Building Permit Required for Replacement of Gas Water Heater

Our Market Street at Town Center Condominium is more than 10 years old, resulting in some of us unit owners having to replace our gas water heater or electric air conditioner.

Perhaps surprisingly, Fairfax County requires getting a building permit to replace a gas water heater.

Also, I asked this question:  Is a building permit required for replacement of my 10-year-old electric air conditioning system (not a heat pump)?  Fairfax County said that no permit is required for electric air conditioner unit replacement, but that I should make sure it's installed per manufacture instruction and verify size of conductor and breaker.

While unit owners can obtain the building permit for the gas water heater replacement themselves, the County advised me that having the licensed contractor obtain the building permit better enables the County to ensure that the gas water heater replacement is done properly.

This link provides further information about the gas water heater replacement building permit requirement:  http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/buildingpermits/

This link enables you to check if your prospective contractor is properly licensed:  http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/LicenseLookup/