Water heater permits in Northern Virginia
In Virginia, replacing a gas or oil-fired water heater always needs a permit; no exemption in the state building code covers it. Whether an electric like-for-like replacement needs one depends on the jurisdiction. Below: the rule, then each Northern Virginia office, its published fee and its inspection, with sources read on October 7, 2026.
The short answer
Gas water heater: yes, a permit and an inspection, everywhere in Virginia. Electric water heater: Arlington and Fairfax County treat a same-type, same-size, same-place electric swap as exempt; the City of Fairfax, Alexandria and Loudoun issue permits for electric replacements too.
The rule comes from the Virginia Construction Code, section 108. It requires a permit before work on water supply, mechanical or fuel-supply systems, and its exemption for replacing mechanical appliances in houses applies only to equipment "not fueled by gas or oil" (13VAC5-63-80).
If a water heater fails and has to be replaced at once, the same section lets the work start, with the permit application submitted by the end of the first working day after it begins (13VAC5-63-80).
What the permit and inspection check
The inspector looks at the parts of the installation that cause real failures: the gas connection and sediment trap, the vent and its size, the temperature and pressure relief valve and its discharge pipe, and, where the water system needs one, the expansion tank. Arlington and Fairfax County also require a chimney vent certification when a fuel-burning appliance is replaced, because a new water heater on an old or oversized chimney can draft poorly.
Those are the same items that appear as lines on an itemized estimate; see what a replacement includes.
Who can apply, and who can do the work
Virginia lets the owner, a lessee, their agent, or the contractor or subcontractor doing the work apply for the permit (13VAC5-63-80). Several counties recommend that the contractor doing the work be the one named on the permit.
Licensing is a separate question from the permit. Under the Board for Contractors' rules, water heaters fall under the plumbing (PLB) and HVAC (HVA) classifications, and gas piping and gas appliances under gas fitting (GFC) (18VAC50-22-20, 18VAC50-22-30). A homeowner working on their own primary residence is exempt from contractor licensing (Va. Code 54.1-1101). Whoever you hire, ask which licence covers the trade work and who will pull the permit.
Permits by jurisdiction
Arlington County
- When a permit is needed
- Gas water heaters: yes. Arlington says replacing gas-fueled equipment needs a permit and inspections, and that replacing an appliance of the same type, size and location (not gas) does not.Source: Arlington County, Plumbing/Gas permits
- Office and portal
- Inspection Services Division, 2100 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 1000; 703-228-3800. Applications go through Permit Arlington.Source: Arlington County, Plumbing/Gas permits
- Published fee
- Gas schedule: $139 base plus $57 per gas appliance, plus a 2% Code Academy levy and a 10% automation surcharge (FY27, effective July 1, 2026). For one gas water heater that works out to about $220 by our arithmetic; the county does not publish a combined figure.Source: Arlington ISD fee schedule FY27
- Inspection
- Replacing a fuel-burning appliance triggers an inspection of the vent or chimney for size and obstruction, and a completed Chimney Vent Certification is required.Source: Arlington County, Plumbing/Gas permits
- Who may apply
- Virginia's building code lets the owner, a lessee, their agent, or the contractor or subcontractor doing the work apply.Source: Virginia Construction Code 108 (13VAC5-63-80)
City of Alexandria
- When a permit is needed
- Gas water heaters: yes; Virginia's code exempts replacement only of appliances not fueled by gas or oil. The city's permit reports list both gas and electric water heater replacement permits.Source: Virginia Construction Code 108 (13VAC5-63-80)
- Office and portal
- Department of Code Administration, Alexandria Permit Center, 301 King Street, Suite 4200. Applications go through APEX.Source: Alexandria APEX permit portal
- Published fee
- $19.50 per $1,000 of construction cost or a $95 minimum, whichever is greater, plus 14% administrative, 11% permit center, 5% IT and 0.2% training fees and a state levy (FY26 schedule, still current on October 7, 2026). A typical replacement bills the minimum: about $124 before the state levy, by our arithmetic.Source: Alexandria FY26 Code Administration fee schedule
- Inspection
- Each permit covers one inspection and one reinspection per phase of work.Source: Alexandria FY26 Code Administration fee schedule
- Who may apply
- The owner, a lessee, their agent, or the contractor or subcontractor doing the work. The city's fee schedule also covers owners exempt from licensing doing their own work.Source: Virginia Construction Code 108 (13VAC5-63-80); Alexandria FY26 Code Administration fee schedule
Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax
- Fairfax County: when
- Every gas appliance replacement needs a permit, "even if it is a like-for-like replacement." Electric replacements fall under the state exemption for appliances not fueled by gas or oil.Source: Fairfax County PLUS; Virginia Construction Code 108 (13VAC5-63-80)
- Fairfax County: office and fee
- Land Development Services, 12055 Government Center Pkwy, Suite 324; 703-222-0801; apply through PLUS. Household Appliance (HAPL) permit: $78.75 for one appliance on the FY2027 schedule, plus a 2% Code Academy levy and a 10% technology surcharge: about $88.Source: Fairfax County LDS fee schedule (Appendix Q, FY2027); Fairfax County PLUS
- Fairfax County: inspection
- One inspection to verify the installation, and a Chimney Vent Certification for fuel-burning appliances. Owners may pull permits in their own name; the county recommends a properly licensed contractor as the responsible party.Source: Fairfax County PLUS
- City of Fairfax
- Code Administration (703-385-7830). A gas water heater needs a gas permit and a plumbing permit; an electric one needs an electrical permit and a plumbing permit. On the FY2026 schedule, gas ($93.60 + $10) plus plumbing ($93.60 + $3) comes to $200.20 by our arithmetic.Source: City of Fairfax, Gas Permit (Residential); City of Fairfax FY2026 Schedule of Rates and Levies
City of Falls Church
- When a permit is needed
- Gas water heaters: yes; the city publishes a fuel-gas fee for "Replacement of Dryer, Furnace, Stove, or Water Heater".Source: City of Falls Church, Permit Fees
- Office
- Development Services, City Hall, 300 Park Ave.; 703-248-5080; [email protected].Source: City of Falls Church, Permitting Process
- Published fee
- $91.50 for a water heater replacement fuel-gas permit, including the 10% technology fee, 10% administrative fee and 2% state levy (effective July 1, 2026; it was $67.10 before). With new gas piping the city's example is $140.30.Source: City of Falls Church, Permit Fees
- Who may apply
- A licensed contractor, or in some cases the owner; the city recommends owners pull permits only for work they do themselves. Contractors provide a copy of their Virginia contractor licence.Source: City of Falls Church, Permitting Process
- Inspection
- Requested online, by phone or in person, usually the next business day.Source: City of Falls Church, Permitting Process
Loudoun County
- When a permit is needed
- Yes. Residential trade permits (plumbing, gas, mechanical, electrical) are separate applications, and the plumbing application covers water heater replacement; a gas unit also needs the gas permit.Source: Loudoun County residential construction permits
- Office and portal
- Department of Building and Development, 1 Harrison Street SE, Leesburg; 703-777-0220. Applications go through LandMARC.Source: Loudoun County residential construction permits
- Published fee
- $70 for a plumbing permit and $70 for a gas permit on a one- or two-family home, each including two inspections; additional reinspections $30 (trade fees unchanged since July 1, 2022).Source: Loudoun County fee schedule
- Who may apply
- The owner may pull the permit; the county suggests listing the contractor doing the work, and a contractor must hold a Virginia contractor licence and a Loudoun County business licence. The owner signs the application.Source: Loudoun County residential construction permits
Your mailing address may not be your jurisdiction
Alexandria and Falls Church mailing addresses cover more ground than the two cities. An Alexandria address in 22303, 22306, 22307, 22308, 22309, 22310, 22312 or 22315, or a Falls Church address in 22041, 22042, 22043 or 22044, is in Fairfax County, and the permit comes from Fairfax County. The City of Fairfax is likewise separate from Fairfax County. If in doubt, the county or city real estate assessment for your address names the jurisdiction.
Where the permit sits on our estimate
On our itemized estimates, the permit and inspection is listed as its own line wherever the job requires one, so you can see it rather than guess whether it is included. Get one through water heater replacement or your area page.
Permit questions
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