Licensing and permit resources
When a water heater job needs a permit in North Carolina, who issues it, and how to check a plumber’s license.
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. A separate part of the same law covers the electrical hookup for a same-size electric heater in the same spot, done by a licensed electrician.
Who issues permits
- Inside Greenville city limits: City of Greenville Inspections Division, Municipal Building, 201 W. Fifth St., 252-329-4466.Greenville Inspections
- Winterville: the Town of Winterville issues its own building permits, Town Hall, 2571 Railroad St., 252-756-2221.Winterville inspections
- Farmville: Town of Farmville Planning & Development, 3672 N. Main St., 252-753-6720. Issues building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits.Farmville permits
- Other towns (Ayden, Bethel, Grifton, Grimesland, Simpson): check with the town first.
- Unincorporated Pitt County: Pitt County Permitting & Inspections, 1717 W. 5th St., Greenville, 252-902-3150.Pitt County Permitting Center
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
- Greenville Utilities Commission (GUC), Tar River water for Greenville and parts of Pitt County
- Bell Arthur Water Corp., 252-752-6252, for most of the area west of Greenville
- Eastern Pines Water Corp., 252-752-7420, east and southeast of Greenville, including Simpson
- Stokes Regional Water Corp., 252-757-7751, northeast of Greenville
- Town water systems in Ayden, Farmville, Grimesland, Grifton, and Winterville. Greenville Utilities runs Bethel’s system.
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.