Memphis, TN Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- 2015 ICC International Plumbing Code
- Adopting ordinance
- Ord. No. 5715, Dec. 18, 2018
- Adopted appendices
- A, B, C, D, E and H
- Permit fee schedule
- Set in locally drafted Appendix A
- Record location
- Office of Council Records, City Council
Summary
Memphis Code Section 14-14-1 adopts the 2015 ICC International Plumbing Code by reference, together with local amendments, as the 2018 Memphis and Shelby County Plumbing Code. The city separately adopted a locally drafted Appendix A covering plumbing permit and inspection fees, plus Appendix H on cross-connection and backflow prevention, while leaving out every other IPC appendix except B, C, D and E.
The 2015 Edition of the International Code Council (ICC) International Plumbing Code is hereby adopted, a copy of said code being on file in the Office of Council Records of the Memphis City Council. The local amendments to the sections of the 2015 Edition of the ICC International Plumbing Code noted in the attached Exhibit A [on file with the city] are also adopted and together these provisions and the 2015 ICC International Plumbing Code shall become the 2018 Memphis and Shelby County Plumbing Code. The following appendices as provided in the 2015 Edition of the ICC International Plumbing Code are hereby adopted: Appendix B - Rate of Rainfall for various Cities, Appendix C - Structural Safety, Appendix D - Degree Day and Design Temperature, Appendix E - Sizing of Water Pipe Systems, and that locally drafted Appendix A - Plumbing Permit and Inspection Fees and Appendix H - Cross Connection, Backflow, Back Siphonage, are also adopted, but that no other appendix listed in the 2015 edition of the ICC International Plumbing Code is adopted.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 32 | Charter: Supplement 4).
Full Breakdown
Ordinance No. 5715, adopted December 18, 2018, enacted Chapter 14-14 of the Memphis Code, adopting the 2015 Edition of the ICC International Plumbing Code by reference as the plumbing standard for the city, with a copy kept on file in the Office of Council Records of the Memphis City Council. ' Rather than adopting the IPC's appendices wholesale, the council picked six: Appendix B (rainfall rates for sizing storm drainage), Appendix C (structural safety), Appendix D (degree-day and design temperature data), Appendix E (water pipe sizing), a locally drafted Appendix A that sets the plumbing permit and inspection fee schedule, and Appendix H, covering cross-connection, backflow and back-siphonage protection.
Every other IPC appendix carries no legal force in the city. Because the 2015 IPC is adopted in full, its permit-application, plan-review and inspection procedures apply directly to plumbing work in Memphis; contractors and homeowners obtain a plumbing permit through the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement under the fee schedule fixed by the locally drafted Appendix A rather than by a separately numbered city ordinance section. The plumbing code chapter took effect alongside the same-day adoption of the Electrical Code (Ch. 14-5), Building Code (Ch. 14-6) and Fuel Gas Code (Ch. 14-10), all part of the joint Memphis and Shelby County 2018 technical code package.
Violations & Fines
Section 14-14-1 sets no separate penalty of its own; plumbing work performed without the required permit, or that fails to meet the adopted 2015 IPC standards, is enforced through the city's general penalty clause, Section 1-24-1: a fine of up to $50 per violation, with each day the work remains unpermitted or noncompliant counted as a separate offense, alongside any permit revocation or stop-work order issued by the code official.
Frequently Asked Questions
What plumbing code governs permits in Memphis?
Which plumbing code appendices apply in Memphis?
Where do I get a Memphis plumbing permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Memphis
Compare Memphis to another location·View the Tennessee building safety overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.