League City plumbing permits: $75 plus $7 a fixture, on a fee schedule that took effect August 1, 2026

A League City plumbing permit starts at $75. Each fixture adds $7. A water line is $15, a sewer line is $35, and a gas permit is a flat $75. Re-inspections run $100, then $300, then $500 for the same failure.

Those figures are on the City of League City’s Building Department Fee Schedule page, headed “Effective August 1, 2026”. City Council adopted them on July 28, 2026 as Resolution No. 2026-143. Before that date the plumbing base fee was $59 and a fixture was $5.00.

Everything below comes from the city’s own pages, forms, ordinance texts and council minutes, and from the Texas Occupations Code, read on 20 October 2026.

Who issues plumbing permits in League City

The City of League City’s Building Department issues plumbing permits for work inside the city limits.

The department sits inside Development Services with Planning and Engineering. Its permit, registration, inspection and fee pages are all under the Building section of the city site.

• Office: 500 W Walker Street, League City, TX 77573
• Phone: 281-554-1429
• Fax: 281-554-1460
• Email: building@leaguecitytx.gov
• Portal: the city’s Online Permit Portal at tylerenergovweb.leaguecitytx.gov

One scheduling fact matters before you drive over. The Inspections page says “The Building Department office is only open until noon on Fridays; inspections are only done until 11 a.m. on Fridays.”

League City lies in two counties. The city’s own Relocation page puts it this way: “In order to vote in a League City election, you must be registered to vote in either Galveston or Harris County, depending on your address.” Whichever county your address falls in, a permit inside the city limits comes from this department. The statewide rules are on Texas plumbing permits, and the nearest city guide we have published is Pasadena.

Does a water heater replacement need a permit in League City?

Yes. League City lists “Water heater replacement” by name among the work that requires a permit.

The Building Department’s Permits page has a tab headed “What kind of work requires a permit?” The list includes:

Water heater replacement

Gas reconnections

Electrical reconnections

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.

League City also writes its own water heater rules into its code amendments. Ordinance 2022-06, which adopted the 2021 codes, amends the plumbing code so that “Water heater drain pans shall be metal with drain lines one (1) inch or larger.” Relief valves “shall run to a safe location or outside and turn down a maximum of six (6) inches above ground. They must not discharge into a water heater pan.” On the gas side, the same ordinance says “Gas water heaters in garages or areas where flammable liquids are stored shall be elevated no less than 18 inches above the floor and secured with strapping designed for this purpose. Water heaters shall be on a concrete base. Water heaters set on metal stands are prohibited.” It also requires exterior sediment traps on water heaters.

Those are the city’s own installation rules for the job. The statewide picture is on do you need a permit to replace a water heater in Texas?

What a League City plumbing permit costs

The published plumbing permit fee is $75 plus $7 for each fixture, and the city prints no separate water heater line.

From the Building Department Fee Schedule page, headed “Effective August 1, 2026”.

Line	Fee
Plumbing, base fee	$75
Fixtures	$7 each
Water line	$15 each
Sewer line	$35 each
Backflow preventer	$30 each
Gas permit, flat rate	$75
Gas reconnect	$75
Irrigation permit, flat rate	$150
Re-inspection, first	$100
Re-inspection, second for the same failure	$300
Re-inspection, third and thereafter for the same failure	$500
Contractor registration and annual renewal	$150

The city’s Development Handbook, last updated 9/15/2026, prints the same plumbing and gas lines in a table headed “(Last updated July 28, 2026 via Resolution 2026-143)”.

How these were adopted. The July 2026 Development Times, the city’s own e-newsletter, said proposed fee changes “will be presented to City Council for consideration on July 28, 2026.” The minutes of that meeting record Resolution No. 2026-143 passing with eight votes in favor and none against. Section 4 of the resolution says the Building Department fees “shall become effective on August 1, 2026.” The same night, on second reading, Council passed Ordinance No. 2026-21, which took the fee amounts out of Chapter 22 of the Code of Ordinances and rewrote Section 22-7 to read that an applicant “shall pay the plan review fee, permit fees, and inspection fees in an amount as established by the City’s Building Department Fee Schedule.”

What changed. Exhibit B to the resolution is the old schedule, carrying an effective date of March 1, 2024, marked up with the new amounts. For plumbing it shows the base fee going from $59.00 to $75.00, fixtures from $5.00 to $7.00 each, a water line from $10.00 to $15.00, a sewer line from $25.00 to $35.00 and a backflow preventer from $25.00 to $30.00. The gas base went from $59.00 to $75.00. If a plumber quotes you a $59 permit, the quote is from the old schedule.

For a water heater replacement, we cannot give you a total. The schedule has no water heater line. It does not say whether a water heater counts as a fixture. It does not say whether a gas water heater needs the $75 gas permit on top of the $75 plumbing base. The Building Permit Application has a “STAND ALONE TRADE PERMIT” row with a Plumbing box, and the Building page says the city invoices you after review: “you will receive an email when the permit is ready for payment via your online account.” Ask for the figure before you pay.

Card payments cost more. The fee page says “A convenience fee of 3.8% will be charged on all credit card payments”.

Re-inspections are tiered by repeat failure. The schedule’s three lines are “1st Re-inspection” at $100, “2nd Re-inspection for same failure” at $300, and “3rd Re-inspection (and thereafter) for the same failure” at $500. The Inspections page adds that “Any applicable reinspection fees will need to be paid before requesting additional inspections.” How that compares with other cities is on plumbing re-inspection fees in Texas.

Starting work before the permit

The fee page is one sentence on this: “Any work without a permit is subject to double the cost of the permit fee.” On a $75 base, that is $150 before any fixture, line or gas charge.

Beyond the fee, the plumbing code amendment in Ordinance 2022-06 makes a violation a misdemeanor, with each day “deemed guilty of a separate offense”, punished “within the limits and as provided by state laws.”

How League City compares with other Texas cities is on what a plumbing permit costs in Texas, city by city. What an unpermitted job means after the fact, anywhere in Texas, is on skipping a plumbing permit in Texas.

Can a homeowner pull a plumbing permit in League City?

League City’s own pages and forms do not say whether a homeowner may pull a plumbing permit, so ask the Building Department before you apply.

Start with what the state says. 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.” That exemption is from the license, not from the city’s permit. League City has written that chapter into its own code. Section 22-273, as rewritten by Ordinance 2022-06, adopts Occupations Code chapter 1301 and the plumbing board’s rules, and says the chapter “is hereby adopted as part of the plumbing code for the city.”

Now what the city’s own materials show, and do not show.

• The Building Permit Application has three separate columns: “Applicant Name”, “Contractor Company Name” and “Property Owner”. Its license field reads “State License # (if applicable)”. Nothing on the form says an applicant must be a contractor.
• The city’s amendments to the residential, building, electrical, mechanical and fuel gas codes each require that permit applications “include the contractor’s information and proposal with the scope of work, dollar amount, and warranty information signed by the property owner.” The plumbing code amendments in Section 22-272 carry no such line.
• The Contractor Registration Application says its items “must be provided, approved, and entered into our records before any work may be permitted or commenced in the City of League City.” That document is written for contractors and says nothing about owners.
• No page in the Building section, no FAQ answer, no form and no how-to guide we read uses the word “homeowner” or “homestead” in connection with a permit.

So the city’s code incorporates the chapter that holds the homestead exemption, and the city’s forms do not say whether a homestead owner can be the applicant on a plumbing permit. We will not fill that gap from the state rule or from another city’s. Email building@leaguecitytx.gov or call 281-554-1429, say you own and live in the house as your homestead, and ask how an owner applies for a stand-alone plumbing permit in the Online Permit Portal. A rental, a flip, or a house you have not moved into does not fit the state exemption’s wording.

Who may legally do plumbing for someone else is on who can legally do plumbing in Texas.

Who else may pull a League City plumbing permit

A contractor registered with the city through the Online Permit Portal, holding a state master license and insurance that names the city. Plumbing contractors are exempt from the $150 registration fee.

The Building page says “Contractors can now register through the Online Permit Portal.” It lists what the registration must include:

Proof of insurance listing the City of League City as the certificate holder (Minimum $250,000 coverage)

Copy of State issued Master or equivalent trade license (when applicable).

Copy of State issued photo ID.

$150 annual registration fee (MEP contractors are exempt; except where doing GC work)

The Contractor Registration Application PDF lists the same four items, with the completed form itself as a fifth, and has a “Plumbing Contractor” box under “State License Required”. It also carries the warning that “The city reserves the right to hold or deny permits to contractors who fail to complete and obtain finals for each permit issued under their registration.”

The fee exemption tracks state law. Texas law bars a city from charging a plumbing contractor a registration fee while still requiring the contractor to register, and League City’s “MEP contractors are exempt” line is the city’s version of that rule. The fee schedule still prints a “Contractor Registration & Annual Renewal” line at $150; the Building page says who pays it. The statute, and what other Texas cities print, is on plumber registration fees in Texas.

Insurance. The city asks for a certificate naming it as holder with “Minimum $250,000 coverage”. Separately, state law in §1301.552 requires the city to verify that the responsible master plumber has a certificate on file with the state board for “not less than $300,000 for all claims arising in a one-year period.” Two documents doing two jobs. Both stand.

How to apply for a League City plumbing permit

Apply through the Online Permit Portal with one consolidated PDF, and pay after the city emails you that the permit is ready.

The Building page sets out the sequence.

1. Register for a portal account. The page says to use it “to submit permit applications, track the status of permits, request inspections, and pay permit fees.”
2. Upload one file. “You must upload one consolidated PDF in the attachments when applying for a new permit unless otherwise directed on the permit portal.”
3. Wait for review. “We will review your permit package, and you will receive an email when the permit is ready for payment via your online account.”
4. Pay, then print. “We will verify your registration is current and issue your permit (upon review approval and payment); you will then be able to print your permit/approved plans and schedule your inspections.”

For a water heater or other stand-alone job, the Building Permit Application has a row headed “STAND ALONE TRADE PERMIT” with boxes for Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing. Plumbing that is part of a larger building permit goes in as a sub permit under the main permit number; the city’s “How to Apply for Sub Permits” guide covers that path.

Texas law also lets a contractor apply without the portal. Section 1301.551(e) requires a city that makes plumbing contractors get permits to accept applications, collect fees and issue permits “by telephone, fax, or e-mail”. League City’s pages describe the portal only, with email as the fallback for inspection requests when the portal is down.

League City plumbing inspections

Request inspections through the portal by 3 p.m. for the next business day, and expect no inspections after 11 a.m. on a Friday.

The Inspections page opens with “Schedule all inspections via the Online Permit Portal.” If the portal is down, “please email the inspection request with all details to the Building Department.” The same rules are on a one-page notice the department posts, footed May 2023.

The timing rules:

• “The current cut-off time for the next business day inspection is 3 p.m.”
• “Any request received after 3 p.m. will be inspected on the 2nd business day. Inspections are scheduled in the order they are received.”
• “Contact information for the resident/company representative must be included in the inspection comments for it to be scheduled.”
• “The Building Department office is only open until noon on Fridays; inspections are only done until 11 a.m. on Fridays.”

Which work gets inspected is answered in the city’s FAQ: “Any work which is required to be performed by a licensed trade and/or which will be covered from view before it is completed requires inspection.”

The result is left on site and posted to your account. “The inspector should leave correction or approval notice at all inspections; results will also be available under the inspection on your permit portal under the “Checklist” tab.”

A failed inspection costs the re-inspection fee from the tiers above, and the page puts rescheduling on the contractor: “It is the contractor’s responsibility to reschedule any failed inspections.”

Which plumbing code applies in League City

The 2021 International Plumbing Code with League City’s amendments, plus Texas Occupations Code chapter 1301 and the plumbing board’s rules, in force since May 1, 2022.

The Building page lists the “2021 International Plumbing Code”, the “2021 International Fuel Gas Code” and the “2021 Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners Law/Rules” among the codes the city enforces. The adopting ordinance is No. 2022-06. Council passed it on second reading on April 12, 2022, and its Section 21 says it “shall become effective May 1, 2022.”

Section 22-271 adopts the IPC “including all appendices”. Section 22-272 lists the local amendments, including the water heater rules above and a ban on galvanized water pipe: “Galvanized water pipe is not allowed in potable water systems.”

No city page or document we read shows a move past the 2021 editions. Code editions for other Texas cities are on Texas plumbing code by city.

What the City of League City does not publish about plumbing permits

Several things a homeowner would want are not on any city page or document we read.

• A water heater fee, or whether a gas unit is one permit or two. The schedule prints a $75 plumbing base, $7 per fixture and a $75 gas flat rate. It does not say whether a water heater is a fixture, or whether a gas unit swap needs both permits.
• A homeowner permit process. The city’s code incorporates Occupations Code chapter 1301. No form, FAQ or portal instruction we read says whether an owner can be the applicant.
• A permit expiration. None of the pages, forms or ordinance texts read states how long a permit stays valid. We did not read the adopted IPC’s own text for this piece. The statewide pattern is on plumbing permit expiration in Texas.
• The signed resolution. The agenda copy of the fee resolution reads “RESOLUTION NO. 2026-” with the number blank. The number 2026-143 and the vote come from the July 28, 2026 minutes.
• Chapter 22’s general provisions, as codified. The city publishes its Code of Ordinances on library.municode.com; that host would not serve it to our reader on 20 October 2026. What is quoted above comes from the city’s own ordinance texts on its agenda system, which cover the plumbing article and the fee section but not every section of Chapter 22.

Whoever pulls the permit, the city’s Building Department Fee Schedule is the page to check any figure against.

Sources, and when we read them

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 League City — Building Department Fee Schedule	city web page headed ‘Effective August 1, 2026: The approved Building Department Permit Fee Schedule will be implemented beginning August 1, 2026.’; no other date on the page	2026-10-20 (read as raw HTML with curl and a desktop Chrome user agent, HTTP 200; every fee line transcribed and every quoted string matched)
City of League City — Building Department	undated city web page; carries the notice that the fee schedule ‘will be implemented beginning August 1, 2026’	2026-10-20 (raw HTML, HTTP 200; read in full)
City of League City — Permits (Building Department)	undated city web page	2026-10-20 (raw HTML, HTTP 200; the ‘What kind of work requires a permit?’ tab read in full)
City of League City — Inspections (Building Department)	undated city web page	2026-10-20 (raw HTML, HTTP 200; read in full)
City of League City — Forms and References (Building Department)	undated city web page	2026-10-20 (raw HTML, HTTP 200; every linked form and guide name read, the plumbing-relevant ones opened)
City of League City — FAQ, Permits, Services & Programs	undated city FAQ category (four questions)	2026-10-20 (raw HTML, HTTP 200 after redirect to /m/faq?cat=14; all four answers read)
City of League City — FAQ, footer: How do I apply for a City permit?	undated city FAQ	2026-10-20 (raw HTML, HTTP 200; read in full)
City of League City — Directory, Building Department	undated directory page	2026-10-20 (raw HTML, HTTP 200 after redirect to /m/directory/department?did=94; address, phone, fax and email link transcribed)
City of League City — City Buildings, Hours, & Holidays	undated city web page with the 2026 holiday schedule	2026-10-20 (raw HTML, HTTP 200; City Hall and Building Department entries read)
City of League City — Relocation	undated city web page	2026-10-20 (raw HTML, HTTP 200; the Voter Registration paragraph read)
City of League City — Building Permit Application (PDF)	1-page form; PDF created 24 June 2025, modified 30 July 2026; the document title carries ‘Aug2026’	2026-10-20 (pdftotext -layout; read in full)
City of League City — Contractor Registration Application (PDF)	1-page form footed ‘KH May 2023’; PDF created 6 February 2024	2026-10-20 (pdftotext -layout; read in full)
City of League City — Notice: Inspection Requests (PDF)	1-page notice footed ‘KH 05-2023’; PDF created 2 May 2023	2026-10-20 (pdftotext -layout; read in full)
City of League City — How to Apply for a Permit (PDF)	5-page screenshot guide; PDF created 15 August 2023	2026-10-20 (pdftotext -layout; text layer read in full)
City of League City — Development Handbook (PDF)	56-page handbook footed ‘Handbook Last Updated 9/15/2026’; its building fee table is headed ‘(Last updated July 28, 2026 via Resolution 2026-143)’	2026-10-20 (pdftotext -layout; the Schedule of Fees pages read and every plumbing line matched to the fee schedule page)
City of League City — City Council minutes, July 28, 2026 (Legistar)	final minutes of the July 28, 2026 regular meeting; items 6N (Ordinance No. 2026-21, second reading) and 9C (Resolution No. 2026-143)	2026-10-20 (curl HTTP 200 from the city’s Legistar file host, pdftotext -layout; items 6N and 9C read)
City of League City — Resolution amending the Planning and Building Department fee schedules (agenda item 26-0287, Legistar attachment)	2-page unsigned agenda copy headed ‘RESOLUTION NO. 2026-‘; PDF created 7 July 2026; adopted as Resolution No. 2026-143 per the minutes	2026-10-20 (pdftotext -layout; read in full)
City of League City — Exhibit B, Building Fee Update (agenda item 26-0287, Legistar attachment)	3-page exhibit; its first two pages are the prior Permit Fee Schedule headed ‘Approved on Council Meeting 01/23/2024’ and ‘Effective March 1, 2024’ marked up with the new amounts; PDF created 28 May 2026, modified 24 June 2026	2026-10-20 (pdftotext -layout; the plumbing and gas lines transcribed in both their old and new amounts)
City of League City — Ordinance No. 2026-21 (agenda item 26-0288, Legistar attachment)	3-page unsigned agenda copy; PDF created 6 July 2026, modified 20 July 2026; passed on second reading July 28, 2026 per the minutes	2026-10-20 (pdftotext -layout; read in full)
City of League City — Ordinance No. 2022-06 adopting the 2021 codes (agenda item 22-0147, Legistar attachment)	16-page agenda copy in redline form, effective May 1, 2022 by its Section 21; PDF created 15 March 2022; passed on second reading April 12, 2022 per the minutes	2026-10-20 (pdftotext -layout; Sections 1, 3, 12, 13 and the fuel gas amendments read; text quoted only where the redline shows no strikethrough)
City of League City — City Council minutes, April 12, 2022 (Legistar)	final minutes; item 9E, Ordinance No. 2022-06 second reading	2026-10-20 (pdftotext -layout; item 9E read)
City of League City — League City Development Times, July 2026 edition	city e-newsletter, July 2026 edition, linked from the city’s Development Times page	2026-10-20 (raw HTML, HTTP 200; the ‘Development Fee Update’ item read)
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)