext -layout; read in full; matches the Adopted Codes section of permits1.php line for line). Fact gate 2026-10-21: re-read; same file still linked from permits1.php (?t=202610201022590); two typographic differences from the page: the PDF prints ‘National Electrical Code,2026’ with no space and ‘International Fire Code, 2009 Edition.’; the MEP’S lines quoted in the body are identical in both |
| City of Conroe — New Building Software Portal: OpenGov (notice) | headed ‘Effective December 8, 2025’; 2-page PDF created 8 December 2025 | 2026-10-20 (curl, HTTP 302 then 200; pdftotext -layout; read in full) |
| City of Conroe — Contractor Registration Instructions (OpenGov walk-through) | undated 12-page PDF created 18 December 2025 | 2026-10-20 (curl, HTTP 302 then 200; pdftotext -layout; read in full; screenshots carry no text layer) |
| City of Conroe — How to Schedule an Inspection (Public View) | undated 7-page PDF; the city’s link carries the stamp 202603020910190 | 2026-10-20 (curl, HTTP 302 then 200; pdftotext -layout; the one text paragraph on page 7 read; the other pages are screenshots with no text layer) |
| City of Conroe — Residential Building Permit Inspections: Order of Occurrence | undated 1-page PDF created 17 March 2026 | 2026-10-20 (curl, HTTP 302 then 200; pdftotext -layout; read in full) |
| City of Conroe — Residential New Construction Inspection Checklists and Information | filename ‘Updated 10.15.26’; 16-page PDF created 11 August 2025, modified 15 October 2026 | 2026-10-20 (curl, HTTP 302 then 200; pdftotext -layout; the Residential Plumbing Inspection Checklist pages read in full) |
| City of Conroe — Agendas & Minutes (AgendaQuick item search) | the city’s council agenda system, searchable 2022 to 2026 | 2026-10-20 (raw HTML, HTTP 200; agenda items 2022 to 2026 searched for ‘plumbing code’, ‘plumbing’, ‘International Code’ and ‘Chapter 14’; no item adopting a plumbing code edition found) |
| Texas Occupations Code ch. 1301, §1301.051, §1301.551 and §1301.552 | current online codification; §1301.551 last amended by Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 981 (H.B. 2062), Sec. 7, eff. September 1, 2013 | 2026-10-20 (raw HTML, HTTP 200; the three sections read in full) |
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