The whole duty list, plainly
Plumbing for pay carries more paper than most trades. Here's the full picture, so nothing sneaks up on you:
- Permits and inspections. Water heater replacement is permit-and-inspection work in much of the country — Morgan Hill, California says so outright, and San Francisco requires a plumbing permit before cutting into or replacing pipes. The exceptions cut the other way too: Phoenix exempts a licensed contractor's like-for-like replacement in one- and two-family homes, but an unlicensed swap needs the permit. Re-pipes, sewer and water service, and gas lines are permit work close to everywhere.
- Gas piping. Permit, pressure test, inspection — and in many jurisdictions, a licensed plumber or gas fitter to do it. Combustion air and venting are where a cheap water heater swap turns dangerous.
- The code items an inspector checks. On a water heater: seismic strapping where required, the T&P relief valve with a proper discharge line, an expansion tank on a closed system, a drip pan where called for, combustion air and venting done right.
- Lead-free parts on potable water. Federal law — the Safe Drinking Water Act, tightened by the 2011 Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act — caps lead at a 0.25% weighted average on wetted surfaces for pipes, fittings, and fixtures that touch drinking water, with manufacturer certification required since September 2023. NSF/ANSI 372 is the mark on the box.
- Your license, and where it goes. Most real plumbing work requires a state license (California's is the C-36). California also requires the license number printed on every contract, bid, and advertisement (B&P 7030.5), and a written home-improvement contract, signed before work starts, on residential jobs over $500 (B&P 7159).
Not all of that is record-keeping the app can do for you — the license, the permit itself, and passing inspection are yours. But every one of them leaves paper, and the paper is what you can keep straight.
The paperwork side, in the app
Permit card per job
Status, permit number, issuing authority, rough-in and final inspection results with dates — and the permit fee added to the estimate as its own line. The permit number prints on the document.
Water heater code checklist
Work through the safety items — strapping, T&P relief and discharge, expansion tank, pan, venting — and the completed list prints on the invoice as "installed per code," item by item.
Lead-free on the line item
Mark potable-water parts lead-free and the condition tag rides the invoice line, with the NSF/ANSI 372 note in the document's standard notices.
License, approval, photos
Your plumbing license number prints on every estimate and invoice. The customer's approval is logged with name, amount, and time, and photos of the finished install stay with the job.
Said plainly
SideWRK helps you document the job — it doesn't pull the permit, hold the license, or pass the inspection, and it can't tell you whether your city requires a permit for the swap you're quoting. That's your building department's call.
This page is not legal advice. It's the map; your local code authority is the territory.
Plumbing permits — common questions
Do you need a permit to replace a water heater?
In most places, yes — even for a like-for-like swap. California cities such as Morgan Hill require a plumbing permit and inspection for water heater replacement, and San Francisco requires a plumbing permit before replacing pipes generally. Some jurisdictions carve out exceptions: Phoenix exempts replacement in one- and two-family homes when a licensed contractor does it, but requires a permit otherwise. The building department where the job sits is the authority.
Does a gas line need a permit?
Gas piping work generally requires a permit, a pressure test, and an inspection, and in many jurisdictions a licensed plumber or gas fitter. Combustion and venting are the safety-critical part of a gas water heater swap, which is a big reason like-for-like replacements still get inspected.
What does "lead-free" mean for plumbing parts?
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, pipes, fittings, and fixtures that touch drinking water must be lead free — a weighted average of no more than 0.25 percent lead across wetted surfaces, per the 2011 Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act. Since September 2023 manufacturers must certify products meet the standard; NSF/ANSI 372 is the certification you will see on the box. Using certified parts on potable lines, and being able to show you did, is part of the job's record.
What records should a plumber keep on each job?
The permit number and issuing authority with inspection results, the code items you completed on a water heater (seismic strapping, T&P relief and discharge, expansion tank on a closed system, combustion air and venting), which potable-water parts were lead-free certified, the customer's authorization of the estimate, photos of the finished installation, and the itemized invoice with your license number on it.
Does SideWRK pull the permit or make the job pass inspection?
No — the permit comes from your building department, and passing inspection is your work, not the app's. SideWRK helps with the paperwork: it tracks the permit and inspections on the job, walks a water-heater code checklist that prints on the invoice, tags lead-free parts, and prints your license number on every document. It is a documentation tool, not legal advice; your local code authority decides what the job requires.