In Philadelphia, new cabinets and countertops, paint, and a new tile or vinyl floor generally don't need a permit. Replacing or moving the sink, adding a dishwasher line, or extending the gas pipe to a range generally needs a plumbing permit with a licensed master plumber in charge. New circuits and outlets need an electrical permit and a licensed electrical contractor. Taking out a load-bearing wall or making the kitchen bigger needs a building permit. For a single-family home where the kitchen stays in its current footprint, most of a full remodel can go through the City's EZ Bathroom and Kitchen Alterations permit, which skips plans and the separate building permit.
This is general information based on the City's published rules as of October 2026, not legal advice. For your house, check with the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) or call 311. Suburban rules are at the end.
Kitchen work that generally doesn't need a permit
L&I's building permit page lists work that often doesn't need a building permit if the property isn't on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. For a kitchen, these are the items that matter:
- cabinets and countertops;
- painting, papering and similar wall and ceiling finishes;
- paneling or drywall installed over existing wall surfaces, and ceiling material applied directly to existing ceilings in one- or two-family homes;
- conventional floor coverings that aren't made of fibers, such as tile, vinyl and laminate;
- replacing doors and windows in one- or two-family homes;
- repairs that are part of regular maintenance.
The plumbing permit page exempts minor repairs with the same material, such as replacing a faucet, valve or parts, and stopping leaks or clearing clogs. The electrical permit page exempts repairs that are part of regular maintenance.
So a cabinet-and-counter refresh that keeps the sink, range and outlets where they are can usually go ahead without a permit. One catch: swapping a faucet is a repair, but installing a new sink or adding a garbage disposal is plumbing work.
Kitchen work that needs permits
The plumbing page says you need a permit for plumbing work, including installation, alteration, renewal, replacement and repair, apart from the short list of exceptions. In a kitchen that usually covers:
- a new sink, even in the same spot, or moving it to an island or another wall;
- new supply or drain lines for a dishwasher, ice maker or second sink;
- extending, changing or capping gas piping, for example to move a gas range or switch to induction.
Electrical work beyond maintenance needs an electrical permit: a new circuit for a range, microwave or dishwasher, new outlets, new lighting, or wiring for a hood.
A building permit, often with plans, comes into play when the job goes past the EZ standard: enlarging the kitchen, building a new one (say, in a rear addition or for a second unit), removing or altering a load-bearing wall, or any work in a two-family or multi-family building.
The EZ Bathroom and Kitchen Alterations permit
L&I's EZ permit standard for bathroom and kitchen alterations (revised July 2026, based on the 2021 codes) lets you get a plumbing permit for a kitchen alteration without plans or a separate building permit. Our post on bathroom remodel permits covers the bathroom side of the same document. Here is what it means for a kitchen.
Who qualifies
- Single-family homes only. It doesn't apply to two-family, multi-family or mixed-use buildings.
- Same footprint. The work has to stay inside the existing kitchen. Creating a new kitchen or extending an existing one isn't allowed under this permit.
- A Philadelphia-licensed plumbing contractor does the work. Electrical work still needs its own permit.
- No structural work, except limited reinforcement or leveling of a sagging floor.
- Historic properties need prior approval from the Philadelphia Historical Commission; contact its staff while you're still planning.
What it can cover in a kitchen
Under the standard, the permit can include new fixtures with new branch piping, fixture replacement, ductwork, extending or altering fuel gas piping, removing or adding non-load-bearing partitions, replacing plaster or drywall, replacing the subfloor, leveling a sagging floor, and replacing doors and windows in existing openings on properties not on the historic register. That covers a typical rowhome kitchen gut: new sink and dishwasher, a gas line moved within the room, a hood duct, a pantry wall taken out, and new walls and floor.
Kitchen rules in the standard
These are the requirements most likely to change your layout:
- Light and air. Window glass of at least 8% of the floor area, with at least 4% openable to the outdoors. The windows don't have to open if a local exhaust system is installed under the code's ventilation section. That matters in a narrow rowhome kitchen with one small window.
- A 3-foot aisle. Kitchens must keep a clear passageway of at least 3 feet between counter fronts and appliances, or counter fronts and walls. Measure this before you commit to an island, a deeper counter or a peninsula in a galley kitchen.
- Ceiling height. Keep at least 7 feet clear, which matters for soffits or a thicker floor.
- Shutoff valves on the supply to every fixture except tubs and showers, so the sink and dishwasher get their own.
- No S-traps, except as a direct replacement of an existing one. If the sink drain is re-piped, expect a vented trap.
- Floors. Sagging joists may be sistered with at least 2x6 lumber, glued and screwed. Anything more is structural work and leaves the EZ path.
- Frame exterior walls. Drywall on a non-masonry exterior wall has to be 5/8-inch Type X, which can come up in a wood-framed rear addition.
Range hoods and makeup air
Under the International Residential Code, on which Pennsylvania's residential code is based, kitchen hoods that can exhaust more than 400 cubic feet per minute generally need makeup air: a planned, dampered path for outside air to come back in. Recent editions tie this to homes with certain fuel-burning appliances inside the air barrier. Penn State's Pennsylvania Housing Research Center explains why: a big hood can depressurize the house and pull air in through gaps and chimney flues.
That matters in older Philadelphia homes with a gas water heater or boiler venting up a chimney. If you want a hood above 400 cfm, ask the installer how makeup air will be handled before it's ordered, and keep working CO alarms either way.
Removing a wall for an open kitchen
Opening the kitchen to the dining room is a common rowhome wish. The EZ permit allows removing non-load-bearing partitions only. If the wall carries joists, a beam or the stair, removing it is a structural alteration: you'll need a building permit, usually with plans, and often an engineer's design for the new beam. Don't guess which way the joists run in a 100-year-old house; have it checked before the job is priced.
Who's allowed to do which part
According to L&I's permit pages:
- Plumbing and gas piping: a licensed master plumber must oversee plumbing work. The owner can file the application, but the master plumber's oversight is still required, and the EZ standard requires a Philadelphia-licensed plumbing contractor.
- Electrical: a licensed electrical contractor must perform all electrical work, and the owner or their agent hires a licensed electrical inspection agency for the inspections.
- Everything else: on an existing one- or two-family home, work that doesn't need an electrical or plumbing permit may be done by an owner who lives in the building, or by a registered PA Home Improvement Contractor who holds a Philadelphia Commercial Activity License. Otherwise a licensed Philadelphia contractor must do it.
So a general contractor running the remodel should bring in a licensed plumber and electrician or hold those licenses. Here's how to check a contractor in Philadelphia.
Fees and timing
Per the City's permit pages as of October 2026: the plumbing permit has a $100 filing fee applied to the final fee, and most online applications without plans take about 5 business days. The electrical permit has a $100 filing fee, then $25 per $1,000 of estimated electrical cost ($63 minimum). A building permit for a one- or two-family home has a $25 filing fee and up to 15 business days of review for alterations. Inspections are scheduled through eCLIPSE or at (215) 255-4040; leave walls open until the rough plumbing, gas and electrical inspections pass.
Older houses: lead and surprises behind the cabinets
In a house built before 1978, tearing out old plaster, painted trim and flooring can release lead dust, and a paid contractor generally has to follow federal lead-safe work rules; see lead paint in older Philadelphia homes. Pulling old cabinets can also reveal galvanized supply pipe, a cast-iron drain, ungrounded wiring or soft subfloor under the sink. A careful estimate says how those would be handled if they turn up.
Bucks and Montgomery counties
Outside the city, L&I's rules don't apply. Your township or borough issues the permits and enforces the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code; the state Department of Labor & Industry explains how local administration works. Forms, fees and exemptions vary, so call the code office and ask which permits a kitchen remodel with your scope needs.
A kitchen remodel permit checklist
- Write down the scope: what gets replaced, what moves, whether the cooking fuel changes, and whether a wall comes out.
- Sort it: cabinets, counters and finishes only (usually no permit); same-footprint remodel in a single-family home (EZ plumbing permit plus electrical permit); or a bigger change (building permit with plans).
- If the house is on the historic register, contact the Historical Commission early.
- Check the 3-foot aisle and 7-foot ceiling against your layout before ordering cabinets.
- If the hood is rated above 400 cfm, settle makeup air first.
- Have any wall you want removed checked for loads before the job is priced.
- Confirm the plumber's and electrician's licenses, and get in writing who pulls each permit.
- In a pre-1978 house, ask how the crew will work lead-safe.
- Keep walls open until rough inspections pass, and keep the Certificate of Approval.
When to call a pro
Bring in licensed help once the sink, gas line or wiring changes, a wall might be load-bearing, the floor is sagging, or the hood needs a duct through a brick wall. Those parts need licensed trades or a permit, and they're the hardest to redo once cabinets are in.
On HomeKept you can describe the kitchen project once, with photos and a note on what stays and what moves, and compare up to three estimates from local kitchen and bath pros in Philadelphia. It's free for homeowners. When you talk to a pro, ask which permits they'll pull and who holds the plumbing and electrical licenses.
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