Buffalo, NY Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Chapter 326 of the Buffalo City Code sets the permit rules for plumbing work citywide. Section 326-15 bars starting plumbing work until the Commissioner of Permit and Inspection Services issues a permit, restricts issuance to a City of Buffalo Licensed Master Plumber, and makes every permit non-transferable; the one exception lets an individual resident owner obtain a permit after proving to the Commissioner that they are personally qualified to do the plumbing work in their own home. 1 makes clear that the permit requirement doesn't lower the bar on the work itself: every material, fixture, fitting and system must still comply with the New York State Plumbing Code, the City Charter, and all other applicable codes and fees, whether or not a permit or fee was required for that particular job, and the property owner remains the primary responsible party even when using a contractor or design professional.

Section 326-16 carves out narrow, itemized repair, replacement-in-kind and service-work exceptions for existing one- and two-family homes and existing commercial buildings, such as fixing a faucet or unblocking a drain without cutting past the fixture trap, replacing a water closet's stop valves and flushing mechanism, or repairing up to 20 lineal feet of exposed water-distribution piping; homeowners, maintenance staff and licensed contractors can do that narrow list of jobs without a permit or fee, but any work outside those enumerated categories still needs a permit and payment under Chapter 175.

Applications go to the Commissioner on prescribed forms with an adequate description of the proposed work under § 326-17; a denial under § 326-18 comes with written reasons and a chance to submit revised plans, and an issued permit expires under § 326-19 if the work is not started within one year or is abandoned for a year after starting.