Cincinnati, OH Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

CBC § 1105-01 adopts Ohio Administrative Code Chapters 4101:3-1 to 4101:3-13, collectively the Ohio Plumbing Code (OPC), as the Cincinnati Plumbing Code, with city-specific amendments, deletions, and substitutions. Every plumbing operation within or connected to a building in Cincinnati is subject to this chapter. § 1105-13 restricts who may actually perform plumbing work: it is unlawful for anyone other than a registered licensed plumbing contractor, licensed journeyman plumber, or a registered plumber apprentice under a licensed contractor's supervision to install, alter, repair, or connect to any potable water pipe, sewer, drain, soil, waste, or vent pipe.

§ 1105-13(b) creates a homeowner exception: the licensing restriction does not apply to work in a single-family dwelling used exclusively for living purposes, provided the person is the bona fide owner who will occupy the dwelling for at least a year, personally purchases all material and performs all labor, but that owner must still obtain a plumbing permit to do the work. Journeymen must be licensed through the Board of Examiners of plumbers under § 1105-11, and plumbing contractors and apprentices must register with the director of buildings and inspections; a journeyman license exam carries a $50 fee under § 1105-17 that is non-refundable regardless of whether the applicant sits for or passes the exam.