Lubbock, TX Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

The city adopted the 2021 edition of the International Plumbing Code, including appendices C, D, E, and F, as the plumbing code of the City of Lubbock under Code of Ordinances § 28.10.001. A signed copy is filed with the city secretary and kept in the building official's office, and all copies with amendments are open to public inspection during business hours. Section 28.10.002 makes clear that Chapter 1 of the 2021 IPC (the administrative chapter that requires permits before commencing plumbing work) is incorporated into city law except where specifically amended, and that the general administrative provisions in Articles 28.01 through 28.08 apply alongside it, with the more specific rule controlling any conflict.

Section 28.10.003 then swaps out several IPC administrative provisions for their local equivalents: fee refunds run through § 28.05.109, violation penalties through § 28.02.006, stop-work orders through § 28.02.007, and appeals through §§ 2.03.495-2.03.501 before the board of appeals under §§ 2.03.491-2.03.494. Divisions 2 and beyond of Article 28.10 add Lubbock-specific plumbing rules on top of the IPC, most notably the cross-connection control and backflow-prevention program in §§ 28.10.051-28.10.054, which requires customer service inspections before continuous water service and lets the water purveyor discontinue service for an unprotected cross connection.

The building official, who also enforces the building, mechanical, electrical, fuel gas, and energy codes, administers plumbing permitting citywide, with state-licensed plumbing inspectors acting as authorized representatives.