Rochester, NY Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

City Code § 39-308, added in 2011, requires a permit before any plumbing work regulated by the Building Code or the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code begins, issued by the Commissioner of Neighborhood and Business Development. Subsection B makes the property owner responsible for using a City of Rochester registered and licensed master plumber, who must hold all required permits and install materials and perform labor in compliance with the applicable plumbing codes; the licensing framework itself sits in Chapter 40, where § 40-6 bars anyone from engaging in the plumbing business in the City without a license and requires a licensed plumber to personally supervise the work and pull the permits.

One narrow exception in § 39-308(C)(2)(a) lets an owner-occupant of a single-family dwelling apply for a permit to do plumbing work inside that dwelling personally, without a license. The permit application must describe the proposed work, materials and specifications, and where one master plumber completes rough work and a second finishes it, each must obtain a separate permit for their own portion under § 39-308(C)(2)(b). Applications go stale and may be voided three months after filing unless a permit issues or an extension is granted, and work cannot start before the permit is issued, per § 39-308(C)(6).

All plumbing and drainage work must be tested and inspected before it is concealed, in accordance with the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, under § 39-308(F), and a City-licensed plumbing inspector performs that inspection; a certificate or written report of approval or rejection follows and is available on request. A permit denial can be appealed to the Examining Board of Plumbers under § 40-4(B), or, for work subject to the state Uniform Code, to the New York Department of State Regional Board of Review.