Mohave County advisory board backs keeping water‑heater permits but recommends waiving fee

The Mohave County Building Code and Advisory Board on June 24 recommended that the Board of Supervisors continue requiring permits and inspections for residential water‑heater replacements while asking that the county waive the permit fee.

The recommendation, made after a staff presentation and public comment, urges the Board of Supervisors to keep a permit and inspection requirement but to designate the inspection as a courtesy and eliminate the $73.15 permit fee. The board will forward the advisory recommendation to the Planning and Zoning Commission; staff said the Planning and Zoning hearing is scheduled for Aug. 13.

The recommendation responds to follow‑up from a Board of Supervisors discussion on April 21, in which a member of the public questioned the need for a permit for residential water‑heater replacements. Building department staff presented background, county permit statistics and examples of common installation errors to support keeping inspections. "The hot water tank is a water pressure vessel that has the potential to explode on thermal expansion," building department staff member Mr. Smaby told the board, and he summarized common field failures including missing drip pans, improperly routed temperature‑pressure relief lines, undersized gas lines, improper wiring and flue problems.

Smaby also summarized county permitting practice and timelines: the county charges $73.15 for a replacement permit, inspections are generally a single visit, an emergency installation may be performed with the permit obtained within 24 hours, and online/over‑the‑counter permits can allow same‑day installation and next‑day inspection. Staff supplied multi‑year permit counts and correction rates; those numbers were disputed by a public commenter during the hearing.

Three members who spoke during the meeting expressed safety‑focused support for keeping permits and inspections. Board member Keith Walker said he favored retaining the permit because "if you do it wrong, it's a gas unit. There's carbon monoxide." Another board member and a commissioner described repeated field examples of improper installations and said inspections protect life and safety. Several board members also said they support minimizing the financial burden on low‑income homeowners by recommending waiver of the fee or offering a courtesy inspection.

Public commenters urged different outcomes. Chuck Schaeiser (spelled in the record) argued staff numbers were incorrect and urged repeal; Jennifer Esposito of the Mojave Free Press recommended eliminating the permit requirement, saying many homeowners and gas utilities already take steps to ensure safety. Karen DeShaser, a Golden Shores resident, said the county information materials on what does not require permits were not requested in the original supervisors' referral.

At the conclusion of discussion the board voted to send a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors that the county continue to require permits and inspections for residential water‑heater replacements but adopt no fee for that permit. The board recorded the motion as passing after members voted in favor; meeting minutes state the motion "passes and carries" and staff confirmed the item will proceed to the Planning and Zoning Commission in August.

The advisory board emphasized that it does not itself change county code; its role is to make professional recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. The Planning and Zoning Commission review and any further action by the Board of Supervisors will determine whether the county ordinance is changed.