Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen or bathroom?
It depends on the specifics
Cosmetic work is normally exempt. The moment plumbing or wiring moves, it is not.
What changes the answer
- Paint, cabinets, fixtures in the same location, flooring — typically exempt
- Moving a sink, toilet, or any supply or drain line — plumbing permit required
- Adding circuits or relocating outlets — electrical permit required
- Removing a wall as part of the work — see the wall-removal answer, that is the part that matters
These thresholds come from the model code and are commonly amended locally, which is usually where people get caught.
Why it matters
Concealed unpermitted plumbing is expensive to prove out later, and drain venting done wrong causes problems that surface years afterwards.
Confirm the requirement with the authority that would issue the permit before deciding.
The version of this people actually ask
Do I need a permit for a cosmetic kitchen or bathroom refresh?
If it stays cosmetic, usually not. The residential code names painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets and countertops as exempt, so new cabinet boxes on the same footprint with the same sink location is close to the clearest no-permit remodel there is. The moment a fixture moves, a wall opens or a circuit is added, you are outside that list.
Do I need a permit to move a sink, toilet or shower?
Yes. Relocating a fixture means new drain, vent and supply, and drain-waste-vent work is where bad plumbing hides successfully for years — a fixture with an inadequate vent will siphon its trap dry and let sewer gas into the room, and it will do that intermittently enough to be blamed on something else. This is the single most common thing that turns an exempt remodel into a permitted one.
Do I need a permit to replace a bathtub with a walk-in shower?
Usually yes. Even where the drain stays in roughly the same place it typically has to be reworked, the valve is being replaced, and shower valves have a scald-protection requirement. Waterproofing behind the new surround is the other reason inspection exists here: a failed shower pan is one of the most expensive slow failures in a house.
Do I need a permit to add an outlet or lighting in a kitchen remodel?
Adding circuits or outlets is electrical work and is generally permitted regardless of how cosmetic the rest of the job is. Kitchens and bathrooms also carry specific requirements — GFCI protection, the number of small-appliance circuits, and receptacle spacing along a counter — that a remodel is expected to bring up to current standard even where the rest of the house is older.
This is the typical rule, not your answer
This is the typical rule in the United States and not a decision about your property — permitting is run by more than 22,000 separate authorities and any of them can amend the code it adopts, so confirm with your local building department before you start. Put a ZIP in to see what applies in that state, and how to reach the office that decides.
IRC R105.2 exempts cabinet work and finishes; any alteration to plumbing or electrical systems requires a permit.
Other projects
- Build a deckA permit is usually required once a deck is more than 200 square feet, more than 30 inches above grade, serves an exit door, or is attached to the house.
- Put up a fenceFences under 7 feet are typically exempt from a building permit — but height limits, corner-visibility rules and pool-barrier requirements are set locally and catch people constantly.
- Add a shed or small outbuildingOne-story detached sheds are typically exempt up to 200 square feet under the residential code — but the number people quote is 120, and both are right depending on which code your jurisdiction adopted.
- Replace a water heaterReplacing a water heater almost always requires a permit, even though it is routinely done without one.
- Remove or open up an interior wallIf the wall is load-bearing, a permit and engineered drawings are required. If you are not certain whether it is load-bearing, assume it is.
- Upgrade or replace an electrical panelPanel and service work always requires a permit, and in most places must be done by a licensed electrician.