Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen?

For cabinets and counters alone, the model code says no: they are exempt finish work. New or moved circuits, a moved sink or a gas line change are regulated work that needs a permit. Your building department decides.

Do I need a permit for a bathroom remodel?

Tile and a vanity are exempt finish work. Replacing or moving a toilet, shower valve, drain or vent is plumbing work, and the model code exempts only repairs that replace or rearrange nothing. Ask how your city treats the swap.

Do I need a permit to remove a wall?

Yes, under the model code: it is structural work. If the wall carries load, a beam has to be sized to replace it, and your building department can require an engineer to do that.

Do I need a permit to replace windows?

A same-size replacement is treated differently from place to place. A new or larger opening is structural work. Bedroom windows must meet IRC R310: 5.7 sq ft clear opening and a sill no higher than 44 in.

What happens if I remodel without a permit?

An inspector can ask to open covered work, and buyers or lenders can ask for permit records at sale. Ask your insurer how it treats claims involving unpermitted work.

Does HyreRemodel pull permits?

No. HyreRemodel does not pull permits or do remodeling work. This checker explains how the model code treats the work so you can ask the building department the right question.

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Remodel permit checker

Pick the work and the year the house was built. The answer paraphrases the model code and the federal lead rule; your building department has the final word.

IRC R105.2 lists the finish work the model code exempts 2021 International Residential Code, paraphrased by Jaspector, retrieved September 29, 2026: painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops and similar finish work. Your city can amend the list.

Paint, tile, carpet, cabinets and countertops are finish work the model code exempts from a building permit (IRC R105.2). Moving plumbing, adding circuits, gas work and changing walls or openings need one (IRC R105.1). Your city adopts and amends the code, so ask its building department before work starts.

Check your project

Model-code treatment, not a ruling. Nothing is stored or emailed.

— What the model code says

— Lead-safe work

— Who decides

What this assumed —

Not a determination. HyreRemodel does not pull permits.

Settle these before anyone opens a wall

Built before 1978? Paid work that disturbs more than 6 sq ft of paint per room inside, or 20 sq ft outside, or replaces any window, needs an EPA Lead-Safe Certified firm (40 CFR Part 745, Subpart E). A permit exemption does not change that.

Old flooring, ceilings and insulation. These can contain asbestos. Have them tested before demolition.

A load-bearing wall. Its load has to go somewhere. Get the beam sized and the permit issued before the wall comes out.

Gas. Moving or extending a gas line is licensed, permitted work.

How the model code treats common remodeling work

Paraphrased from the 2021 International Residential Code. Your jurisdiction adopts an edition and can amend it.

The work	Model-code treatment	Ask your building department
Paint, wallpaper, tile, carpet, cabinets, counters	Finish work, exempt from a building permit (R105.2)	Whether a value-of-work threshold applies
Replacing a faucet or toilet in place	Repairs are exempt only if no pipe, valve or fixture is replaced or rearranged	Whether your swap counts as a repair
Moving a sink, toilet or shower	Plumbing work under a permit (R105.1)	Which inspections come before the walls close
New circuits or panel work	Electrical work under a permit; narrow exemptions, such as a same-size breaker	Who may pull the permit
Moving or adding a gas line	Gas work under a permit (R105.1)	Which license the installer needs
Removing a wall or cutting an opening	Structural work under a building permit	Whether drawings need an engineer’s stamp
A new or larger window	Structural work. A bedroom window must meet R310: 5.7 sq ft clear opening, sill no higher than 44 in	How a same-size replacement is treated
Finishing a basement	New habitable space: ceiling height (R305) and an escape opening (R310)	The full list of inspections

HyreRemodel’s summary of the model code, not a ruling. Only the jurisdiction that issues the permit decides.

Why the answer is local

Adoption. The IRC is a model code. A state or city adopts an edition, sometimes years after it is published, and amends it. The same kitchen can need a permit in one town and not the next.

Exemption is not permission. The IRC says an exemption from a permit does not authorize work that breaks the code. Exempt work still has to be done to code.

Thresholds. Some jurisdictions require a permit above a stated value of work, whatever the type. Ask whether yours does.

How a remodeling permit runs

1
Describe the whole project to the counter
Every element: “new cabinets in place, two new circuits, the sink moves four feet.” The circuits and the sink decide the answer.
2
Drawings, stamped if required
Structural work can require a licensed engineer or architect. Ask before you commission anything.
3
Apply and pay the fee
Fees are published. See how they compare in our permit fees by city study.
4
Plan review
Comments and a resubmission are part of the process. Ask the current review time when you apply.
5
Permit issued, then work starts
Not before. Work started early can bring a stop-work order.
6
Inspections, then the final
Rough work is inspected before it is covered. Keep the final sign-off with the house papers.

What to ask your building department

Which code edition is adopted, and what is amended
Every model-code figure on this page depends on that answer.
Whether a value-of-work threshold applies
A cosmetic project can cross it.
Whether drawings need a stamp
Structural work is where this comes up.
Which inspections there are, and the wait for each
That wait sets your schedule.
Whether smoke and CO alarms must be updated
The IRC can require smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to be brought up to current standard in the dwelling when alterations are permitted, not only in the room being worked on. Ask your building department what it enforces.
Who may pull the permit
If a contractor asks you to pull it as the owner, ask why: the responsibility moves to you.
Write down who you spoke to, and when
Counter advice is not binding. A name and a date help if a plan reviewer sees it differently.

What skipping a permit can cost

Opening finished work. An inspector can ask to see work that was covered without inspection, which means opening walls and ceilings.

At sale. Buyers, lenders and appraisers can ask for permit records. Work without them can become a question in the negotiation.

Insurance. Ask your insurer how it treats a claim that involves unpermitted work before you decide.

What this checker cannot do

Rule on your project. It reads the model code, not your city’s adopted version, amendments or zoning. Historic districts and HOAs add their own approvals.

Pull a permit. HyreRemodel does not pull permits or do remodeling work. For the wider picture, read permits and approvals.

Questions this checker answers

Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen?: For cabinets and counters alone, the model code says no: they are exempt finish work. New or moved circuits, a moved sink or a gas line change are regulated work that needs a permit. Your building department decides.
Do I need a permit for a bathroom remodel?: Tile and a vanity are exempt finish work. Replacing or moving a toilet, shower valve, drain or vent is plumbing work, and the model code exempts only repairs that replace or rearrange nothing. Ask how your city treats the swap.
Do I need a permit to remove a wall?: Yes, under the model code: it is structural work. If the wall carries load, a beam has to be sized to replace it, and your building department can require an engineer to do that.
Do I need a permit to replace windows?: A same-size replacement is treated differently from place to place. A new or larger opening is structural work. Bedroom windows must meet IRC R310: 5.7 sq ft clear opening and a sill no higher than 44 in.
What is the EPA lead rule?: The Renovation, Repair and Painting rule (40 CFR Part 745, Subpart E). In a house built before 1978, paid work that disturbs more than 6 sq ft of paint per room, or replaces a window, needs a Lead-Safe Certified firm.
What happens if I remodel without a permit?: An inspector can ask to open covered work, and buyers or lenders can ask for permit records at sale. Ask your insurer how it treats claims involving unpermitted work.
Does HyreRemodel pull permits?: No. HyreRemodel does not pull permits or do remodeling work. This checker explains how the model code treats the work so you can ask the building department the right question.

Sources and methodology

Figures dated September 29, 2026. Last reviewed September 29, 2026.

IRC 2021 R105.2, work exempt from permit (paraphrase) (International Code Council, via Jaspector, retrieved September 29, 2026). Finish work, narrow trade exemptions, and exemption is not permission to break code.
IRC 2021 R105.1, permits required (paraphrase) (International Code Council, via Jaspector, retrieved September 29, 2026). Alterations, and regulated electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing work.
Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program (US Environmental Protection Agency, retrieved September 5, 2026). 40 CFR Part 745, Subpart E: thresholds and the window rule.

Permits and approvals Zoning, HOAs and historic review as well as building permits.
Remodeling permit fees by city One alteration run through published fee schedules.
Remodeling timeline planner Put plan review into the calendar.
Quote comparison worksheet Who pulls the permit belongs on the bid.
Bathroom remodel cost calculator Moving the toilet is a cost line and a permit question.
Kitchen remodel cost calculator Cabinets by the foot, plus the bid lines.
Remodel failed inspection What to do with a correction list.

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