Tank, power-vent or tankless: what changes the job
A like-for-like tank swap can reuse the existing vent and connections. A power-vent tank or a tankless unit changes the venting and can change the gas or electrical supply.
Name the type you want when you ask for a price, so every company prices the same job.
Texas water heater replacement: three estimates by type
A standard tank swap runs $750 to $3,850 installed, standard tank heater, a power-vent tank $1,300 to $2,500 installed, power-vent tank, and a tankless unit $1,250 to $10,000 installed, tankless. Each includes a typical Texas water heater permit of $66 and is an estimate, not a quote. The standard row is widened to take in the prices four Texas companies publish for that job.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, standard tank swap, not a quote | $750 to $3,850 installed, standard tank heater | A like-for-like tank heater swap on the existing vent, gas line and outlet. Built from 2 national published ranges, adjusted by the Texas plumber wage ratio (0.84) plus a typical permit fee ($66), then widened to take in the lowest and highest of the four Texas company prices for this job ($750 to $3,850). Four Texas plumbing companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: small sample (4), national estimate joined with the company range. |
| Estimated range, power-vent tank, not a quote | $1,300 to $2,500 installed, power-vent tank | A power-vent gas tank, which needs an outlet, a fan and a new vent run. A new chimney liner is quoted separately and is not in this row. Built from 5 national published ranges, adjusted by the Texas plumber wage ratio (0.84) plus a typical permit fee ($66). Four Texas plumbing companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: no state company sample (no counted Texas company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Estimated range, tankless conversion, not a quote | $1,250 to $10,000 installed, tankless | A tankless unit in place of the tank, with the venting, gas line and electrical work it usually needs. Built from 3 national published ranges, adjusted by the Texas plumber wage ratio (0.84) plus a typical permit fee ($66), then widened to take in the lowest and highest of the two Texas company prices for this job ($2,800 to $10,000). Four Texas plumbing companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: small sample (2), national estimate joined with the company range. |
| Plumber wage, Texas mean | $29.22 an hour | BLS May 2025 figure for what a Texas plumber earns in an hour; an installer sets its own rate. |
| Typical Texas water heater permit (middle of city totals) | $66 | Middle of the water heater permit totals on 9 Texas city schedules; the fee you pay is on your city's. |
Estimated ranges, one row per scope. Built from national published ranges (8 sources in all, 2 to 5 per row), adjusted by Texas's plumber wage ratio to the US (0.84, BLS May 2025), plus the local permit fee where the city publishes one. Not a quote. Four Texas plumbing companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Full method. Prices as of Oct 23, 2026.
Replace the heater, or keep repairing it?
A tank that leaks from its body is finished. For anything else, price the repair beside a replacement before you decide, and use the repair-or-replace tool for the comparison.
- The leak is at a fitting or valve.
- One part has failed and the rest of the heater is sound.
- The tank body itself is leaking.
- Repairs keep following one another.
What Texas cities charge for a heater permit
Amounts differ by city. Houston sets a $97.56 minimum for a plumbing permit on its January 1, 2026 schedule. San Antonio lists $9.20 for a water heater or vent, with a $57.50 plumbing permit base fee shown separately. McKinney's schedule lists a residential water heater permit at $40.00.
Waco's undated schedule lists $8 per hot water heater. McAllen's, dated October 1, 2016, lists $24.00 each, and Amarillo's stand-alone plumbing permit is $72.00 with a $13.00 technology fee that applies to all permits. Irving's schedule lists $65 for a single-trade plumbing permit that covers water heaters; the page marks 2026 updates, so confirm the amount.
Who may install it, and who pulls the permit
The Responsible Master Plumber is responsible for obtaining permits and requesting inspections on the work under the company's contracts. Houston registers a master plumber with the city on a Texas Master Plumber's license and proof of insurance.
An owner may install a heater in their own homestead without a license (Occupations Code 1301.051). San Antonio issues a homeowner a plumbing permit for an existing home only for the homestead, and only when the owner does the work personally, on an affidavit. Dallas posts a separate permit form for plumbing without a license.
Heater failures that can't wait
- The tank is leaking steadily and shutting its cold supply doesn't stop it.
- Gas smell at the heater: get out, then call 911 or the number on the gas bill.
- The ceiling below the heater is sagging, or water is near the electrical panel.
- Cold water only, with a dry floor, while you compare quotes.
- A heater that works but is nearing the age you'd planned to replace it.
Before you pick a new heater
- Find where the water starts. A fitting that drips can be fixed, and water from the tank body means a new heater.
- Write down the fuel, the tank size in gallons and the vent type from the label, so each company prices the same heater.
- Ask each company whether its price includes the permit and hauling off the old tank.
- Decide whether you want a like-for-like tank, because the other two types change the vent, gas or electrical work.
The city permit for a new heater
Replacing a water heater isn't among the statutory exemptions in Occupations Code 1301.551, and Austin's exemption list doesn't name it either. Garland lists Water Heater Replacement as a plumbing permit type.
Across 9 Texas city fee schedules, the middle water heater permit total comes to $66, and the schedule of your own city sets what you pay.
Before any work starts, ask for the license number of the company's Responsible Master Plumber and search it on TSBPE's public license search.
Questions people ask
Does a water heater replacement need a permit in Texas?
Yes: a water heater isn't on the state's permit-free list. Water heaters aren't on the short list of exempt jobs in Occupations Code 1301.551, so cities over 5,000 residents require a permit for the swap and set the fee.
Do I need a license to replace my own water heater in Texas?
Not in your own homestead, though your city's permit rules still apply. Occupations Code 1301.051 lets an owner do plumbing in their own homestead without a license. The permit still comes from the city: Houston sells homeowner's permits, San Antonio asks for a Plumbing Homeowner Affidavit, and Laredo treats you as the contractor.
What do Texas cities charge to permit a water heater?
$40 in McKinney, $65 on Irving's schedule, a $97.56 minimum in Houston. Cities price it differently: McKinney lists $40.00, Irving $65 on its schedule, Amarillo $72.00 for a stand-alone plumbing permit and Houston $97.56 as the minimum. San Antonio prices the water heater or vent at $9.20, with its $57.50 base fee listed separately.
What's the price of a new water heater in Texas?
$750 to $3,850 for a standard tank, an estimate and not a quote. The model's three rows are $750 to $3,850 installed, standard tank heater, $1,300 to $2,500 installed, power-vent tank and $1,250 to $10,000 installed, tankless. All three are estimates, not quotes.
Who pulls the permit, me or the company?
The Responsible Master Plumber, unless you do it yourself in your homestead. TSBPE makes the RMP responsible for obtaining permits and requesting inspections on work under the company's contracts. Ask the company to confirm that the permit is in its price.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152), Texas, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152), United States, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- PlumberMatch: how we estimate costs, Texas (editorial policy) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TSBPE Plumbing License Law, plain-view PDF Sept 2025 Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Austin: Work exempt from building permits Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Houston Fee Schedule (Finance Dept) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Houston Permitting Center: Plumbing Inspections Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of San Antonio DSD Current Fee Schedule (FY 2027) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of San Antonio DSD: Residential Permits Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of McKinney Permit Fee Schedule Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Waco Permit Fee Schedules Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of McAllen Permit fee schedule (effective Oct 1, 2016) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Amarillo: Building Safety Fees Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Irving: Rates and Fees Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Garland: Plumbing Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Dallas Sustainable Development: Inspections Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Laredo: Permit Applications and Requirements Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TSBPE: Responsible Master Plumber Read Oct 23, 2026.