Job 16 of 16
Water heaters and gas: permits, smells, straps
If you smell gas, leave first, then call 911 and your gas utility from outside; replacing a water heater is a separate, calmer question for your city or county permit office.
Revised November 4, 2026
How it changes, sheet by sheet
Tacoma's plumbing permit covers water heaters, and "Like for Like Replacement; Re-Pipe, Water Heater" is on its over-the-counter list. Browns Point and Dash Point outside the city follow the county.
Pierce County's page says water heater replacement does require a permit, available online for residential structures, and that replacements can use virtual inspection. Any change or addition to gas pipe needs a gas-piping permit.
The county takes plumbing and mechanical applications through its online portal, and its fixtures list has separate lines for gas, electric and heat pump heaters.
Resolution 1344's fee schedule lists $12.00 per water heater; confirm it is current. Whether a swap fits the city's minor plumbing form is unknown, because we could not open the form.
Planning and Building handles water heaters at 253-564-8902. The 2026 schedule shows a residential plumbing fee of $40 plus $15 per item, plus 15% administration.
The city's Permit Center takes residential plumbing permits online. King County's gas piping wording below does not name Federal Way as its area.
What do you do if you smell gas?
Get out, then make the calls. This is the site's rule everywhere on the map: leave first, touch no switches and use no phones inside, and call 911 and the gas utility from outside.
The utilities word it themselves, and we saw both only as search summaries, so confirm the wording on their pages:
- PSE's page says to leave the area, then call 1-888-225-5773 or 911, not to use a landline phone, and not to do anything that might create a spark, including flipping switches on or off. It says a technician checks the area at no charge.
- Cascade Natural Gas's page says to leave the area immediately, then call 911 and then Cascade at 888-522-1130 from a safe location.
PSE's brochure lists hissing, blowing dirt and bubbles in a puddle as possible signs of a leak. We could not confirm which gas utility serves which peninsula or city, so read your gas bill now and save the number.
If you smell gas, do not stop to check the heater, light anything, or switch anything on or off. Leave, keep others out, and call from outside. Treat a carbon monoxide alarm the same way: everyone out first, then call 911 from outside.
Does a replacement need a permit?
In the places where we found wording, yes, and the office changes by sheet. Tacoma and Pierce County both name water heaters directly, as the table shows. For everywhere else, ask the counter listed under plumbing permits, office by office.
Does the heater have to be strapped?
State code points to the plumbing code. WAC 51-51-1307 reads: "Seismic anchorage and strapping of water heaters shall be in accordance with Section 507.2 of the state plumbing code."
We have not seen Washington's text of Section 507.2, so we print no state strap dimensions. Two cities outside this atlas's coverage publish their own details, and their pages may help you frame a question for your inspector:
- Tukwila's tip sheet lists straps of minimum 3/4 inch by 22-gauge metal in the upper and lower thirds of the tank.
- Des Moines says the lower strap must be at least 4 inches above the controls.
These are Tukwila's and Des Moines's own. Your inspector's reading is what counts for your house.
Who should do gas work?
Our advice is a licensed pro for gas lines, valves, burners and flues. A gas water heater has all four, so we would hire that swap out. This is the publication's advice, not a statement of law.
The law's wording varies by office, and we found no statewide sentence on it. King County's program says: "Property owners can install gas piping on property they own. If you are paying to have gas piping work done, the installer is required to be a registered contractor or be employed by a registered contractor." That program's plumbing areas are Seattle, Clyde Hill and unincorporated King County. Pierce County's page wants a gas-piping permit for any change or addition.
Before hiring, check the plumber or firm on L&I's tool. If the old heater's pipes are galvanized or the home is older, see lead and old lines too. Limit any electrical involvement on your part to checking a breaker or switch; wiring is for a licensed electrician.
What does this page leave open?
- Washington's current Section 507.2 text. A 2025 Building Code Council discussion was seen only through a non-official summary, and we don't know its outcome.
- Water heater specifics for Lakewood, Steilacoom, Puyallup, Port Orchard and Fife, Milton and Edgewood. Their local sheets give the permit office.
- Which utility carries gas to your street. Your bill settles that faster than we can.
Equipment comes last, after the permit question and, for gas, once a licensed pro is on the job. One place to compare options is a page of water heaters and parts. PlumbingSupplyAndMore is run by the same team as this site.
Check your own address
- Read your gas bill for the utility's name and emergency number, and save both in your phone and on paper by the door, not at the heater.
- Ask your permit office whether a like-for-like swap needs an inspection, and how it is booked.
- Ask the inspector what strapping they look for.
- Check an electric heater's breaker or switch only; if unsure past that, call a licensed plumber.
Source notes
- Residential permits, City of Tacoma. Checked November 4, 2026.
- WAC 51-51-1307. Checked November 4, 2026.
- Hire a registered contractor, King County plumbing and gas piping. Checked November 4, 2026.
- Permit Center, City of Federal Way. Checked November 4, 2026.
- Detect a leak, Puget Sound Energy. Seen only as a search summary on November 4, 2026; confirm on the page.
- Natural gas safety brochure, Puget Sound Energy. Seen only as a search summary on November 4, 2026; confirm on the page.
- Incident information, Cascade Natural Gas. Seen only as a search summary on November 4, 2026; confirm on the page.
- Mechanical and plumbing, Pierce County. Seen only as a search summary on November 4, 2026; confirm on the page.
- Residential Mechanical and Plumbing Fixtures List, Kitsap County. Seen only as a search summary on November 4, 2026; confirm on the page.
- Prepare, apply and manage permits, Kitsap County. Seen only as a search summary on November 4, 2026; confirm on the page.
- R-1344 fee schedule, City of Gig Harbor. Seen only as a search summary on November 4, 2026; confirm on the page.
- Building permits, forms and fees, City of Gig Harbor. Seen only as a search summary on November 4, 2026; confirm on the page.
- Building and planning fee schedule 2026, City of Fircrest. Seen only as a search summary on November 4, 2026; confirm on the page.
- Permit center, City of Fircrest. Seen only as a search summary on November 4, 2026; confirm on the page.
- Who to call, City of University Place. Seen only as a search summary on November 4, 2026; confirm on the page.
- Plumbing tips with details, City of Tukwila. Seen only as a search summary on November 4, 2026; confirm on the page.
- Water heater checklist, City of Des Moines. Seen only as a search summary on November 4, 2026; confirm on the page.