Why a water heater needs a gas permit
A gas water heater is a gas appliance, and Technical Safety BC's homeowner permit page lists installing or replacing all gas appliances, including a water heater, as work that requires a gas homeowner permit. The same page covers installing or replacing gas piping or a vent system, which is exactly what a tank-to-tankless conversion changes.
A permit is not paperwork that follows the job. Technical Safety BC states a permit must be in place before work begins, and it publishes a permit search tool so a homeowner can confirm one exists. The permit is what puts the installation on the record and triggers the inspection.
Who issues the permit: Technical Safety BC or your municipality
Technical Safety BC's Information Bulletin IB-GA-2018-01 sets out the split. The province has administrative agreements with seven local governments to issue installation permits and conduct gas inspections inside their boundaries: Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, Maple Ridge, the City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver, and Kelowna. Everywhere else, Technical Safety BC issues the permit.
Inside those seven, the municipal scope is a single, fully detached dwelling with a meter delivery pressure of 14.0 kPa (2 psig) or less, or any other premises at that pressure with a total connected gas meter load of 120 kW (409,000 BTUH) or less. Commercial, industrial and multi-unit buildings above that pressure or load fall back to Technical Safety BC even inside those municipalities. The bulletin is explicit that a permit issued for work outside the issuer's jurisdiction is not valid, and that where a contractor replaces a gas-fired appliance in an identified municipality, all gas installation permits must come from the authority having jurisdiction.
Homeowner permits, and who cannot use one
A homeowner may apply for a gas permit directly, and the application is online. If a licensed contractor is doing the work, the contractor normally applies on the homeowner's behalf, which is how CANRO handles the permit for its installations.
Not every owner qualifies. Technical Safety BC states that owners of a strata lot, a non-strata duplex, or a home from which a business is operated cannot obtain homeowner permits and must hire a licensed contractor. Burnaby's own application adds that a home with a secondary suite is also excluded. In practice that sends most strata, duplex and suite work in the region to a licensed gas contractor.
Plumbing permits and the 49 °C fixture rule
A gas permit covers the gas work, not always the water connection. Some municipalities require a plumbing permit as well because a water heater is listed as a plumbing fixture: Burnaby's fee schedule lists a water heater among plumbing fixtures, so a replacement there takes a plumbing permit alongside the gas permit. The permit path for a specific address is confirmed before the work is quoted.
The plumbing side also carries a safety limit. BC's plumbing code caps water delivered to showers and bathtubs at 49 °C, while storage tanks are commonly kept hotter to limit bacterial growth, which is why a thermostatic mixing valve appears on many replacement estimates. That requirement is explained in the guide to temperature settings and scald safety.
The inspection
A gas permit is not closed until the work is inspected. Technical Safety BC asks for the gas homeowner inspection request at each stage of construction and after the work is complete, and requires at least one inspection to be requested within 180 days of the permit being issued.
For a straightforward tank replacement, the inspection confirms the gas connection, the venting, the combustion air and the installation against the manufacturer's instructions. A conversion that adds sealed venting, a condensate drain and a larger gas supply is inspected against the same rules, which is one reason the permit should be obtained before the equipment is chosen rather than after.
What CANRO does
CANRO Heating & Cooling is a Technical Safety BC licensed gas contractor, and it obtains the required permits as part of an installation or replacement. Written estimates for replacements and installations are free, and the permit path for the address is confirmed before the work is quoted rather than after.
Permit fees are set by the issuing authority and are confirmed with the quote; WaterHeating.ca does not publish amounts it has not verified. For a gas smell or a suspected leak, leave the building and call the FortisBC emergency line at 1-800-663-9911 or 911 before anything else.