Plumbing, Mechanical and Gas Permits for a Kitchen Remodel

Three trades sit behind a kitchen's finished surfaces: plumbing, mechanical (which covers exhaust and, in the city, gas piping) and electrical. This page deals with the first two. It explains which permit covers each common kitchen change, who issues it inside Vancouver and in unincorporated Clark County, and what the published fee schedules show. Electrical has its own page because a different agency is involved outside the city: see electrical permits for kitchen remodels.

Which permit covers which kitchen change

The pot filler row follows from the wording of the city exemption, not from a named fee item: new piping is a "rearrangement of ... pipes", which the exemption excludes. Whether the whole project needs a building permit as well is covered in do you need a permit to remodel a kitchen.

City of Vancouver

The City of Vancouver Permit Center issues plumbing permits under the Uniform Plumbing Code (VMC 17.20.010) and mechanical permits under the International Mechanical Code, which includes the International Fuel Gas Code (VMC 17.24.010). That is why gas piping is a mechanical item in the city.

Part of a remodel, or a stand-alone job

If the plumbing or mechanical work is part of a remodel, the city says it "is included in your RES (Residential Building Permit)". VMC 17.08.090(J) makes this a single permit with a single fee when the work involves two or more codes. You do not apply for the trades separately.

If the work stands alone, for example connecting a gas range where there was an electric one with no other construction, it is an "MPE (Mechanical, Plumbing, Electrical) Trade Permit" bought through the Online Permit Center. The city describes these as for small jobs "that can be inspected in 2 visits". A stand-alone trade permit expires 180 days after issuance.

What the city exempts

The plumbing exemptions in VMC 17.08.090(D)(3) are narrow: stopping leaks, clearing stoppages, repairing leaks in pipes, valves or fixtures, and removing and reinstalling a sink, "provided that such repairs do not involve or require the replacement or rearrangement of valves, pipes or fixtures". The code adds that if a concealed trap, drain, waste or vent pipe has to be removed and replaced with new material, "the same shall be considered as new work and a permit shall be procured".

The mechanical exemptions in VMC 17.08.090(D)(4) cover portable appliances and "Replacement of any component part or assembly of an appliance which does not alter the listing and inspection approval". A new duct run is not a component part of an appliance.

2026 stand-alone trade permit fees

The per-item figures are small, so the minimum fee is what most single-item jobs actually pay. These amounts apply to stand-alone permits. Inside a RES permit the trades are priced through the combined fee explained in the City of Vancouver permit process. City fees adjust each 1 January.

Who may do the plumbing

The city's remodel application has a separate plumbing contractor block headed "Licensed Plumbing Contractor required per RCW 18.106.440". State law also has an owner exemption: RCW 18.106.150(1) says no license is required "to do plumbing work at his or her residence or farm or place of business or on other property owned by him or her". That exemption does not displace local plumbing codes or the permit itself. Neither the city nor the county publishes the conditions it applies to owner plumbing permits for a kitchen, and owner rules for gas piping are not set out in the sources we reviewed. Confirm both with the permitting office before you plan to do the work yourself, and see DIY kitchen remodeling in Washington.

Unincorporated Clark County

Clark County Community Development issues plumbing and mechanical permits outside city limits. Its residential permits page states: "A plumbing permit is required for installation of any plumbing fixtures." The stand-alone permit types are "PLM Plumbing" and "MCH Mechanical", applied for online through the county's permit system.

The county's Plumbing Application (Rev 9.2.25) lists these fees:

• Issuance: $94.00
• Plumbing fixture or trap, 1 to 5: $192.00; 6 or more at $35.00 each
• Alter drainage or water pipe: $122.00
• Alter vent: $122.00
• Gas pipe, 1 to 5: $89.00; 6 or more at $29.00 each

Camas, Washougal, Battle Ground, Ridgefield, La Center and Woodland issue their own plumbing and mechanical permits. La Center states that separate permits are required for mechanical and plumbing work on a residential remodel. The full table is in kitchen permits in Clark County and nearby cities.

What the permit is checking

A permit exists so that someone inspects work that will be hidden. For kitchen plumbing, gas and exhaust, a few code points come up on almost every job:

• Dishwasher air gap. UPC 807.3 requires an approved air gap fitting on the discharge side of a domestic dishwasher. A high loop in the drain hose is not listed as an alternative in that section.
• Island sink venting. UPC 909.1 describes the island loop vent, roughed in above the floor and rising at least to drainboard height. This is the main reason moving a sink to an island is more than a longer pipe. See kitchen sinks, faucets and plumbing.
• Gas shutoff and connector. Each appliance needs its own shutoff valve in the same room within 6 feet, and the connector may not exceed 6 feet or be concealed in or run through walls, floors, partitions, ceilings or appliance housings (IRC G2420.5 and G2422.1.2). New gas branches are pressure tested (IRC G2417.1.3).
• Hood duct. Washington's amendment to IRC M1503.3 requires domestic cooking exhaust to "discharge to the outdoors through a duct" with a smooth interior and a backdraft damper, and it may not end in an attic or crawl space. Sizing and makeup air are covered in range hoods and kitchen ventilation.

The city has inspection types that match this work, including rough plumbing, rough gas pipe, exhaust and ventilation ducts, and the corresponding finals. The order they happen in is set out in kitchen remodel inspections.

How JDI handles trade permits

On a JDI kitchen, the plumbing, gas and ventilation work is designed with the layout and permitted with it, so the trade permits are part of one managed project. To talk through a specific change, such as an island sink or a switch to gas, start with kitchen remodeling in Vancouver.