What Ipswich City Council charges for a plumbing permit, and when a bathroom job needs one

The fee and what it covers

Ipswich City Council's 2026-27 Register of Fees and Charges lists a plumbing permit lodged electronically at $265.00, plus $164.00 per fixture from 1 to 50 in a class 1 or class 10 building. That is A$265 to lodge, plus A$164 for each of the first 50 fixtures.

The register notes that the fee includes issuing the permit and inspections during construction. It also notes that where a licensed person chooses to request a compliance permit for notifiable work, the same fees apply.

Why most bathroom jobs do not pay it

The QBCC describes notifiable work as a category of plumbing and drainage work that lets a plumber perform the work without a local government permit or mandatory inspections, and says it includes most work performed in existing homes, additions, extensions or renovations to kitchens and bathrooms among them. The plumber registers it with the QBCC within 10 business days of issuing the invoice and gives a copy of the notice to the owner or to whoever engaged them.

When it is permit work

Plumbing and drainage work associated with new construction is permit work, not notifiable work. That is the line between an ensuite added to an existing house and one built into a new structure, and it is why the ensuite page treats them separately.

What to ask the provider

Ask whether the plumbing is notifiable or permit work, who lodges what, and whether a council fee is in the quote or on top of it. Ask for the copy of the notice when the job is finished.

What could change

Council sets its fees each financial year. This site records the day the register was read, 27 September 2026. Read the council's current register before you rely on any figure here.