Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - Am I allowed to replace my water heater myself?
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Old 04-23-2022, 12:05 PM
retiredguy123 retiredguy123 is online now
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Originally Posted by WelchNH View Post
In NH, where I'm from, a homeowner could perform certain building and repair tasks- I've added circuit breakers, replaced electric hot water heaters, etc. But I don't believe you are allowed to do that in Florida. A professional license (plumbing, electrical, gas ) is required. Check with your county's building codes dept.- they'll know. Of course, you can do anything without much fear of getting cited for a violation- but in the event of any malfunction requiring an insurance inspection- or selling your house subject to a "satisfactory" home inspection, you might run into problems. Low probability, but not zero.
Interesting. I cannot find a Florida law that specifically prohibits a homeowner from doing work in their own house. For projects that require a permit, I think the Florida Statute Chapter 489 applies. That statute allow homeowners to apply for a permit and do projects up to $75,000 without a license. To get a permit, they may be required to sign a disclosure statement. Here is part of that disclosure statement from the statute:

"1. I understand that state law requires construction to be done by a licensed contractor and have applied for an owner-builder permit under an exemption from the law. The exemption specifies that I, as the owner of the property listed, may act as my own contractor with certain restrictions even though I do not have a license."