El Paso, TX Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- International Plumbing Code, 2021 Edition
- Citation
- El Paso City Code § 18.20.020
- Permit fee timing
- Paid when permit is issued
- Small-tenancy restroom exception
- 200 sq. ft. or less
- Backflow records required to
- Building official & EPWU
- Unpermitted commercial work penalty
- 300% of established fee
Summary
El Paso enforces the 2021 International Plumbing Code as its Plumbing Code under City Code § 18.20.020, with local amendments layered on top, and every plumbing permit carries an established fee under § 18.02.106.16, due when the permit issues. Local changes cover backflow inspection recordkeeping and a small-tenancy public-restroom exception.
18.20.020 - Adoption. The book entitled "International Plumbing Code," 2021 Edition, a copy of which authenticated by the city clerk is on file in the city clerk's office, is adopted as the Plumbing Code of the city, as fully as if copied at length in this chapter, but with the changes set forth in this chapter and Chapter 18.02, the Building and Administrative Code of the City of El Paso.
Full Breakdown
3, requiring that "[r]ecords of inspections, tests and maintenance of the backflow assemblies shall be kept and made available to the building official upon request and to the El Paso Water Utilities," naming the owner, tenant, or responsible person as the record-keeper. 3 to exempt small stand-alone tenancies of 200 square feet or less that don't handle potentially hazardous food from providing their own public toilets, provided toilets are available elsewhere on site within 200 feet of travel distance and the site as a whole still meets the IPC's overall fixture count.
050 further requires an approved floor drain with a trap-priming device in mechanical and boiler rooms. 30 impose 300% (commercial or contractor-residential) or 200% (homeowner-residential) fee surcharges. All these sections trace to Ord. No. 019528, adopted August 1, 2023.
Violations & Fines
Plumbing work performed before the permit issues is charged 300% of the established fee for commercial work or contractor-performed residential work, and 200% for homeowner-performed residential work, under §§ 18.02.106.28-.106.30 - separate from and in addition to any prosecution for the underlying Code violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What plumbing code does El Paso use?
Do small businesses need their own restrooms?
Who has to keep backflow-preventer test records?
What happens if plumbing work starts before the permit is issued?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Paso
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