Texas City, TX Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted plumbing code
- International Plumbing Code, 2021 edition, with local amendments
- Insurance for permit
- $300,000 personal injury and $300,000 property damage
- Appeals body
- Plumbing appeals and advisory board, five members, two-year terms
- Wet venting
- Not allowed; variance only if no feasible alternative
- Drain and vent plastic pipe
- Schedule 40 PVC only (§ 154.05(B)(3))
- Barred water piping
- Galvanized and polybutylene (Quest) pipe
Summary
In Texas City, Texas, a master plumber must furnish proof of public liability insurance of not less than $300,000 against personal injury and $300,000 against property damage before a plumbing permit issues. The city has adopted the 2021 International Plumbing Code with local amendments, and a five-member plumbing appeals and advisory board hears appeals.
Each holder of a master plumbing license in the state shall, as a condition for the issuance of a plumbing permit in the city, furnish a certificate of insurance or other acceptable evidence that the holder has public liability insurance with an insurance company approved by the city insuring in a sum of not less than $300,000 against personal injury and $300,000 against property damage. ... (A) (1) There is hereby adopted for and by the city a standard code known as the International Plumbing Code, 2021 edition, with appendices and amendments thereto, passed and recommended by the International Code Council, Inc., which code is published in book form and which is referred to incorporated in this section and made a part of this section for all purposes. A copy of such code is filed of record in the office of the City Secretary. Adoption of subsequent amendments, supplement or new edition(s) is automatic upon publication by the International Code Council, Inc.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 154 of the Texas City Code of Ordinances governs plumbing inside the city limits of Texas City in Galveston County. Section 154.01 adopts the Plumbing License Law of 1947, codified as Tex. Occupations Code §§ 1301.001 et seq., insofar as it applies to the city, so any plumber covered by that law who performs plumbing services in the city must hold the plumbing license the law provides.
The permit itself carries a financial condition. Under § 154.02, each holder of a master plumbing license in the state must furnish a certificate of insurance or other acceptable evidence of public liability insurance, with a company approved by the city, as a condition for issuance of a plumbing permit in the city.
Section 154.05 adopts the International Plumbing Code, 2021 edition, with appendices and amendments, and a copy is filed of record in the office of the City Secretary. Adoption of later amendments, supplements or new editions is automatic on publication by the International Code Council, Inc. If the plumbing code conflicts with the code of ordinances or state law, the code of ordinances or state law is controlling.
Local amendments in § 154.05(B) change the model code. Section 109 is amended so the board of appeals becomes the plumbing appeals and advisory board. That board has five members appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Commission: a licensed master plumber, a licensed journeyman plumber, a building contractor, and two residents not employed in the plumbing contracting or building industry, with terms of two years. Section 303.3 requires plastic pipe and fittings for draining wastes and vents to be schedule 40 PVC only. Section 312 sets air tests: low pressure gas piping (not in excess of 0.5 psi) must withstand at least ten pounds of air pressure for not less than 15 minutes, and higher pressure piping must stand at least 25 psi for not less than one hour, with no drop in pressure.
Two flat rules sit beside the code. Section 154.03 bans wet venting within the city, with a variance available only if there is no feasible alternative, and a request goes with two sets of riser diagrams to the plumbing appeals and advisory board. Section 154.04 bars galvanized pipe and polybutylene (Quest) pipe for water piping, and bars cellcore or foam core pipe.
Violations & Fines
Section 154.04, the prohibited pipe rule, carries a penalty reference to § 10.99. Under that section a violation is punished by a fine not exceeding $500, or $2,000 where the case arises under the fire safety, zoning or public health and sanitation ordinances, and each day a violation continues is a separate offense. A master plumber who cannot furnish the insurance evidence required by § 154.02 does not qualify for the plumbing permit, and wet venting without an approved variance breaks § 154.03.
Frequently Asked Questions
What insurance does a plumber need to get a permit in Texas City?
Which plumbing code does Texas City use?
Is wet venting allowed in Texas City?
Who sits on the Texas City plumbing appeals and advisory board?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Texas City
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Texas City to another location·View the Texas building safety overview
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