Population growth has reduced the available freshwater resources and increased water pollution, leading to a severe global freshwater crisis. The decontamination and reuse of wastewater is often proposed as a solution for water scarcity worldwide. Membrane technology is a promising solution to the problems currently facing the water and wastewater treatment industry. However, another problem is the high energy costs required to operate systems which use membranes for water treatment. In addition, membranes need to be replaced frequently due to fouling and biofouling, which negatively affect water flow through the membranes. To address these problems, the researchers proposed membrane modification as a solution. One of the exciting applications of plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) is that they can be used to modify the surface of membranes to yield various properties. Positive feedback was reported on plasmonic-modified membranes as means of wastewater treatment. However, a fundamental gap exists in studies of plasmonic membranes’ performance and applications. Given the importance of membrane technology for water and wastewater treatment, this paper reviews recent advances in the development of plasmonic chemically modified bioactive membranes and provides a perspective for future researchers interested in investigating modified membranes.