Do You Need a Permit to Replace a Hot Water Tank in Port Moody?

Port Moody’s building page is brief on the subject: to replace, remove or install interior fixtures, including drain, waste, vent and water pipe, you apply for a Plumbing Permit Fixtures. Neither that page nor the Building Bylaw names water heaters, which is why the question comes up. This guide covers electric tanks.

Do you need a permit to replace a hot water tank in Port Moody?

Yes. Section 14.2 of the Building Bylaw says a plumbing system shall not be “constructed, extended, altered, or renewed” unless a permit has been obtained. Section 14.3 then says that where a permit is required, the system “shall not be put into use until it has been tested and accepted by the Building Official.” If the old tank still works, call the Building Division (604.469.4534) before you take it out and ask how soon the new one can be inspected.

Section 5.3 takes a short list out of the bylaw altogether: most fences, accessory buildings under 10 m², soil-retaining walls under 1.2 m, and, except as regulated by the Building Code, CSA Z240 MH and Z241 series units. None of it covers replacing a tank in a house, townhouse or condo, unless the home is itself a CSA Z240 MH or Z241 series unit; in that case, ask the Building Division.

How much is a plumbing permit in Port Moody in 2026?

Port Moody’s Fees Bylaw No. 3524 sets these 2026 plumbing permit fees:

• $36.00 per fixture, roughed in
• $98.00 minimum
• $150.00 re-inspection fee

The schedule has no line for water heaters, so the City decides how a tank swap is counted. Counted as one fixture, $36.00 falls under the $98.00 fixture minimum, so expect $98.00 plus applicable taxes.

Section 12.44 charges the re-inspection fee for “a second and each subsequent re-inspection” where the Building Official has determined that, because of non-complying work, more than one site visit is required for an inspection. Skipping the permit altogether breaks section 14.2, and the bylaw sets fines of up to $10,000 on conviction (s.20.2).

How do you apply and book the inspection?

• Apply through the City’s eServices portal, using the Plumbing Permit application. The City asks you to say whether you are a homeowner or a plumbing contractor.
• Book through the City’s online Building Inspection Request form by 4 pm the day before the inspection you want.
• Inspections run Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4 pm, excluding holidays.

The City does not issue electrical permits or do electrical inspections; its building page refers you to Technical Safety BC.

Can you replace your own electric tank in Port Moody?

Only in a single detached house. The BC Building Code limits plumbing work to a certified plumber, a supervised apprentice, or “the registered owner and occupant or intended occupant of the single detached dwelling in which plumbing work will occur.”

In a strata townhouse or condo that owner route isn’t open, so the work needs a certified plumber or a supervised apprentice.

Does a hot water tank have to be strapped in Port Moody?

Yes. Where the seismic design parameter Smax for Site Class C is greater than 0.37, Sentence 9.31.6.2.(3) of the BC Building Code says service water heaters “shall be secured to the structure to prevent overturning.” Port Moody’s bylaw prints no local figure; it sends you to the Government of Canada’s seismic hazard website, looked up by latitude and longitude.

Port Moody isn’t in the code’s own table. The nearest listed point, Burnaby (Simon Fraser University) on Burnaby Mountain, is 0.806 for Site Class C, more than twice the trigger, and the lowest of the twelve Vancouver-region locations the table lists is 0.736. Note A-9.31.6.2.(3) illustrates one method, strapping fastened to the floor joists overhead, and refers to the California Office of the State Architect’s “Guidelines for Earthquake Bracing of Residential Water Heaters”; Sentence 9.31.6.2.(3) sets no strap count or position.

Is there a rebate for a heat pump water heater?

Switching an electric tank to a heat pump water heater can qualify for a rebate of up to $1,000 through CleanBC’s Home Renovation Rebate Program (requirements for invoices dated on or after May 15, 2026). The home has to be a year-round primary residence at least 12 months old, such as a detached house or a townhouse with its own meter; condos and apartments in multi-unit buildings are not eligible. Its water heating has to be primarily electric, the tank being replaced has to be the home’s primary water heater, and a licensed contractor has to install it: self-installations are not eligible.

If your electric tank in Port Moody is leaking, see our emergency plumbing service. If it just needs replacing, contact us and we will explain what the job involves up front.