In Burke, where the median home was built in 1979, many water heaters sit in basements and utility rooms that have already seen a couple of replacements, and a leaking tank is the usual sign it's time for another. Fairfax County requires a permit even for a direct water heater replacement. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Burke.
Do I really need a permit just to swap a water heater in Burke?
Yes. Burke is unincorporated Fairfax County, and Land Development Services lists water heater replacement among the jobs that need a permit, applied for online through the PLUS system. Some like-for-like fixture swaps in the same spot are exempt, but water heaters aren't one of them. The help line is 703-222-0801. In practice, most plumbers pull the permit and schedule the inspection for you; it's worth confirming that in the quote.
Is my old house making the job harder?
Sometimes. Burke stayed rural into the mid-1900s, then Kings Park and later subdivisions, plus the Burke Centre planned community, filled it in. Homes from the 1970s can have older gate valves that won't shut fully, flue pipes that need updating when a new gas unit goes in, and drain valves crusted with sediment. None of that is unusual, but it can add time. Fairfax Water's testing at its Corbalis plant shows total hardness of about 70 to 185 mg/L, averaging about 7.5 grains per gallon, which explains the sediment many Burke homeowners find when an old tank is drained.
What size should the new heater be?
Start with how your household uses hot water at its busiest, usually morning showers back to back. If the old tank ran short, a larger tank or a model with a higher first-hour rating may help. If it kept up fine, matching the size is usually the simplest path. A tankless unit is another route, but it may need a bigger gas line and new venting, and adding gas piping means a Residential Plumbing permit in Fairfax County. Washington Gas serves most of the county; check your bill, since the County notes Columbia Gas serves some areas.
A local note
If you ever smell gas near the heater, leave the house first, then call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1. And if the old heater leaked into a basement with a floor drain that also gurgles or backs up, mention it: Fairfax County checks its own main through 703-323-1211, but the private sewer lateral is the owner's responsibility.
Water Heater Replacement questions in Burke
Does replacing a water heater here need a permit?
How do I pick the right size for the new heater?
The old heater leaked in the basement. What should I check?
What happens to the old tank?
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