Licensing and permit resources

When is a permit required?

Under N.C. General Statute 160D-1110, replacing a water heater in a one- or two-family home doesn’t need a permit when all of the following are true:

• The work is done by a licensed contractor, who checks it at completion (and, for gas, makes sure the gas piping was leak tested)
• The new heater’s energy input or electrical rating is no higher than the old one
• There’s no change in fuel, location, or capacity, or in how venting and piping are sized and routed
• The installation meets the current North Carolina State Building Code

If any of those don’t apply, for example switching from electric to gas, moving the heater, going to a bigger tank, or installing tankless, the job needs a permit and inspection.

Who issues permits

• Unincorporated Onslow County (including Hubert, Sneads Ferry, Midway Park, and Half Moon): Onslow County Planning & Development, 234 NW Corridor Blvd, Jacksonville, 910-455-3661.Onslow County building links
• Inside Jacksonville city limits: City of Jacksonville.jacksonvillenc.gov
• Other towns (Swansboro, Richlands, Holly Ridge, Maysville): check with the town first. Maysville is in Jones County.

Your plumber normally pulls the permit as part of the job.

Checking a plumber’s license

Plumbing contractors in North Carolina are licensed by theState Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating & Fire Sprinkler Contractors. You can ask any contractor for their license number and look it up on the board’s website. Electrical work on electric water heaters falls under a licensed electrical contractor.

Water utilities

• City of Jacksonville water service inside the city
• Onslow Water and Sewer Authority (ONWASA) for much of the county

Gas safety

If you smell gas, leave the building right away and call your gas utility or 911 from outside. Don’t use switches, phones, or anything that could make a spark inside.