Free tool
Columbus Repipe Cost Calculator
This repipe cost calculator gives a Columbus-area budget for replacing the water supply piping in a house or a larger building, with the permit lines for your city and the drivers behind the number. No contact details needed, and the result changes as you answer.
Estimate your house
Five answers. The range depends only on the building, how much of it is repiped and the pipe; the permit is shown as its own line, so you can see what each part of the cost is.
Typical Columbus-area range, any material
$4,000 to $15,000+
Whole-house repipe. Larger multi-bath, copper or more complex homes run higher.
What moves the price
- Pushes toward the high endEach finished floor means more walls and ceilings to open and close. A fully finished two- or three-story house pushes toward the high end.
- BasementAn unfinished basement ceiling leaves the main lines exposed, which keeps the first-floor runs simpler. Most older Columbus houses have one.
- Pushes toward the high endEvery sink, toilet, tub, shower, hose bib and appliance is a connection to make and test. More bathrooms push toward the high end.
- Pushes toward the high endPlaster or drywall opened at fittings and turns, tile reached from the back where possible, and who closes the openings. Whether patching is included is a line in the quote.
Permit: City of Columbus Building and Zoning Services
A repipe takes the full plumbing permit, not the minor-work permit. It is a flat fee for a 1, 2 or 3 family dwelling.
| Plumbing permit, 1-3 familyincludes 2 inspections | $275 |
|---|---|
| Permit total | $275 |
- Each extra inspection trip is $225.
- The permit is pulled by a plumbing contractor registered with the City, or by an owner who lives in the single-family home.
- The City adjusts its fees each year, so the permit line is confirmed when the application is filed.
Material: PEX or copper
Both are listed in the Ohio Plumbing Code. PEX usually means fewer openings and a lower price; copper suits exposed runs and owners who prefer metal. The range here covers either.
Not in the range
- Patching and painting, unless the quote lists it
- A new water heater or new fixtures
- Sewer and drain lines, which are a separate trade
- The water service line from the street, which the City of Columbus replaces under its own program when the line is lead or galvanized
These are budgeting figures, not a quote. The permit lines are the agencies' published fees; the price for your house comes after a walk-through that starts at the meter and main shutoff.
How the estimate works
The ranges are typical Columbus-area ranges for a whole-house repipe, drawn from local project figures. They are budgeting figures, not the contractors' rates and not a quote. No answer you give stretches them: there are no multipliers and no square-foot scaling, and the upper end stays open where larger or more finished houses run past it.
The permit lines come from the City of Columbus Building and Zoning Services fee schedule and the Franklin County Public Health plumbing fees. The county permit line is the only arithmetic: its fee plus the per-fixture charge times the fixture count you choose.
For context on labor: the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median wage for plumbers in the Columbus metro at $30.41 an hour, about the same as the $30.67 national median (Columbus metro, United States). A wage is not a billing rate, which also carries insurance, licensing, vehicles and overhead.
What you get for each house
| Your answers | The estimator shows |
|---|---|
| Whole house, double or triplex, material not decided | $4,000 to $15,000+, a typical Columbus-area range. |
| Whole house with PEX | $4,000 to $12,000, a typical Columbus-area range for PEX. |
| Whole house with copper | $6,000 to $18,000+, a typical Columbus-area range for copper. |
| 4 or more units, commercial or mixed-use | 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. |
Never inside the range
- The permit, shown as its own line ($275 for a house in the City of Columbus)
- A new water heater, and new fixtures
- Patching and painting, unless the quote lists it
- Sewer and drain lines, which are a separate trade
- The water service line from the street
Questions about the estimator
Why does the estimator give a range for a house but not for an apartment building?
A range is published only where local project figures support one: $4,000 to $15,000+ for a whole-house repipe of a house, double or triplex, $4,000 to $12,000 with PEX and $6,000 to $18,000+ with copper. A building with 4 or more units, a commercial building or a partial repipe varies too much with risers, occupied units and access, so the estimator shows what drives the price and leaves the number to a walk-through.
Does the Columbus permit fee go up with the size of the repipe?
Not for a house. Building and Zoning Services charges a flat $275 plumbing permit for a 1, 2 or 3 family dwelling, with 2 inspections included and $225 for each extra trip. For 4 or more units the permit is $550 or $700, and a full system replacement adds plan review billed by the hour.
Why is the permit different in Upper Arlington, Bexley or Grandview Heights?
Plumbing plan review and inspection in those cities go through Franklin County Public Health, which charges $135 plus $80 an hour for plan review and a $135 permit fee plus $20 per fixture. That is why the estimator asks for a rough fixture count.
Get an Exact Quote
Send the house details and a walk-through turns this range into a price for your house. Your estimator answers are added to the request.
Call (380) 324-5056Slate Repiping Columbus40 E Columbus St, Columbus, OH 43206office@slaterepipingcolumbus.comColumbus and nearby Franklin County communities