Question on water heater replacement (Elgin: hardwood floors, rentals, Home Depot)

[ngrome]

Seems this time of year water heaters conveniently start leaking or going bad. If I buy a replacement one at a Lowes or Home Depot and pay for their installation services, are they supposed to take care of any permits that may need to be pulled, etc.? They say on their website that they only used licensed professionals to do their installation jobs so just wondering if I have to do anything on my part as far as getting a permit (and a subsequent inspection after the installation), or they take care of it as part of their whole service (which they make it sound like they do if you look at their web page towards the bottom, for example below). Is there even a need for a permit to replace an old, broken water heater, in this case, Will county?

Hot Water Heater Installation, Repair & Replacement*at The Home Depot

[chet everett]

While I can't say will 100% certainty there is no town that requires a permit for replacing a water heater, the logistics of what is often a middle- of-the- night emergency call being held up by a need for some governmental oversight strikes me as totally impractical.

Even in towns where I owned a rental home that was subject to additional inspections I never had to get a permit to have . water heater installed...

[knitgirl]

Depends on the circumstances Chet. The OP probably has a single family and wouldn't run into what I did, but Elgin requires permits in my situation, which is a 3 flat with 1 owner occupied unit and 2 rentals apts. I imagine other towns may have similar ordinances. The rationale in Elgin seems to be it's ok to blow yourself up if you install your water heater incorrectly in your own home, but not if you have tenants. In an emergency, I am sure you can replace your water heater 1st and deal with the permit later.

[ngrome]

Originally Posted by knitgirl

Depends on the circumstances Chet. The OP probably has a single family and wouldn't run into what I did, but Elgin requires permits in my situation, which is a 3 flat with 1 owner occupied unit and 2 rentals apts. I imagine other towns may have similar ordinances. The rationale in Elgin seems to be it's ok to blow yourself up if you install your water heater incorrectly in your own home, but not if you have tenants. In an emergency, I am sure you can replace your water heater 1st and deal with the permit later.

Good point, I am in a single family home.

[ngrome]

While we're on the subject, what about flooring? Getting new hardwood floors to replace carpeting, does that kind of work require a permit? I probably should post a separate thread and call my village to get answers, but I wanted to check here first.

[Lud Kissel]

You should not need a permit to replace a water heater in your home or to do hardwood floors. Replacing a water heater is like getting any other new appliance in your home, no big deal. You are overthinking this. Good luck.