New construction plumbing installation in northern Utah

New construction plumbing is every pipe and fixture in a building that is going up. It goes in over four phases, and the plumber comes back as the building gets ready for each one.

1. Underground. Before the slab or basement floor is poured, the drain and sewer piping goes in under it. The water service and the building sewer are brought from the lot's connections to the building.
2. Rough-in. Once the framing is up, the drain, waste, and vent piping and the water lines go into the walls and floors. Tubs and shower valves are set.
3. Top-out. The vent pipes go up through the roof. Many crews count this as the end of the rough-in.
4. Finish. After drywall, cabinets, counters, and flooring, the toilets, sinks, faucets, and water heater are set and connected.

The building department inspects the work between phases. Plumbing for a leased commercial space that is being fitted out is tenant improvement plumbing.

A plumbing rough-in is all the piping that ends up hidden inside the walls, floors, and ceilings. It goes in after framing and before insulation and drywall. Nothing is covered until the piping is tested and an inspector has signed off.

• Drain, waste, and vent piping. It is put under test, most often filled with water, and has to hold with no leaks.
• Water lines. They are put under pressure and have to hold.
• Gas piping. A gas line is tested under pressure with a gauge.
• The inspector's visit. The inspector checks pipe sizes, slopes, supports, and vents against the approved plans and the code.

Cities name these inspections differently. Eagle Mountain's building department lists "Underground Plumbing (sub-rough)" and then a "4-Way" inspection that covers plumbing, HVAC, electrical, framing, permanent power, and gas, ahead of the insulation inspection (source).

Before starting a new construction job, the plumber needs enough to price the plumbing and to put the pipe in the right place the first time.

• The plans. Floor plans at least, and the plumbing sheets if an architect or engineer drew them.
• The fixture schedule. Which tubs, shower valves, toilets, sinks, and appliances are going in. A shower valve goes into the wall at rough-in, so it has to be chosen early.
• The utilities. Where the water and sewer reach the lot, how deep they are, and where the meter sits.
• Water heating and gas. The type and location of the water heater, and every gas appliance.
• The schedule. When the slab is poured, when framing ends, and when drywall starts.
• The permit. Who applies for the plumbing permit and who meets the inspector.

Call when you have the plans, and tell us about the job.

An addition, a detached garage with a bathroom, or an accessory dwelling unit ties new plumbing into a system that was sized for the building as it stood. Four things shape the job.

• The sewer. The new drains need enough fall to reach the existing sewer line. If they sit lower than the line, a sewage ejector pump lifts the waste. A sewer camera inspection shows the condition of the old line before more is tied into it.
• The water service. The line from the meter has to carry the added fixtures without starving the ones already there.
• Hot water. The existing water heater may not keep up, or the new space may be too far from it. Provo City says that under Utah's plumbing code every water heater must have thermal expansion protection (source).
• A detached building. Its water, sewer, and gas lines are buried in a trench.

Ask the city what it requires for an accessory dwelling unit before the design is final.

Utah sets its plumbing code statewide, by law, and local building departments enforce it. Utah Code 15A-2-103, in the version effective July 1, 2026, adopts the 2024 edition of the International Plumbing Code, the 2021 edition of the International Residential Code, and the 2024 edition of the International Fuel Gas Code, together with state and local amendments (source).

Which of those books covers your building depends on what the building is. The building department tells you when it reviews the plans.

The building department of the city where the building stands issues the permit and sends the inspector. In an unincorporated area, it is usually the county's department. The water or sewer provider may also want to see the connection to its main, and in some places that provider is a separate district.

Editions change. Ask the building department which code your permit falls under before the plans are final.

We give free estimates and do not post prices. These are the things that change the cost of new construction plumbing:

• Fixture count. Every bathroom, kitchen, laundry, and outdoor faucet adds pipe and labor.
• Layout. Bathrooms stacked above each other or back to back share piping. Fixtures spread across the building do not.
• What is under the floor. A slab, a basement, and a crawl space each change the underground work.
• Distance to the utilities. A long or deep run from the street means more trench and more pipe.
• Materials and fixtures. The pipe the plans call for, and the fixtures chosen.
• Water heating and gas. The type and number of water heaters, and how many gas appliances are piped.
• Changes. Moving a fixture after the rough-in means redoing finished work.

We tell you the cost before we start the work.

Plumbing a new building in northern Utah means planning for cold ground, uneven water pressure, and often two water systems on one lot.

• Frost depth. Buried water lines go below the frost line. Summit County's building design criteria, effective July 1, 2026, list a frost line depth of 36 inches (source). Each city and county sets its own figure.
• Water pressure. Saratoga Springs says it is divided into 5 pressure zones, with pressure from 40 to 150 psi depending on where you live in a zone, and that current plumbing codes call for a pressure reducing valve in all new homes (source).
• Secondary water. American Fork says its pressurized irrigation water is non-potable and should never be used for drinking (source). The irrigation piping and the drinking water piping are never connected to each other.
• Sprinklers on drinking water. Layton City says a separate backflow preventer is required on all landscape sprinkler systems using culinary (drinking) water (source). Once installed, a testable assembly needs backflow testing.