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Water heater replacement cost in Dallas: what 1,695 city permits show
The median declared value for residential water heater replacement in Dallas was $2,200. Half of all jobs fell between $1,730 and $3,326.
Swapping a tank water heater accounts for about one in five of the 7,680 residential plumbing permits we read. Each permit application carries a declared value for the work.
Half of all jobs were declared between $1,730 and $3,326. The size of the tank changes the figure only a little. The number of heaters changes it a lot.
What moves the number
| Group | Permits | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| One water heater | 1,568 | $2,117 | $1,700 to $3,000 |
| Two water heaters on one permit | 127 | $5,067 | $4,000 to $7,276 |
Two-heater jobs are permits that say "water heaters", "(2)" or "two".
| Group | Permits | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 gallon | 298 | $1,990 | $1,300 to $2,679 |
| 50 gallon | 880 | $2,124 | $1,800 to $2,908 |
| Gas | 1,025 | $2,161 | $1,700 to $3,000 |
| Electric | 228 | $2,000 | $1,600 to $2,775 |
| In the garage | 207 | $1,900 | $1,450 to $2,411 |
| In the attic | 64 | $1,900 | $1,500 to $3,168 |
A permit can appear in more than one row.
What stands out
- A 50-gallon tank had a median of $2,124 and a 40-gallon tank $1,990, a gap of $134.
- Gas and electric were close: $2,161 and $2,000.
- Attic installs had the same median as garage installs ($1,900), but the upper quarter of attic jobs started at $3,168 against $2,411 in the garage.
When the work happens
What this number is, and is not
- It is the job value a contractor declared on a City of Dallas permit application. It is not an invoice, and the city does not audit it.
- It covers work done under a permit inside the city limits. Jobs done without a permit, and jobs in the suburbs, are not in the file.
- It describes the spread of past jobs. It is not a quote for your home.
- How we picked these permits: Plumbing permits whose description names a water heater and does not mention a tankless unit, a sewer line, a repipe, slab work or a gas line.
Before you sign
- Put your quote next to the middle-half range above. If it sits outside, ask what is different about your job.
- Ask whether the price includes pulling the city permit, and ask for the permit number.
- Get the scope in writing: the tank size in gallons, gas or electric, where the heater sits, and whether the pan, drain line, expansion tank and haul-away are included.
- Texas licenses plumbers through the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE). Search TSBPE licenses.
More Dallas jobs
Source: City of Dallas Building Permits (Dallas OpenData, dataset e7gq-4sah), read November 15, 2026. Values between $150 and $150,000 are counted. Full method.