Advice for New Jersey homes
Water heater advice for New Jersey homes
Two questions come up before a replacement: does it need a permit, and what should it cost. Each has a page of its own, with the rule or the price quoted from whoever published it.
Why these two, and why they are written this way
In New Jersey the rules for a water heater are state rules. The Uniform Construction Code, N.J.A.C. 5:23, decides whether a swap needs a permit and who may do the work, and your town's construction office applies it. Prices are the opposite: nobody sets them, so the useful thing is to know which published figures cover North Jersey and which are national averages.
Both pages quote their sources by name, and every figure carries the date it was checked, because rebates and town fees change. Neither page is a dated post: each answers one question and says where the answer came from.
If you already know you need a new heater in Newark, start with water heater installation in Newark, which covers the city's own permit office and the price range in brief. The towns around it each have a page under Essex County towns.
Choose a guide
Do you need a permit to replace a water heater in New Jersey? When the permit is needed, who may do the work, and how the five-day and 72-hour rules really read. Read the permit guide 
What a water heater replacement costs in New Jersey Prices by type for North Jersey, the extras that raise a quote, and the town fee on top. Read the cost guide We are a quote-matching service, not a plumbing contractor. Tell us about your water heater and we pass the request to a local pro, who can answer the permit and price questions for your house before any work starts.