City Of El Paso To Consider Waiving Plumbing Permit Fees

The City of El Paso is considering dropping the permit fee for plumbing work done after last week’s freeze following an uproar from angry plumbers and residents. On Tuesday, city officials indicated that anyone having any plumbing work done at all would be required to get a $72 permit.

ABC-7 quickly approached Mayor John Cook and City Manager Joyce Wilson to ask about the possibility of waiving or reducing that fee. And it appears they have listened. One El Paso plumber, who asked to remain anonymous, said charging a permit fee in an emergency situation, “is outright thievery, outright ripping customers off. There’s no need to make money on people’s grief.”

City Engineer Alan Shubert agreed. “Our issue is not to punish anybody,” Shubert said. “Folks have been through enough with the freeze.” Shubert called the need for the inspection of all plumbing work a safety issue.

“We just want to ensure as repairs are done they’re done in the fashion that protects people’s safety,” he said. The city also cleared up the kind of work that requires a permit and the work that doesn’t. Permits are required for anything involving work to your backflow preventer or irrigation system, for any water heater replacement or repair and for any main supply line repairs, as well. Shubert said the real concern are backflow preventers, which if not working properly can contaminate the water supply for everyone.

“We really don’t know how much damage is out there,” he said. City officials say you do not need to get a permit for work done to indoor water lines,indoor sewer lines or the replacement and repair of indoor plumbing fixtures. “Presuming that the Council sees fit to charge zero dollars for those permits, we are going to set up a couple satellite locations where we can actually issue permits,” Shubert said.

He added that he’d be surprised if City Council didn’t waive the fee. It will only be for residential properties, however. Commercial property repairs will still be subject to the $72 permit fee. Shubert said the City has 29 inspectors who can inspect up to 400 homes a day altogether. But with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 homes damaged, the City appears to be looking at some serious overtime costs. If you are still confused about what kind of work requires a permit and what does not, you call call the City at 541-4622 or 541-4558.//