Water heater replacement cost by city
| City | Water heater permits | Usual filed value | Middle half of firms' usual job | Usual days, issue to final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denton, TX | 1,391 | $2,300 | $1,950–$3,000 | — |
| Elk Grove, CA | 2,078 | $3,150 | $2,250–$4,473 | 23 |
| Citrus Heights, CA | 938 | $3,195 | $2,250–$4,125 | 40 |
| Boulder, CO | 1,267 | $3,518 | $2,675–$4,030 | 137 |
| Sacramento County, CA | 3,553 | $3,695 | $2,385–$4,500 | 38 |
| Marin County, CA (unincorporated) | 470 | $4,200 | $3,263–$5,989 | 56 |
| Cary, NC | 1,519 | $4,253 | $3,442–$6,000 | 16 |
| Palo Alto, CA | 851 | $5,000 | $3,315–$6,400 | 50 |
Denton shows no days because its file carries no final date we can time. Each city's own page lists every installer with its usual job: Denton, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Boulder, Sacramento County, Marin County, Cary, Palo Alto.
What moves the price
The middle-half column is the band to hold a quote against: it takes every firm with three or more water heater permits, finds each firm's usual job, and shows where the middle 50% sit. In Sacramento County 120 firms sit mostly between $2,385 and $4,500; in Cary 56 firms sit between $3,442 and $6,000. A quote above the top of the band should name one of these:
- A change, not a swap. Cary exempts a replacement only "when there is no change in the location, size and heating capacity, fuel or energy source, or routing or sizing of the vent or plumbing piping, and the work is done by a licensed Plumbing Contractor" (Town of Cary, read 23 October 2026). Unincorporated San Diego County exempts "a replacement water heater with no change to the unit type or servicing utilities" by a California-licensed plumbing contractor (PDS 110, rev. 01/01/2026). The things those rules name, new size, new fuel, new venting, are the same things that add cost.
- Tankless or heat pump. Naperville lists "New water heaters (including a change in power source unit)" as permit work. A gas-to-electric switch usually adds a circuit and an electrical permit. Our tank vs tankless guide covers that choice.
- No federal credit now. The IRS says the energy efficient home improvement credit can't be claimed for property "placed in service" after December 31, 2025; heat pump water heaters had shared a separate $2,000 annual limit with heat pumps (Form 5695 instructions, read 23 October 2026). A 2026 quote that subtracts a federal credit is out of date.
When plumbers file them
Water heater permits peak in winter, when tanks fail. Filings run 159 in Elk Grove's busiest month, January, against 62 in August (100 is an average month); Cary peaks in January and Marin County in January. A planned replacement before the tank leaks lets you book in a quiet month and compare two or three quotes instead of taking the first plumber free that day.
Filed value vs the final bill
The filed value is the contractor's own figure, written on the application before the work; nobody audits it, and some firms file the equipment or labour only. Anything added on the day, such as new venting found to be needed at inspection, sits on top. Use the table to spot a quote far outside the band, not to predict your bill to the dollar.
Permit rules in short
Most cities require a permit even for a like-for-like swap. Bellevue says "A permit is required for replacing or moving an existing hot water heater"; Sacramento County lists "Residential water heater" among permits that can be issued automatically online. Cary and unincorporated San Diego County exempt only an identical swap by a licensed plumber. The full rule list for 12 departments is in do I need a permit for a water heater.
The permit closes fast where inspectors keep up: the usual one reached its final in 16 days in Cary and 23 in Elk Grove, against 137 in Boulder, where only 50.9% of permits a year or more old reached a final.
Check a water heater quote in five minutes
- Find your city's middle-half range in the table above.
- Ask the plumber: same size, fuel and spot, or a change? Get the model number on the quote.
- Ask whether the permit fee is in the price and whose name goes on it.
- On the Sacramento County water heater compare page (or your city's), find the firm and read its permit count and finished share.
See every Sacramento County water heater installer by permits filed →
What these numbers cannot tell you
Cities record a job value, not the tank size, fuel or brand, so a 40-gallon gas tank and a heat pump unit sit in the same column. Seven other cities in our data (Bellevue, Scottsdale, Anaheim, San Diego County, Sugar Land, Bellingham and Ames) file water heater permits without a value, so they are left out of the table. A swap done without a permit, or under an exemption, leaves no record. If you are still deciding whether to replace at all, see repair vs replace and how long a water heater lasts.
How we know this
Water heater permits are those each city files under a water heater work type over its three-year window ending September 2026. The usual filed value is the median of permits that carry one; the middle-half range uses firms with three or more water heater permits; days is the median from issue to final; seasonal figures are each month's share of filings against an average month. Permit rules and the IRS credit rule are quoted from the pages under Sources, read 23 October 2026.
Numbers come from Sacramento County building permits on single-family, duplex and townhouse homes in the unincorporated county (the County's Accela permit layer); City of Elk Grove TRAKiT building permits on single-family, duplex, mobile-home and ADU homes; Town of Cary building permit applications (issued permits only); City of Boulder construction permits; City of Denton Building Safety permits on homes (the city's yearly permit reports); City of Citrus Heights building permits on homes (the city's issued-permits layer); Marin County Community Development Agency building permits on homes in unincorporated Marin (the County's open-data permit and inspection files); City of Palo Alto Development Center building permits on single-family, duplex and ADU homes, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How much does water heater replacement cost?
Going by permits, the usual water heater job was filed at $2,300 in Denton, $3,150 in Elk Grove, $3,695 in Sacramento County, $4,253 in Cary and $5,000 in Palo Alto. Those are the plumbers' own filed values for the whole job; a tankless or heat pump unit, or a move to a new spot, sits above them.
- What is the average water heater replacement cost?
We report the usual (median) filed value, not the average, because a few large commercial or multi-unit jobs pull an average up. Across the 8 cities in the table, the usual figure runs from $2,300 in Denton to $5,000 in Palo Alto.
- Is there a water heater replacement cost estimator?
Use your city's row as one. Find the middle-half range in the table (in Sacramento County, $2,385 to $4,500), put your quote next to it, and ask for a reason if it sits above the top: a fuel switch, a tankless unit, new venting or a new circuit.
- What is the water heater replacement cost per square foot?
There isn't one. A water heater is sized by gallons and heating input, not by the house's floor area, and cities record a single job value, not a size. Compare the total quote to your city's range instead.
- Is there a tax credit for a heat pump water heater in 2026?
No. The IRS says the energy efficient home improvement credit can't be claimed for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Before then, heat pump water heaters shared a separate $2,000 annual limit with heat pumps. Utility rebates are separate; ask your utility.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Repair or replace a water heater? The filed costs in 8 cities, and the rules
- How long does a water heater last? Tank, tankless and heat pump lifespans
- Tankless vs tank water heater: what homeowners actually filed
- How to check a contractor's license in California
For one city
- Residential Permits FAQ — Town of Cary, NC (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Work requiring permits — City of Bellevue, WA (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building Permit Requirements (PDS 110, rev. 01/01/2026) — County of San Diego PDS (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Frequently Asked Questions — Sacramento County Building Permits and Inspection (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Guide to Building Permits (rev. 10/31/2022) — City of Naperville, IL (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Instructions for Form 5695 (2025) — IRS (accessed 2026-10-23)