Checking a Utah plumber's license before a water heater job

A tankless conversion touches the gas line, the vent, and the water piping. Utah treats all of that as regulated work. Before you hire someone, take two minutes to look up their license on the state's site. Wasatch Tankless does not check or vouch for any contractor's license, so this step is yours.

Utah's licensing law

Utah's Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) licenses plumbers and contractors under Title 58, Chapter 55 of the Utah Code. The definition of the plumbing trade in Utah Code 58-55-102 includes pipes and fittings for delivering gas for heating, along with water supply. Moving or upsizing a gas line to a tankless unit falls inside that definition.

The same section defines several levels of individual plumber license: apprentice, residential journeyman, journeyman, residential master, and master plumber. Ask which level the person doing your job holds.

Gas appliances need certification

Utah Code 58-55-308 adds a rule for gas work. A person who installs, repairs, or replaces a residential gas appliance or combustion system must first complete training and certification under DOPL's rules. The statute applies that rule to people who are otherwise exempt from licensing, with a few listed exceptions.

For a gas tankless install, ask the person doing the work about their gas appliance certification, along with their license.

How to look up a license

1. Ask the contractor for their Utah license number and the exact business name on the license.
2. Go to the state's licensee lookup at secure.utah.gov/llv.
3. Search by name or license number.
4. Check that the license is active, that the name matches the bid, and that the license type covers plumbing work.

Some city permit forms ask for the number too. Pleasant Grove's permit submittal, for example, asks for a contractor license number or an owner-builder certification form.

Doing it yourself

Utah Code 58-55-305 exempts owners and lessees doing work on their own property from the licensing chapter, under conditions the statute sets. Provo's FAQ restates those conditions and says the owner completes an Owner-Builder Certification when applying for the permit.

Two limits matter for a water heater:

• The gas appliance training and certification rule in 58-55-308 applies even to people exempt from licensing.
• The separate exemption for minor plumbing work in 58-55-305 excludes any modification to a gas appliance or combustion system.

Reading what the lookup shows

Open the license record the lookup returns and match three things against the bid:

• The name. The business name on the bid should match the name on the license. A different name can mean a subcontractor, so ask who will do the work.
• The status. An expired or inactive license is a reason to stop and ask questions before you sign anything.
• The type. A tankless gas install touches gas piping and water piping. Ask the contractor to explain how their license type covers both, and who will do any electrical work an electric unit needs.

If the contractor plans to send a different person to do the gas connection, ask for that person's name and look them up too. Write down the license numbers you checked and the date, and keep that note with the bid.

Warning signs on a water heater bid

• The bid skips the permit, or the contractor suggests doing the job without one.
• Nobody asks about your gas line size, vent route, or winter water temperature before quoting a unit.
• The bid names no model number, so you can't check the flow chart or the rebate list.
• The contractor wants full payment before any work starts.
• Nobody mentions isolation valves for flushing on a house with hard water.

Any one of these deserves a direct question before you sign. A contractor with a sound plan can answer each in a sentence or two, and the answers give you a fair way to compare bids.

Before you sign

• Look up the license and match the name to the bid.
• Ask who will do the gas work, and about their gas appliance certification.
• Ask for a certificate of insurance and call the insurer to confirm it's current.
• Confirm who pulls the city permit.
• Get the manufacturer's warranty terms and any labor terms in writing.

The Utah Legislature passed H.B. 40 in 2026, which reorganizes Chapter 55 effective January 1, 2027. The numbering will change, and the wording may too. If you read this after that date, search the reorganized law for "gas appliance" and "exemptions."

Keeping your own record

Start one folder or note for the job. Put the bid, the license lookup you saved, the name of the person doing the gas work, and the permit number in it. Add the invoice and the inspection record when the work is done. If a question comes up later, about the rebate, a resale, or a repair, everything you need is in one place, and you won't have to rebuild it from old emails and texts.