Areas We Serve

Areas We Serve

Do I Need a Permit to Replace a Water Heater?

Your water heater gives out. You start looking into replacements and then the question pops up: do I really need a permit for this? For homeowners in Seattle and most Washington cities, the answer is yes. A permit is required for nearly all water heater replacements, especially for gas models. At 2 Sons Plumbing Seattle, we deal with this process every day, so you don’t have to worry about paperwork, codes, or inspections.

Why Cities Require Permits

At first, replacing a water heater seems straightforward. Disconnect the old one, slide in the new one, hook it up, and you’re done—right? Not quite. Water heaters connect to plumbing, gas, and sometimes electrical lines. That makes them more complex than they appear, and it’s why permits are in place.

Permits ensure the installation is inspected and safe. A proper installation includes:

Safe venting so carbon monoxide or other exhaust gases don’t leak inside.
Seismic strapping to keep the tank secure during earthquakes (a real concern in Seattle).
Expansion tanks and discharge piping to control water pressure.
Correct shutoffs so your system can be serviced safely in the future.

Without a permit and inspection, mistakes can slip through—sometimes with serious safety risks.

How 2 Sons Plumbing Handles the Process

The good news is you don’t have to deal with city offices or figure out what forms to file. Our team takes care of everything for you. When you call us, here’s what we do:

Pull the permit with your city or county.
Install the new heater to code, including expansion tanks, seismic straps, venting, and discharge piping.
Schedule the inspection so it gets officially approved.

This way, your new water heater isn’t just working—it’s safe, legal, and documented.

What It Costs in Seattle

Permit fees aren’t the same everywhere, but for most homeowners in the Seattle area, they run between $75–$150 on top of the installation. That covers the paperwork and the inspector’s time.

While it may feel like an added expense, it’s minor compared to the cost of redoing work, paying fines, or dealing with a failed home inspection later. Think of it as buying peace of mind that your system is set up properly.

Why Skipping the Permit Can Backfire

It’s tempting to cut corners. But skipping the permit often creates bigger problems:

Fines or penalties if unpermitted work is discovered.
Home sale delays if the water heater isn’t approved during inspection.
Safety risks from faulty venting, gas leaks, or missing safety devices.
In short, a permit protects you—and your family.

Do It Right the First Time

Replacing a water heater isn’t just about setting in a new tank. It’s about keeping your home safe, making sure everything is up to code, and knowing the system will hold up for years. Call 2 Sons Plumbing Seattle at (206) 487-1757, and we’ll take care of the whole process—permits, installation, even the final inspection.

One quick call, and you won’t have to second-guess anything. You’ll have hot water again, installed the right way, and the peace of mind that it’s all been done properly.

2 Sons Plumbing, Electrical, Heating & Air

4.9

Based on 3330 reviews

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Oaktree President

22:17 24 Oct 25

Our house decided to replace our own toilet, but we got stuck halfway through because we didn’t have the right tools and accidentally broke an anchor bolt. I called 2 Sons Plumbing, and they showed up within an hour to help us out. Derek, our plumber, was super friendly, explained everything clearly, and got the job done quickly and professionally. Excellent service all around—highly recommend!

Oaktree President

22:17 24 Oct 25

Victor Garcia

20:12 23 Oct 25

Dave and David came and cleared out a huge clog in my kitchen sink (both sides) that has been plaguing us for a while as well a ton of glass shards that got into the drain when our glass fridge shelf broke. Dave walked us through each step of the process and explained everything which was excellent. He also gave us advice about galvanized piping replacement. They even gave us a few free parts for the sink drain that had eroded away and didn’t charge extra for it!! All around 5 star service!!!

Victor Garcia

20:12 23 Oct 25

Steve P

20:40 21 Oct 25

Fantastic service and communication. Local company. Solved my clogged basement laundry utility sink. Dave and David were courteous, informative, professional and easy to engage with. Scheduling was easy (they came the next day) and they arrived within the expected time window. Transparent pricing and i could also apply a coupon. I will use them again.

Steve P

20:40 21 Oct 25

Ashton Wylde

05:46 21 Oct 25

Great service and Dave their plumber is the best. We have an odd house with even odder plumbing. The pipes are a mess of grandfathered-in open air nonsense, when our pump started making some noises (and a little leaking) after some DIY heat tape adventures (getting ready for colder weather), we were worried that we would need a massive repair but Dave came and looked at it and immediately realized we had unplugged the float plug from the pump plug which was 90% of the problem and the leak just need a little tightening of a flex joint. The company was quick and didn't charge for an estimate or in this case a quick "thats not plugged in right". The experience and the overall professionalism has convinced me that when I do finally need that big repair job, I'll call these guys.

Ashton Wylde

05:46 21 Oct 25

Spencer Charles

05:07 20 Oct 25

Booking an appointment was extremely easy, and we were able to get one just the next day. Communication was excellent with timely reminders and a call before our appointment. Kerry did a fantastic job both advising us and effectively resolving our issue.

Spencer Charles

05:07 20 Oct 25

LuAnn Mitchell

02:38 14 Oct 25

I have all good things to say about 2 Sons Plumbing. My first experience was a few years ago and the whole process went very smoothly. Making the appointment was easy and quick, the repair was done with no problem and I thought the price was fair. Recently, Dave from 2 Sons came out to look at several plumbing problems I was having and, within a matter of minutes, all of the problems were diagnosed. Dave gave me options and estimates all before he left my house. I haven’t had the work done yet but appreciate the information and the prices seemed fair to me. Dave was on time, professional and very knowledgeable. 2 Sons are my go to Plumbers.

LuAnn Mitchell

02:38 14 Oct 25

Kayla Huitt

16:58 13 Oct 25

Bob at 2 Sons Plumbing was amazing! We had a horribly backed up kitchen sink drain and he was able to fix it, and save us some money in the process! He heard what we had to say about our issue and double checked everything. Super friendly and very helpful. Thank you for the amazing work Bob!

Kayla Huitt

16:58 13 Oct 25

Mingmin Zhu

00:31 11 Oct 25

I had great experience with Chase, Riley, Seth, Manu, Nolan with a recent fix. They showed up promptly, transparent about the price upfront, set the expectations right, very professional, got things done perfectly, great communication and very honest and patient to answer all my questions, I will definitely use 2 sons again and will recommend it to my friends and neighbors.

Mingmin Zhu

00:31 11 Oct 25

Arul Menezes

00:41 10 Oct 25

Stellar job by Carey and his team at 2sons today. I had a complex job -- installing a yard hydrant/faucet for a garden across the (private) street. They had to go into the floor of the garage, run piping under the floor, out of the house, across the road. Had to cut into the asphalt, trench down a couple feet, then patch it all up again, including fixing the garage concrete floor. Super job. Looks really clean. Got it all done in a day.

Arul Menezes

00:41 10 Oct 25

First Name

00:04 10 Oct 25

A wonderful experience every time with 2 Sons plumbing. Jake and Angelo helped us with our plumbing issue. They showed up on time and gave a very reasonable estimate for the repair. We ended up replacing a couple of toilets and a part of a sink drain. They came back the next day to complete the work due to our schedule. Excellent communication, prompt, and hard working! Thank you so much Jake and Angelo!! We are very happy with 2 Sons and have used them multiple times.

First Name

00:04 10 Oct 25