Replacing a water heater, AC or roof? Permit rules in Austin and nearby cities

Most Greater Austin cities require a permit to replace a water heater or an air conditioner, and fewer require one for a re-roof. In Austin, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Hutto and Bee Cave, a new water heater needs a permit and an inspection. A roof is where cities split: Georgetown, Pflugerville, Bee Cave and West Lake Hills permit every re-roof, while Round Rock, Cedar Park and Leander don't permit a new roof covering alone.

These are the three big replacements most homes need sooner or later, and they're often urgent: a water heater that fails in the first cold snap, an AC that quits in August, a roof after hail. The table gives each city's short answer, from its own pages. The sections below give the details.

"Ask" means the city's own pages don't answer it, so call before the work starts. "No permit" for a roof means a new covering only; changing the roof's structure needs one.

These rules apply inside city limits. An address can carry a city's name and still be outside its limits, and a homeowners association can add its own rules, especially for roof colors and materials.

Austin

Water heaters and AC. Replacing a water heater, an air conditioner or a furnace isn't on Austin's list of work exempt from permits. The city's trade permit for these swaps is the Plumbing and Mechanical Change Out permit.

Only a Texas-licensed contractor, or a homeowner who qualifies for a Homestead Permit, can get a trade permit. To qualify, the owner must have a homestead exemption on file, and the work must be in their own principal residence. The Homestead Permit doesn't cover reclaiming or charging refrigerant in a ducted heating and air-conditioning system, so that part of an AC swap needs a licensed contractor.

Roofs. Austin doesn't require a permit when new asphalt shingles replace old ones, or when any new roof covering replaces the old one without harming the roof structure. The exception is the Wildland-Urban Interface, the parts of Austin near wildland where wildfire rules apply. There, replacing 50% or more of the roofing needs a permit, and the code then requires a full replacement with a Class A rated roof covering. Austin's current Wildland-Urban Interface code took effect on July 10, 2025. Austin Fire's interactive map shows whether a home is in it.

Round Rock

Round Rock requires a permit to replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system. Water heaters and AC units go on a standalone trade permit, which costs a flat $50 for a home. Reviews usually take 3 to 5 business days, and every permit gets an inspection; two inspections of each type are included, and a third after two failures costs $75. Switching from a tank water heater to a tankless one needs a gas piping chart with the application.

Homeowners may work on their own primary residence even without a license, under the same codes, fees and inspections.

Round Rock doesn't require a building permit for a residential re-roof. Changing the roof beyond its roofing materials, such as the framing or the slope, needs a residential remodel permit ($500). The city requires drip edge on new roofs. Call Building Inspection at 512-218-5550 before you start if you aren't sure.

Georgetown

Water heaters. Georgetown has its own water heater permit. Only a Texas-licensed plumber, or a homeowner with a homestead exemption on the home they own and live in, can install one; a handyman can't. Homeowner exemptions don't apply to rental homes. The final inspection checks:

• a 30-by-30-inch working space in front of the heater;
• an 18-inch stand in a garage, unless the heater is electric, flammable-vapor resistant or listed for installation without one;
• a drain pan where a leak could cause damage, and always above the first floor;
• a shutoff valve on the cold-water line and insulation on the first 5 feet of both lines;
• a temperature-and-pressure relief valve with a drain line at least ¾ inch wide;
• a thermal expansion tank on any closed system, such as a home with a backflow preventer, check valve or pressure-reducing valve.

AC. Georgetown requires a permit to replace any mechanical system, which includes an air conditioner or furnace.

Roofs. Every new roof or re-roof inside Georgetown city limits needs a permit. A residential re-roof permit costs $60 and takes about 10 to 15 business days, longer after a hailstorm. The old roofing must come off when it is water-soaked or deteriorated, when it is wood shake, slate, clay or cement tile, or when the roof already has two or more layers. A roofer may not waive or absorb your insurance deductible; Georgetown asks homeowners to report that offer to the Texas Attorney General's consumer protection hotline at 800-621-0508.

Cedar Park

Cedar Park requires a permit for heating and air-conditioning equipment and for a water heater or water softener. A non-structural roof covering needs no permit. Cedar Park says its lists aren't complete and asks homeowners to call 512-401-5100 before starting.

Leander

Leander requires a permit for water heaters. Re-roofing needs no permit. An AC replacement isn't on either of Leander's lists, so ask the city at 512-528-2733 before the work starts. Homes in Leander's extraterritorial jurisdiction, outside city limits, need city permits only for signs and water or wastewater connections.

Pflugerville

Pflugerville inspects AC replacements as mechanical work. A replacement unit's permit needs a Manual J load calculation and a Manual S equipment sizing report at permitting, and a Manual D duct design only if the ducts are also being replaced. That's a sizing check: a unit too big for the house cools in short bursts and leaves the air damp.

A re-roof in Pflugerville uses a certified third-party inspector. The roofer signs the city's re-roof inspection certificate when applying, and the inspector signs it before the final inspection. Pflugerville's pages don't say whether a like-for-like water heater swap needs a permit, so ask Planning and Development Services at 512-990-6300. On November 11, 2026, the city was taking permit payments by check only while it changed payment systems.

Hutto

Hutto requires a permit for a water heater or water softener and for a new AC unit. The city puts water heater replacements and HVAC change-outs at about 10 to 15 business days for approval. Re-roofing isn't on Hutto's list of common permits, so ask the city before you assume none is needed.

Bee Cave, West Lake Hills and Lakeway

Bee Cave requires a permit for a water heater or water softener, a new or replacement AC unit, and a roof replacement.

West Lake Hills requires a permit for roofing. Its FAQ doesn't cover water heaters or AC units, so ask the city.

Lakeway asks owners and contractors to confirm permits with Building and Development Services at 512-314-7540. Lakeway is moving permit applications and inspection requests to its Civic Self Service portal, and it warns that it never sends unsolicited invoices by email, text or phone.

Before the work starts

1. Write the permit into the contract. Say who applies for it, who pays the fee and who schedules each inspection.
2. Close the permit. A permit closes only after its final inspection, and an open one can come up when you sell the home.
3. For an AC, ask about sizing. Ask the contractor how they sized the new unit, whether or not your city asks for the load calculation.
4. For a roof, check the deductible. Your insurance deductible is yours to pay; a roofer who offers to cover it is a red flag.

This guide is practical information, not a permit decision. Each city decides for a specific address and project, so call the city when your home is in a historic district, a floodplain or Austin's Wildland-Urban Interface.

Where Completa fits

Tell Completa once what you're replacing: the water heater's size and fuel, the AC's tonnage and age, or the roof's size and material. You see your estimate before anyone comes out, then pick a local pro, who checks what the city requires, including any permit, before work starts. When the job is done, it's saved to your home's record.