Water Heater Replacement Submittal Requirements

The information below describes the minimum submittal requirements for the replacement of a water heater in a single-family residential home. In certain situations, additional materials may be required during plan review or prior to the issuance of the permit. All work must be designed to meet the minimum requirements of the California Building Standards Code and local amendments adopted by the City in effect at the time of permit application and the City of Menlo Park’s Municipal Code.

The City of Menlo Park only accepts on-line digital Building permit applications with digital plans and supporting documents. All applications, plans and supporting documents are to be submitted digitally through the City’s Accela permit management system using the Accela Citizen Access Portal (ACA). Please visit the Building Division’s Online service web page for information associated with how to register for an ACA account.  The digital file specifications for all plans can be found on the Online services page under File specifications.

An existing gas fired water heater can be replaced with either a gas fired water heater or a heat pump water heater (HPWH). A HPWH use electricity rather than gas to provide domestic hot water for a dwelling. They can require more ventilation and electrical power to operate which can vary based on manufacturer design. Rebates or other incentives may be available for the replacement of a gas water heater to a HPWH. Information on rebates and other incentives can be found on the Sustainability Division's Building electrification resources web page.

Permit Application Submittal Requirements

Select the appropriate tab below for information regarding plan set and supporting documents requirements based on the type of water heater replacement being proposed. The City has created a Plan Set Example Template(DOCX, 226KB) that can be downloaded and modified to use as the required lot plan.