Water Heaters: Rules in Phoenix-Area Cities
Water heater permits, installation rules, venting, relief valves, drain pans and expansion control. City by city, then the Arizona law and model code behind it.
By City
| City | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Scottsdale | Do you need a permit to replace a water heater in Scottsdale? Yes. Scottsdale's Permit Services page requires a plumbing permit for water heater replacement, gas or electric. For a single-family home it is a Minimum Plumbing Permit applied for in Scottsdale SPUR, with no plan review, followed by an inspection. The FY26-27 fee schedule lists water heaters (except solar) at $63. |
| Mesa | Do you need a permit to replace a water heater in Mesa? City Code 4-1-4(B)5 and the city FAQ Usually not for a like-for-like swap. Mesa City Code exempts gas water heater replacements of equal or lower Btu rating, and electric ones of equal or lower amperage, in homes and individual tenant spaces. For gas, the serving gas utility must be notified before the unit is energized. Storage to tankless needs a permit. |
| Chandler | Chandler water heater replacement permit: when you need one Usually no permit for a like-for-like swap. City Code 29-6.7 exempts a gas water heater of equal or lesser BTU and an electric one of equal or lesser amperage, in the same location, and the homeowner manual lists like-for-like swaps as exempt. A bigger unit, a new location or new piping changes the answer. |
| Do you need a permit to switch to a tankless water heater in Chandler? Chandler's pages do not say. City Code 29-6.7 exempts a gas water heater replacement only when the new unit has equal or lesser BTU capacity and sits in the same location, and no city page names tankless units. Our reading: a higher-BTU unit, a move or new gas piping falls outside that exemption. | |
| Glendale | Do you need a permit to replace a water heater in Glendale? Not if a licensed contractor installs it and the building is residential, per the city's own permit Q and A. That answer is silent on a homeowner swap and a commercial building. The same page says a permit is needed to install, replace or extend a gas pipe. A permit, if pulled, lapses after 180 days with no passed inspection. |
| Peoria | Do you need a permit to replace a water heater in Peoria? Section 105.2 and the list of exempt plumbing work Usually not, if a licensed contractor replaces it in kind in a one- or two-family home. Peoria's amended IBC 105.2 lists that swap among seven plumbing jobs that need no permit, along with water softeners and stopping leaks. A homeowner swap, a larger building, a relocation or a different type is not on the list. |
| Litchfield Park | Litchfield Park water heater permit: required for every replacement, $50 flat fee and the install checklist Yes. Litchfield Park requires a permit for the installation or replacement of a water heater, with no like-for-like exception on its page. The Citywide Fee Schedule FY2027 lists a flat $50 for gas, electric or tankless units. The city also says to provide an expansion tank on all tank type water heaters. |
Uniform Plumbing Code
All UPC sections- Model CodeUpdated Jul 2026UPC 506: Combustion Air for Gas Water HeatersUPC Section 506 sets how much fresh air a gas water heater's burner gets and where that air comes from. A small closet is a confined space and needs sized free-air openings, high and low, to outside or an adjacent room so the burner does not starve, soot, or backdraft.
- Model CodeUpdated Jul 2026UPC 510: Venting Gas Water Heaters (Category I Flues)UPC Section 510 sets how a natural-draft gas water heater's flue and vent are sized so the exhaust leaves the building instead of spilling back inside. Nearby sections control the draft hood, the vent connector, and how the heater shares a vent with another appliance.
- Model CodeUpdated Jul 2026UPC Section 507: Water Heater Installation RequirementsUPC Section 507 sets the general installation rules for a water heater: it must be accessible for service, anchored against movement, and placed where a code official allows it. These rules sit alongside the separate requirements for relief-valve discharge, clearances, and drain pans that also govern a safe install.
- Model CodeUpdated Jul 2026UPC Section 608: Water Heater Relief Valve and Discharge Pipe RulesUPC Section 608 requires every water heater to have a temperature and pressure relief valve and a discharge pipe that carries released hot water to a safe place. The pipe must run downhill, stay full size, carry no valve or cap, and end near the floor so nobody is scalded.
- Model CodeUpdated Jul 2026UPC Water Heater Drain Pan: When One Is Required and How It DrainsPlumbing code requires a drain pan under a water heater where a leak or tank failure could damage the building, such as an attic, an upper floor, or over finished space. The pan catches leaking water and a pan drain carries it to a safe spot, so a slow leak does not flood the area below.
Need The Work Done To Code?
Call a licensed plumber who pulls the permit in your city and passes inspection the first time.