Hot Water Heater Replacement in Brevard County: Permit Concerns and Homeowner Insights

Debashis

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Attention Florida/Brevard County residents, there's an interesting Reddit discussion! A user recently had their co-worker's retired plumber husband replace their hot water heater without obtaining a permit, and now they're worried about potential legal consequences. Reddit's community chimed in, with most members reassuring the user. Many were surprised that a permit might be necessary for such a task, and some added humor to the situation. A few pointed out that homeowners usually have the freedom to make such changes, especially in areas with more lenient permit regulations.
 
Location
Brevard County, Florida, United States
There are some minor projects that doesn't require getting any permit for the job. A minor electrical repairs that don't involve adding new or moving existing service doesn't require getting a permit but I'm very sure that they are supposed to get a permit for replacing their hot water heater. If they are lucky, they wouldn't be forced to pay double the fees for it like they do in some states.
 
As far as I know, if you are doing it yourself and not hiring a contractor, and if the renovations or replacements are minor, for example, changing the switchboard installing new faucets, etc. you do not need any permits. However, if the renovation involves a lot of work you need permits.
 
As far as I know, replacing like with like does not require a permit, so long as like for like does not exceed 4500 watts. If, on the other hand, you are replacing a water heater with a larger capacity or wattage, then yes, yo do need a permit. again, this is my understanding of Brevard County's regulations.
 
As far as I know, replacing like with like does not require a permit, so long as like for like does not exceed 4500 watts. If, on the other hand, you are replacing a water heater with a larger capacity or wattage, then yes, yo do need a permit. again, this is my understanding of Brevard County's regulations.

Thanks for clarifying that. Honestly though, I don't think a lot of people bother with permits for water heaters no matter how the specs are changing. I replaced my water heater a few months ago and of the multiple quotes I got, only one mentioned that I'd need a permit and included a permit runner as a line item.
 
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