Questions · Hiring a plumber
When a permit is needed in Arizona
Permits are issued by the city, not the state, so the rules vary across the Valley. As a rule, replacing a water heater, running or altering gas lines, repiping, and sewer or drain line work under the ground need one. Repairs to existing fixtures usually do not. The building department in your city has the final word.
Usually needs a permit
- Replacing a water heater, including a swap to tankless
- New or altered gas piping, including a line to a fire pit or outdoor kitchen
- Repiping, or replacing a significant run of supply pipe
- Sewer or underground drain line replacement and repair
- Adding a fixture where there was not one, or moving a drain
Usually does not
- Repairing or replacing a faucet, a toilet or a disposal in place
- Clearing a drain
- Replacing a valve or a supply connector
- Installing a softener where the loop already exists, though this is one that genuinely varies by city
Why a permit is in your interest
A permit brings an inspection, and an inspection is a second set of eyes on work that will be buried in a wall, under a slab or behind a water heater for the next twenty years.
It also matters when you sell. Unpermitted work on a water heater, a gas line or a sewer turns up during a sale, and it is far cheaper to have done it properly than to explain it later.
The contractor pulls the permit under their license, which is another reason the license check is worth doing first.
From the job log
Work we’ve done
Answers
Who pulls the permit?
Normally the licensed contractor doing the work, under their license. It is not something a homeowner should be left to sort out, and a contractor who asks you to pull it yourself is worth asking why.
Does a permit slow the job down?
It adds a step, and for most residential work it is a normal part of the schedule rather than a delay worth avoiding.
Does every Valley city have the same rules?
No, and that is the honest answer. Requirements and fees differ from city to city, so the city the house is in is the one to ask rather than assuming.
If you need this done
- Water heater installOld unit out, new one sized for your household, connected, tested and left to code. Gas or electric, tank or tankless.
- Gas line installNew lines for appliances, water heaters and outdoor kitchens, installed to code by a licensed contractor and tested before we finish.
- Sewer line repairBackups, several slow drains at once, or foul odors: clogs, root intrusion and damaged or collapsed lines, repaired or replaced.
- Where we workEvery town and ZIP across the Valley we cover.
In-home estimate
Rather have someone look at it? Tell us what's going on
We come out, look at the problem and explain what it needs before any work starts. For something urgent, calling is fastest.
Rather talk? Call or text (602) 833-4133.