Do you bother getting a permit to replace the water heater?

[Bienes Raices]

I called the county permitting office and they do require a permit to replace a water heater. Since it's highway robbery to pay a licensed plumber to do anything, I was wondering if most people ignore the permit issue when dealing with the heater, or is it better to go ahead and pay the plumber for liability reasons? thanks

[Jeffrey K.]

To add to what Mitch was saying, inspectors just care that it is done in a work-man like manner. It is mostly to raise money for the city and to pay for the inpsctor's wage and the union benefits for the city.

There are not a lot of huge plumbing jobs so they require you to pull a permit for anything other than changing washers (this includes changing a toilet or faucet). This ensures that they are able to keep busy and keep the funds coming in.

We are in a public place here and my advice to you would be to pull a permit. It is obviously cheaper to not do it but it isnt legal. Also, if you don't pull permits, I would not advertise it on the internet.