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Fairfax Water Heater Permit Cost (2026)

Residential water heater replacement permit fees in Fairfax County, Virginia, pulled directly from the official Appendix Q Land Development Services Fee Schedule (FY2025, effective July 1, 2024). Fairfax handles a water heater swap as a plumbing trade permit, priced by the number of plumbing fixtures, not by the cost of the heater. A single water heater counts as one fixture and falls in the 1-5 fixture tier at $340. Virginia's 2% state levy is added on top, so a standalone water heater replacement totals $346.80 all-in. Bigger plumbing jobs that bundle a water heater with several other fixtures move into the 6-15 ($466), 16-30 ($601), and 31+ ($780) fixture tiers. Verify your current plumbing permit fee with Fairfax Land Development Services at (703) 222-0801.

Plumbing Permit (1-5 fixture tier)
$340.00
Virginia 2% State Levy
$6.80
Standalone Water Heater All-In
$346.80
Fee Basis
Fixture count, not cost
Minimum Plumbing Permit
$135.00
Fee Status
Official Appendix Q FY2025
What This Guide Covers - and What It Does Not

This guide covers: Fairfax County, Virginia residential plumbing permit fees for a water heater replacement as published in Appendix Q (FY2025, effective July 1, 2024). Coverage includes the fixture-count plumbing trade permit tiers ($340 for 1-5 fixtures, $466 for 6-15, $601 for 16-30, $780 for 31+), the $135 minimum plumbing permit, and Virginia's 2% state levy applied to the plumbing permit. A water heater counts as a single plumbing fixture.

This guide does NOT cover: The cost of the water heater unit, expansion tank, fittings, venting, or any plumbing hardware. Licensed plumber labor. Gas-line or electrical work if a fuel change is involved (a gas conversion or a new dedicated circuit is filed as additional plumbing or electrical scope). Drywall or finish work. These are separate from the county permit fee.

How the fee is set: Fairfax bills the plumbing trade permit by fixture count, not by the dollar value of the work. A like-for-like tank swap and a tankless conversion both register as one water heater fixture, so both land in the same 1-5 fixture tier ($340) unless the job adds enough other fixtures to cross into a higher tier.

When a plumbing permit is required: All water heater replacements and plumbing work require a plumbing permit from Fairfax LDS. There is no exemption for a water heater swap. A gas water heater that needs new gas-line or burner work, or an electric model that needs a new circuit, may require additional trade-permit scope. Verify your project's permit path with Fairfax LDS at (703) 222-0801 before starting.

Key Takeaways
  • Fairfax bills a water heater swap as a plumbing trade permit, priced by fixture count, not by the cost of the unit. A single water heater is one fixture, so it falls in the 1-5 fixture tier at $340, which totals $346.80 with Virginia's 2% state levy.
  • The full fixture ladder: $340 (1-5 fixtures), $466 (6-15), $601 (16-30), and $780 (31+), with a $135 minimum for the smallest plumbing work.
  • Verified reference: a standalone water heater replacement files in the 1-5 fixture tier at $340 + $6.80 levy = $346.80 all-in.
  • A like-for-like tank swap and a tankless conversion both count as one water heater fixture, so both sit in the 1-5 tier unless the job adds enough other fixtures to cross into the 6-15 tier.
  • The permit fee is a county charge only. It excludes the water heater unit, expansion tank, venting, plumber labor, and any gas-line or electrical work, which are billed separately.
  • There is no plan-review fee on the plumbing trade permit - the fixture-tier fee plus the 2% levy is the whole county cost.
  • Source: Appendix Q FY2025 from fairfaxcounty.gov, verified May 2026. Always verify current plumbing permit rates with Fairfax LDS at (703) 222-0801 before filing.
Calculate Your Plumbing Permit All Fairfax Permit Fees

Fairfax Water Heater Permit Fee Components

A Fairfax residential plumbing permit for a standalone water heater replacement is built from two lines: the fixture-count plumbing trade permit ($340 in the 1-5 fixture tier) and Virginia's 2% state levy applied to that permit. There is no separate plan-review fee on the plumbing trade permit.

Component Amount (single water heater) How It Is Calculated
Plumbing permit (1-5 fixture tier) $340.00 Flat per Appendix Q for any plumbing job of 1 to 5 fixtures. A water heater counts as one fixture.
2% Virginia state levy $6.80 2% of the $340 plumbing permit. Statutory under Code of Virginia §36-139.
All-in water heater total $346.80 $340 plumbing permit + $6.80 levy. No plan-review fee on the trade permit.

Plumbing Permit Fixture-Count Tiers

The base plumbing permit fee is set by the number of plumbing fixtures in the job. Fairfax counts toilets, sinks, tubs, showers, dishwashers, water heaters, hose bibs, and floor drains as fixtures. A standalone water heater is one fixture (1-5 tier). The all-in column adds Virginia's 2% state levy to each tier (arithmetic from the verified Appendix Q tier rates).

Plumbing Fixtures Plumbing Permit Fee All-In (with 2% levy)
1-5 fixtures (standalone water heater)$340.00$346.80
6-15 fixtures$466.00$475.32
16-30 fixtures$601.00$613.02
31+ fixtures$780.00$795.60

Source: Fairfax County Appendix Q Land Development Services Fee Schedule, FY2025, effective July 1, 2024 - plumbing trade permit fixture-count tiers ($340/$466/$601/$780) and the $135 minimum, plus Virginia §36-139 state levy at 2% of the permit. The base tier fees are official; the all-in column is arithmetic adding the 2% levy. Verified May 2026.

Worked Examples - Real Water Heater Jobs in Fairfax County

Each example uses the same Fairfax plumbing fee schedule. The permit fee is set by the number of fixtures in the job, not by the cost of the water heater, so a standalone swap stays in the 1-5 fixture tier while a heater bundled into a larger plumbing project can move up a tier.

Example 1: Standalone water heater replacement (verified reference example)

A homeowner replaces a failing 50-gallon tank water heater with a new one of the same type. The job is a single plumbing fixture, so it files in the 1-5 fixture tier. This is the verified reference example for a Fairfax water heater permit.

  • Plumbing permit (1-5 fixture tier): $340.00
  • 2% Virginia state levy on the $340 permit: $6.80
  • Total all-in plumbing permit: $346.80
Example 2: Tankless conversion plus a new utility sink (still 1-5 fixture tier)

A homeowner converts to a tankless water heater and adds a new utility sink in the same plumbing permit. That is two fixtures (the water heater and the sink), which still sits inside the 1-5 fixture tier. The figures below are arithmetic from the verified 1-5 fixture tier rate.

  • Plumbing permit (1-5 fixture tier): $340.00
  • 2% Virginia state levy on the $340 permit: $6.80
  • Total all-in plumbing permit: $346.80

Arithmetic from the verified 1-5 fixture tier rate ($340) plus the 2% levy. The tier is set by fixture count, so 1 through 5 fixtures all pay $340. A tankless conversion that also needs new gas-line or burner work may add separate scope - confirm with LDS.

Example 3: Water heater replaced during a bathroom remodel (6-15 fixture tier)

A homeowner replaces the water heater as part of a full bathroom remodel - new toilet, sink, tub, shower, plus the water heater and a relocated hose bib. That is six or more fixtures on one plumbing permit, which moves the job into the 6-15 fixture tier. The figures below are arithmetic from the verified 6-15 fixture tier rate.

  • Plumbing permit (6-15 fixture tier): $466.00
  • 2% Virginia state levy on the $466 permit: $9.32
  • Total all-in plumbing permit: $475.32

Arithmetic from the verified 6-15 fixture tier rate ($466) plus the 2% levy ($466 x 2% = $9.32). One plumbing permit covers all the fixtures in the job; the water heater does not get its own separate permit.

Calculate Your Fairfax Plumbing Permit

The PermitPrice fee calculator models Fairfax's fixture-count plumbing trade permit plus Virginia's 2% state levy. Pick the fixture count for your job and the calculator returns the all-in permit cost broken down by component.

Calculator coverage for Fairfax plumbing permits: the fixture-count plumbing permit ($340 for 1-5 fixtures through $780 for 31+) and the 2% Virginia state levy. A standalone water heater is one fixture (1-5 tier, $346.80 all-in). The unit, venting, plumber labor, and any gas or electrical work are separate and not included.

Open the Permit Fee Calculator

Water Heater Permit Cost: Fairfax vs Washington DC

Fairfax and Washington DC price a water heater permit very differently, so these figures are not apples-to-apples. Fairfax charges a fixture-count plumbing trade permit (a single water heater files at the 1-5 tier). DC prices a water heater as one plumbing fixture line item at a much lower flat rate.

Jurisdiction Water Heater Permit Formula / Rule All-In Permit Cost
Fairfax County Plumbing permit $340 (1-5 fixture tier) + 2% levy $346.80 (single heater)
Washington DC Plumbing fixture $26 first + 10% DOB Enhanced Fee $28.60 (single fixture)

Fairfax prices the plumbing permit by fixture count, with a $340 floor for the smallest jobs; DC prices a single fixture at $28.60. These are different fee models and are not directly comparable line-for-line. Neither figure includes the water heater unit, venting, plumber labor, or any gas or electrical work. See the full side-by-side breakdown in the comparison guide.

Related Fairfax Permits

A water heater swap often rides alongside HVAC or electrical work. See the related Fairfax trade-permit guides and the full comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

A standalone water heater replacement permit in Fairfax County costs $346.80 all-in: a $340 plumbing permit (the 1-5 fixture tier, since a water heater is one fixture) plus Virginia's 2% state levy of $6.80. If the heater is part of a larger plumbing job with 6 or more fixtures, the permit moves to the 6-15 tier at $475.32 all-in.
Fairfax's Appendix Q fee schedule sets the residential plumbing trade permit by the number of fixtures in the job rather than the declared cost. The tiers run $340 (1-5 fixtures), $466 (6-15), $601 (16-30), and $780 (31+). A water heater counts as one fixture, so a budget tank and a premium tankless unit pay the same permit fee.
No. The $346.80 is the county permit fee only. It does not include the water heater unit, expansion tank, venting or fittings, the licensed plumber's labor, or any gas-line or electrical work a fuel change might require. Those are separate and are usually the larger part of a water heater budget.
Yes. Appendix Q requires a plumbing permit for all water heater replacements and plumbing work. There is no exemption for a like-for-like swap. A gas water heater that needs new gas-line or burner work, or an electric model that needs a new circuit, may require additional trade-permit scope. Verify your permit path with Fairfax LDS at (703) 222-0801 before starting.
Not for the plumbing permit itself. Both a tank swap and a tankless conversion register as one water heater fixture, so both file in the 1-5 fixture tier at $340 ($346.80 all-in). A tankless conversion that also requires new gas-line, burner, or venting work may add separate trade-permit scope, which is why the schedule notes gas and burner work as their own items - confirm the full scope with LDS.
No. The plumbing trade permit does not carry a separate plan-review fee. The fixture-tier permit fee plus Virginia's 2% state levy is the entire county charge - for a standalone water heater that is $340 + $6.80 = $346.80.
Appendix Q sets a $135 minimum for the residential plumbing permit. That floor applies to the smallest plumbing work. A water heater replacement is priced at the 1-5 fixture tier ($340), well above the minimum, so the minimum does not change the cost of a standard water heater permit.
Washington DC prices a water heater as a single plumbing fixture at $26 plus a 10% Enhanced Fee, for $28.60. Fairfax prices the plumbing permit by fixture count with a $340 floor, so a single water heater is $346.80. These are different fee models and are not directly comparable line-for-line; neither includes the unit, venting, labor, or gas/electrical work. See the full Fairfax vs DC water heater comparison.

Sources

Official .gov Sources - Verified May 2026
Next Step

Calculate your specific Fairfax plumbing permit cost or compare against neighbors.

Always verify current plumbing permit fees directly with Fairfax County Land Development Services before budgeting or filing. The Appendix Q LDS Fee Schedule on fairfaxcounty.gov/landdevelopment is FY2025 and is the current published rate sheet as of May 2026, with an expected FY2026 revision around July 2026. Call (703) 222-0801 or use the PLUS portal at plus.fairfaxcounty.gov to confirm the plumbing permit fixture tier for your job, the $135 minimum, and any inspection requirements before submitting an application.
Disclaimer: All fee information on PermitPrice is for informational purposes only and is not an official permit quotation. Actual permit fees are determined by Fairfax County Land Development Services at the time of application. The plumbing permit fee is set by the number of fixtures; the all-in figures add Virginia's 2% state levy. Permit fees exclude the water heater unit, venting, plumber labor, and any gas or electrical work. Verify directly with Fairfax LDS before filing.

Written by: Munib Ur Rehman

Data verified against official fee schedule documents.