Jefferson County, MO Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- IPC 2015 + local amendments, Art. VIII
- License term
- 3 years, Section 500.070
- Permit fee
- $125 residential / $160 commercial
- Sewer connection
- Required within 400 ft of public sewer
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine or 1 year jail
Summary
Jefferson County requires a county Plumbing License before any contractor installs, alters or repairs plumbing fixtures, piping or drainage connected to a water or sewage system, plus a building permit before work begins. Section 500.070 sets a three-year license term for applicants who pass a master plumber exam, and the county has adopted the 2015 International Plumbing Code with local amendments under Article VIII, Section 500.450.
Authority. The Code Official shall be and is hereby authorized to grant a license to any person, firm or corporation (hereinafter "contractor") found to be qualified to engage in the work of installing or altering any plumbing fixtures, appurtenances, apparatus, equipment or components thereof used in the installation of a plumbing system within or adjacent to any structure. The license shall be issued in the name of the contractor and a responsible person shall be listed on the license. The license shall be valid for a period of three (3) years. ... No contractor shall perform plumbing work or hold itself out in any advertising medium or publication as being available to perform plumbing work unless licensed pursuant to this Section.
Full Breakdown
070 authorizes the Code Official to license plumbing contractors for a three-year term. An applicant must show that at least one employee is at least twenty-one years old and has passed a master plumber exam scoring seventy percent (70%) or better within the past six years, plus either a mechanical trade-school diploma and four years of practical plumbing experience, six years of hands-on installing, altering or repairing piping and water-supply systems, or a two-year trade or technical college diploma with four years of practical experience.
C bars anyone from performing or advertising plumbing work without the license. 7. 190 if they occupy the home, personally perform all the work, keep only one permit open at a time, and pass a written homeowner exam scored at least seventy-five percent (75%); the homeowner permit runs for one year. 00 inspection or re-inspection fee.
Violations & Fines
Beginning plumbing work before the permit issues costs the contractor an extra penalty equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the usual permit fee, on top of the fee itself, under Section 500.300.C, and the Code Official can disconnect utility service. Anyone who violates the Building Code, including plumbing work done without or contrary to a permit, commits a misdemeanor under Section 500.300.E punishable by a fine up to $1,000.00, up to one year in jail, or both, with each day of continued violation counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Jefferson County require a permit for plumbing work?
Can a homeowner do their own plumbing work in Jefferson County?
How far must a building connect to the public sewer in Jefferson County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jefferson County
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