Estimate your building
The range depends only on the building, how much of it is repiped and, for PEX, the material. Floors, bathrooms and plaster show where in the range a home tends to land; permits and add-ons are shown as their own lines.
Typical Philadelphia-area range
$4,000 to $15,000+
Whole rowhouse. Larger homes and copper jobs can pass $20,000. Choose PEX above to see the PEX range.
What moves the price
- Two floorsThe lines climb one floor, usually inside a wall or chase near the bathroom stack. How that run is reached sets most of the openings upstairs.
- Shared wallsIn Philadelphia, water piping may not cross into the house next door, so every run stays on your side of the party wall. Runs are planned along the inside of the shared wall or through floors and chases.
- Openings and restorationThe number of wall openings, how tile and cabinets are reached, and whether patching and paint are included. Who closes each opening should be written into the quote.
Material: PEX or copper
The Philadelphia Plumbing Code (P-605.4) allows PEX in one- and two-family dwellings and apartments, so a house or small residential building can be repiped in PEX or copper. Most whole-house water piping permits issued in the city name PEX. The quote should name the material and the joining method.
Permit: City of Philadelphia, Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I)
L&I charges the plumbing permit by fixture count, with one column for one- and two-family dwellings and another for every other occupancy.
| Plumbing permit (alterations)$50 for the first 7 fixtures + $22.50 each additional, one- and two-family dwellings. Enter the fixture count to see the fee. | |
|---|---|
| City surchargePer permit | $3 |
| State surchargePer permit | $4.50 |
- L&I charges a $100 filing fee when the application is filed. It is applied toward the final permit fee, not added on top.
- A Philadelphia licensed master plumber oversees the work and pulls the L&I permit.
- L&I decides which fee line fits the job. Replacing water lines without fixtures is listed at $37 for a one- or two-family dwelling and $126 for other occupancies, which can fit a partial repipe.
L&I summary of construction permit fees
Programs to know about
- PWD Homeowner's Emergency Loan Program (HELP). A zero-interest loan for service line, curb trap, main drain or sewer lateral repairs on residential buildings of up to 4 units, after a Notice of Defect, or to replace a lead service line. PWD inspects and gives the estimate, and a lien is placed on the property. It does not pay for piping inside the house.
- PHDC Basic Systems Repair Program. Free emergency repairs for income-eligible owner-occupied single-family homes, including leaking or broken water service lines and PWD or L&I violations. It is an emergency repair program, not a repipe program.
These are public programs with their own rules. Check each one directly; this tool cannot say whether a property qualifies.
Not in the range
- Patching and painting, unless the quote lists it
- The water heater itself and new fixtures
- Sewer and drain lines, which are a separate job
- The water service line from the street, unless the quote states it
These ranges are budgeting figures, not a quote. The permit lines are L&I's published fees; the price for your building comes after a walk-through that starts at the meter and main shutoff. For context, the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median plumber wage in the Philadelphia metro at $35.99 an hour against $30.67 nationally (Philadelphia metro, United States). A wage is not a billing rate.
Read the Philadelphia repipe cost guideHow the Philadelphia repipe permit works
How the estimate works
The ranges are typical Philadelphia-area ranges for a whole-house repipe, drawn from local and regional project figures. They are budgeting figures, not a quote. No answer you give changes them: there are no multipliers and no square-foot scaling, and the upper end stays open because larger and copper jobs run past it. Floors, bathrooms and plaster are shown as drivers that push toward the high end.
The permit line comes from the City of Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections summary of construction permit fees and its plumbing permit page, worked out from the fixture count you enter. The material rule comes from L&I's summary of Philadelphia plumbing code amendments. The service line figure, curb stop charges and programs come from the Philadelphia Water Department and its Rates and Charges. Suburban permit fees are set by each township or borough, so none are shown.
For context on labor: the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median wage for plumbers in the Philadelphia metro at $35.99 an hour against $30.67 nationally, about 17% higher (Philadelphia metro, United States). A wage is not a billing rate, but it moves every labor-heavy job.
What you get for each building
| Your answers | The calculator shows |
|---|---|
| Whole rowhouse, twin or detached house | $4,000 to $15,000+, a typical Philadelphia-area range. Larger homes and copper jobs can pass $20,000. |
| The same, with PEX chosen | About $4,000 to $10,000 for a typical home in PEX; large homes run higher. |
| 2 to 4 units, mixed-use, or 5+ unit apartment building | No range. The drivers for that building, and a price after a walk-through. |
| Any partial repipe | No range. Which lines are replaced and where new meets old decide the price. |
| Water service line, City of Philadelphia | $3,000 to $12,000, the Philadelphia Water Department estimate, shown as its own line. |
| Main shutoff | No range. Priced after a walk-through. |
Never inside the range
- The L&I permit, shown as its own line ($50 for up to 7 fixtures in a one- or two-family dwelling)
- A replacement water heater, and new fixtures
- Patching and painting, unless the quote lists it
- Sewer and drain lines, which are a separate job
- The water service line, which is its own project and permit
Questions about the calculator
Why does the calculator show a range for a rowhouse or single house but not for a 2 to 4 unit building?
A range is shown only where local project figures support one: $4,000 to $15,000+ for a whole rowhouse, twin or detached house, with larger homes and copper jobs able to pass $20,000. Multi-unit, mixed-use and apartment buildings, and any partial repipe, vary too much with risers, unit shutoffs and access, so the calculator lists what drives the price and leaves the number to a walk-through.
How is the L&I plumbing permit fee for a repipe worked out?
L&I charges by fixture count. For a one- or two-family dwelling the alteration permit is $50 for the first 7 fixtures and $22.50 for each one after that, so 10 fixtures come to $117.50. Other occupancies start at $189. A $3 city and $4.50 state surcharge are added, and the $100 filing fee is applied toward the final fee.
Should the service line and the repipe be priced as one job?
Price them as two lines, even when one contractor does both. Inside the city the owner is responsible for the whole service line, and the Philadelphia Water Department estimates $3,000 to $12,000 for a private plumber to replace it, more with a street opening. Check the PWD pilot and main-project programs first, and plan the order so the new line and new piping meet at a new main shutoff.
Get an Exact Quote
Send the building details and a walk-through turns this range into a price for your building. Your calculator answers are added to the request.
Call (267) 214-6117Philadelphia Freedom Repipe1701 Washington Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19146
office@philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com