# Repiping During Renovation NYC | Open-Wall Copper | NYC Repipe & Repair > Repiping during renovation in NYC: copper run while walls are open, coordinated with your GC and architect, filed as an LAA or on PE/RA plans. Free estimates. URL: https://nycrepipe.com/repiping-during-renovation/ # Repiping During Renovation in NYC For gut renovations, kitchen and bath remodels and co-op alterations where the walls are opening anyway. Get a free estimate → [☎ Call (929) 659-6658](tel:+19296596658) By NYC Repipe & Repair · Last reviewed October 19 New copper supply lines run through open studs during a gut renovation. Illustrative. [NYC Repipe & Repair](https://nycrepipe.com/) handles repiping during renovation for New York City houses and apartments, running new Type L copper while the walls, floors and ceilings are already open. That is the cheapest moment to replace old supply pipe: no access cutting, no separate restoration, and the new lines go where the new layout needs them. The plumbing scope is coordinated with your general contractor and architect, and filed the way the work requires, as a Limited Alteration Application or on PE/RA plans. ## What happens on the first visit 1. A walk-through with the plans, marking existing risers, branches and the main. 2. Pipe material identified and pressure measured before demolition starts. 3. Rough-in and inspection dates agreed with your general contractor. 4. A written plumbing price and filing path, LAA or PE/RA, before work is booked. ## Why open walls change the math On a stand-alone repipe, much of the cost is reaching the pipe and closing up after it. Labor is roughly 70% of a repipe ([HomeAdvisor](https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/plumbing/install-new-plumbing-pipes)), and drywall repair runs about $50–$75 per square foot ([Bob Vila](https://www.bobvila.com/articles/cost-to-repipe-a-house/)). In a gut or kitchen-and-bath renovation, the walls are already open and finishes are already budgeted, so most of that disappears. The expensive mistake is new tile over 80-year-old galvanized: when it leaks, the finish comes out. [Galvanized pipe replacement](https://nycrepipe.com/galvanized-pipe-replacement/) belongs in the scope, and the [cast iron stack](https://nycrepipe.com/cast-iron-stack-replacement/) is worth pricing too. Plastic drain pipe is allowed only in residential buildings of five stories or fewer (PC 701.9). ## Coordinating with the GC and architect Plumbing goes in after demolition and framing, before insulation and board. The new Type L copper is pressure-tested and inspected while visible; then your general contractor closes up. Rough-in dates, inspections and who restores what are agreed in writing. The free [pre-hire checklist](https://nycrepipe.com/resources/) lists what to ask for, from the plumber’s licence number to the DOB NOW job number. Skipping the permit is costly: penalties start at $520 for a one- or two-family house and $6,000 for other buildings. The filing depends on what changes. DOB says a [Limited Alteration Application](https://www.nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/limited-alteration-application.page) covers repair or replacement of existing piping that doesn’t require a Professional Engineer or Registered Architect. Replace pipe in place, and the Licensed Master Plumber files an LAA. Move the kitchen, add a bathroom or change the layout, and the work generally goes on PE/RA drawings ([permit tiers](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/repiping-permit-nyc/)). In a landmark district, an LPC Certificate of No Effect can apply too. Expect someone to suggest PEX to save money. Inside NYC it isn’t code work for drinking water ([copper vs PEX](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/copper-vs-pex-nyc/)). ## Co-op and condo apartments In a co-op, the alteration agreement sets the rules. Usually the building owns the risers and the shareholder owns the branch lines, though some agreements shift riser cost to the renovating shareholder ([Habitat](https://www.habitatmag.com/Archive2/415-November-2023/Shifting-the-Burden)). Boards may require an engineer’s review, a certificate of insurance, set hours and per-shutoff fees. See [alteration agreement requirements](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/co-op-alteration-agreement-plumbing/), [who pays for risers](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/who-pays-for-riser-replacement-co-op/) and [apartment repiping](https://nycrepipe.com/apartment-repiping/). For a house, the method is [whole house repiping](https://nycrepipe.com/whole-house-repiping/) with fewer openings. ## What's included - Type L copper supply for the renovated area or whole house - New shutoffs at every new fixture location - Lead-free valves and fittings to NSF 372 - Coordination with your GC and architect - DOB NOW filing by a NYC Licensed Master Plumber - Pressure test and inspection before close-up - Drain and vent work priced alongside when needed - Co-op or condo board paperwork support > Walls coming down soon? A pre-demolition walk-through prices the repipe while it's still the cheapest it will ever be. [(929) 659-6658](tel:+19296596658) Calls answered 24/7 Leak right now? Shut the main valve by the meter, then call. [☎ (929) 659-6658](tel:+19296596658) Get a free estimate Spec
MaterialType L copper
CodeNYC PC T.605.4
Lead-freeNSF/ANSI 372
TransitionsASSE 1079
PermitDOB NOW · LAA
[Free tool Repipe cost estimator → Your house, your number, in under a minute.](https://nycrepipe.com/tools/repipe-cost-estimator/) The permit trail ## What a legal NYC repipe *leaves on the record* Every permitted repipe produces the same paper trail at the Department of Buildings. It's what a buyer's attorney, a co-op board or a lender will look for later. 1. DOB NOW: Build Filed Limited Alteration Application Filed by the Licensed Master Plumber, with the scope and the job cost. 2. DOB Issued Work permit Issued in real time for most repipes, and posted at the job. 3. On site Installed Type L copper in Run alongside the old pipe and switched over section by section. 4. Plumbing Code §108 Tested Pressure test The whole new system holds under test before walls close. 5. DOB Signed off Inspection and sign-off The job closes cleanly on the building's DOB record. Three ways it gets done ## Patch, cheap repipe, or permitted copper Three ways NYC pipe work gets done. Only one survives a co-op board, a refinance and the next winter. | What matters | DIY patch | Cheap operator | Permitted copper job | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pipe material | Whatever the hardware store sells, often PEX | PEX or thin Type M copper to save money | Type L copper, listed in NYC Plumbing Code Table 605.4 | | Fittings | Push-fit connectors (prohibited, PC 605.9) | Mixed: some push-fit, some solder | Soldered or permanent press joints; dielectric unions at steel | | Who may legally do it | Not the owner: NYC requires a Licensed Master Plumber | Often unlicensed, or a licence borrowed for the filing | A NYC Licensed Master Plumber, or a crew under one | | Permit | None | Often skipped (penalties start at $520, or $6,000 in 3+ family buildings) | Filed in DOB NOW and signed off | | Pressure test | None | Rarely | Whole system tested before walls close | | Co-op or condo board | Will not approve | Usually rejected at the insurance-certificate stage | Meets typical alteration-agreement requirements | | At sale or refinance | Unpermitted work can surface in inspection | Open DOB issues can delay closing | A clean DOB record for the job | Sources: [2022 NYC Plumbing Code, Chapter 6](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/codes-pdf/cons_codes_2022/2022PC_Chapter6_WaterSupplyWBwm.pdf); NYC DOB LAA fee and penalty charts ([1–3 family](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/pdf/laa_category_2_fee_chart_1-2-3_family.pdf), [other buildings](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/pdf/laa_fee_chart_other.pdf)). From the field ## What repiping during renovation looks like in an NYC house Illustrative photographs of typical conditions and the copper that replaces them. Answered ## Repiping During Renovation, answered When in a renovation should the plumbing be replaced? After demolition and framing, before insulation and wallboard. The new copper goes in once, is pressure-tested and inspected while every joint is visible, and is closed up by the general contractor with the rest of the walls. Coming back later means opening new finishes and paying for them twice. Does my architect's filing cover the plumbing? Not by itself. When the layout changes, the plumbing appears on the PE or RA drawings, but the plumbing work is still filed and performed under a NYC Licensed Master Plumber in DOB NOW: Build. Replacing existing piping in place can usually be filed as an LAA. Can my contractor's plumber use PEX to save money? Not for drinking water in New York City. Table 605.4 of the 2022 NYC Plumbing Code doesn't list PEX or CPVC for water distribution, so the supply has to be copper or another listed material. PEX is listed for hydronic heating under the NYC Mechanical Code, which is why it shows up on renovation sites. What does a co-op require before a renovation repipe? The alteration agreement decides. Boards commonly require plans, an engineer's review paid by the shareholder, a certificate of insurance, set working hours and riser shutoffs scheduled through management. One co-op charged $1,000 for each extra shutoff. Shareholders usually own the branch lines; the building owns the risers. Who actually does the plumbing work? In New York City, permitted plumbing work must be performed by a NYC Licensed Master Plumber or by workers under an LMP's direct supervision, and the LMP files the permit in DOB NOW. Ask any contractor for the LMP's licence number before work starts, and check it on the DOB's public licence search. Further reading ## Related answers - [Does Repiping Require a Permit in NYC?](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/repiping-permit-nyc/) - [What Are the Co-op Alteration Agreement Plumbing Requirements?](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/co-op-alteration-agreement-plumbing/) - [Who Pays for Riser Replacement in a Co-op?](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/who-pays-for-riser-replacement-co-op/) - [Copper vs PEX: Is PEX Legal in NYC?](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/copper-vs-pex-nyc/) - [How Much Does Repiping Cost in NYC?](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/repiping-cost-nyc/) Related work - [Whole House RepipingEvery supply line from the meter to each fixture, replaced in Type L copper for 1–3 family houses, brownstones and rowhouses.](https://nycrepipe.com/whole-house-repiping/) - [Apartment RepipingCo-op and condo branch lines replaced back to the riser, to the board's alteration agreement and shutoff rules.](https://nycrepipe.com/apartment-repiping/) - [Cast Iron Stack ReplacementCracked and rusted cast iron drain and vent stacks replaced, in cast iron or, where NYC code allows, PVC.](https://nycrepipe.com/cast-iron-stack-replacement/) Get your repiping during renovation priced in writing Pressure measured, pipe identified, an itemized price including the DOB permit.