Do you need a permit to replace a water heater in Glendale?

On the city's Building Permits Q and A, under "Do I need a permit to...", the entry "Replace a heater/air conditioner or water heater?" is answered in full: "You do not need a permit if it is installed by a licensed contractor. (Residential Only.)"

That is a city page, not a code section. It does not name a code, an in-kind test, a fuel type or a size. The page is undated and mentions city ordinance 2448 in the permit expiry answer, so confirm it is still current.

The same Q and A says who can apply: "Property owners, licensed contractors or authorized agents may apply for a building permit." Contractors must hold an Arizona Registrar of Contractors license and a City of Glendale business license, and "Residential property owners doing their own work will be required to sign verification stating that they are actually doing their own work."

The 2019 Community Development Fee Schedule has a "Water Heater" line in its plumbing permit tables: $15.58 in the first table and "$15.37 EA" in the commercial one, alongside the base permit fee and fixture lines. The schedule does not say how the lines add up for one job, and it is dated May 10, 2019, so ask the Development Services counter for the current figure.

The Q and A says "Permits will expire if the work authorized by the permit is not begun within 180 days from the date of issuance. You must call for and pass one inspection within a 180-day period in order to keep your permit active." It adds a "2-year maximum time limit to complete your project." The fee schedule's Expired Permits note says renewals before expiration cost "50% of original permit" and after expiration "100% of new permit fees," and it lists "Work prior to issuance of permit" at "200% of new permit fees."

• Licensed contractor. The Q and A uses the term for the exemption. For permits, it says contractors must be licensed by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors. It does not say whether the exemption needs the same license class.
• Residential only. The page does not define it. A house is the clear case. An apartment building, store or restaurant is a question for the city.
• In kind. Glendale's answer does not use the phrase, so it states no like-for-like test. Peoria's code does.

Residential water heater replacements in Glendale done by a licensed contractor.

This does not apply, or at least is not answered, if the owner does the swap, if the building is commercial, or if the job is something other than a replacement.

Gas piping is answered separately. In the same "Do I need a permit to..." list, the entry "Install, replace or extend a gas pipe?" is answered You bet! The page adds that gas pipe sizing "will be checked when you apply for your permit." The Q and A does not say whether swapping a heater onto its existing gas connection counts as replacing a gas pipe, and says nothing on venting.

A tank that fails in a rental house. The landlord hires a licensed plumber to replace it. This is the case the Q and A describes, and no permit is needed.

A homeowner buys a heater at a home store. The Q and A's exemption is about a licensed contractor. For a homeowner, call Development Services before starting, because the answer you want is not on the page.

The edge case, where the answer flips. A contractor replaces the heater and also moves it to the garage with a new gas line. The heater replacement entry says no permit for a licensed contractor in a residential building. The gas pipe entry says You bet! to installing, replacing or extending a gas pipe, so the new gas line needs a permit and the city checks its sizing when you apply. The Q and A does not address new water lines.

1. 1Confirm the building is residential and the person installing is a licensed contractor.
2. 2If either is not true, contact the city's Development Services counter and ask whether a permit is required.
3. 3If the job installs, replaces or extends a gas pipe, plan on a permit, with the gas pipe sizing checked at application.
4. 4If a permit is required, apply as owner, contractor or authorized agent, and keep the 180-day clock in mind.
5. 5Ask which fee lines apply, since the posted schedule is dated 2019.

• Myth: Phoenix's water heater rule is Glendale's. Each city sets its own. Glendale's answer comes from its own Q and A.
• Myth: no permit means no rules. The Q and A answers only the permit question. The installed heater still has to meet the code, and gas pipe work has its own permit answer.
• Myth: the homeowner and the contractor are the same case. The city's answer names the licensed contractor.
• Myth: a permit stays open until you finish. It needs a passed inspection every 180 days, with a 2-year maximum.

If a permit was required and not pulled, the fee schedule lists "Work prior to issuance of permit" at 200% of new permit fees. The city's building code section on investigation fees for unpermitted work is separate from this page.

The Q and A and the fee schedule are linked above. This page explains them and the official text governs.