Richardson, TX Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- International Plumbing Code, 2021 Edition
- Sewer depth minimum
- 12 inches below grade
- Water heater access
- Required above 8 feet elevation
- Storm drain design rainfall
- 5 inches, 100-year hourly rate
- Appeals body
- Board of Adjustment
Summary
Richardson enforces the 2021 International Plumbing Code, with Appendices C and E, as the Richardson Plumbing Code under Sec. 6-287. Any plumbing work requires a permit through the Building Inspection Department, and the city has amended dozens of IPC sections to fit local conditions.
There is hereby adopted by the City of Richardson, Texas, the International Plumbing Code, 2021 Edition, together with Appendices C and E and amendments, a copy of which is on file in the city secretary's office and made a part of this article for all purposes, the same as if copied in full herein... "[A] 102.5.1 Change in tenancy or ownership. It shall be unlawful to make a change in tenancy or ownership of any existing building or lease space without first making application for and obtaining approval for a certificate of occupancy."
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 35 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 6-287 of the Richardson Code of Ordinances adopts "the International Plumbing Code, 2021 Edition, together with Appendices C and E and amendments" as the governing plumbing code, on file in the city secretary's office and incorporated "the same as if copied in full herein." Section 6-288 then amends dozens of IPC provisions for local conditions. A tenancy or ownership change in any building or lease space is unlawful "without first making application for and obtaining approval for a certificate of occupancy" (new Section [A]102.5.1).
Building sewers must sit at least 12 inches below grade (amended Section 305.4.1), and backflow prevention assembly inspection and testing must follow Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requirements (amended Section 312.10). Water heaters installed more than eight feet above ground or floor level require a stairway or permanent ladder for access (new Section 502.6). Lawn irrigation connections need an atmospheric or pressure-type vacuum breaker, double-check assembly, or reduced-pressure principal backflow preventer, and no valve may sit downstream of an atmospheric vacuum breaker (amended Section 608.17.5).
Storm drainage sizing is based on a 100-year hourly rainfall rate of 5 inches (amended Section 1106.1). Appeals of the building official's plumbing-code decisions go to the board of adjustment created under Appendix A, Article XXV of the zoning ordinance (amended Section 113.1). Where an installation fails a reinspection, the contractor must correct the work and resubmit it, paying a fee to the Building Inspection Department for each subsequent reinspection (new Section 112.4.4).
Violations & Fines
Performing plumbing work, or changing tenancy or ownership of a building or lease space, without the required permit or certificate of occupancy violates the Richardson Plumbing Code. Failed inspections require correction and a paid reinspection fee before the Building Inspection Department will sign off, and unresolved code disputes are appealable only to the board of adjustment, not directly to municipal court.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Richardson
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