Storage tank
$1,600–$2,400Typical cost, including installation
WATER HEATER REPLACEMENT IN SALEM
Salem Water Heater
Replacement
Take a photo of your old water heater to start a replacement quote.
Get a water heater quotePhotos optional. No payment or booking.
See what replacement costs ↓SALEM AT A GLANCE
Replacing a water heater in Salem.
Salem takes building permits online through CitizenServe. You pay a $75 filing fee, a permit fee based on ICC tables and a 1% state fee. The city runs its own electric utility, Salem City Power. Residential work done without a permit can be fined up to $500 per occurrence or per day.
- Permit to replace with the same type
- Check with the city · Salem City Building Department
- Permit fee
- $75 filing fee, plus a building permit fee from ICC tables and a 1% state fee (Salem City Fee/Rate Schedule as of July 1, 2026). No specific water heater amount is listed
- Who gets the permit
- Owners doing their own work file the Utah DOPL Owner/Builder Certification Agreement, posted by Salem, with the city. It limits owner-built work to personal, non-business use and warns that hiring an unlicensed contractor can be a Class A misdemeanor with fines up to $2,000 a day.
- Electric utility
- Salem City Power (municipal)
- Gas utility
- Enbridge Gas Utah
- Water
- Salem City Water Department (culinary water)
- Rebate worth checking
- ThermWise Appliance Rebates – Water Heating (Active)
- Typical home
- Built 2005 (median) · 94% owner-occupied
- Companies found
- 2 that advertise water heater work
01 / TYPICAL PRICES
What a new water heater costs.
Know before you call.
Heat-pump tank
$2,500–$5,000Typical cost, including installation
Tankless
$2,400–$5,400Typical cost, including installation
AI equipment illustrations; models vary and images are not to scale. Typical national prices from Home Depot ↗, checked September 28, 2026. The source doesn’t say how many jobs the ranges are based on. These are not Salem averages or guaranteed quotes.
Compare what each quote includes.Equipment · Labor · Permits · Old heater removalHow to compare quotes →
What we know about prices in Salem
- National installer’s published rangeThe ranges above. Home Depot ↗
- Local permit fee$75 filing fee, plus a building permit fee from ICC tables and a 1% state fee (Salem City Fee/Rate Schedule as of July 1, 2026). No specific water heater amount is listed. Salem City Building Department fee source ↗
- Local company’s advertised priceNone of the local company websites we checked list a full installed price.
- Measured local dataNot collected yet, so no Salem average is shown.
02 / COMPANIES WE FOUND
Who replaces water heaters in Salem?
Companies that advertise water heater replacement here, with what their water heater customers say.
Companies we found in our research. They are not Ember & Tank providers or partners. We show selected reviews, not a rating or every review. How we choose reviews →
What the reviews say
Water heater feedback Republished Google reviewers praised fast arrival, knowledgeable technicians, fair-market quotes and no leaks a year after a tankless installation.
Worth knowing No water heater complaints found in the sources checked.
3 water heater reviews read, checked September 30, 2026.
Llewellyn Plumbing Inc.
Lists Salem among the areas it serves. Based in Spanish Fork.
- Tank
- Tankless
- Repair
What the reviews say
We haven’t found reviews that mention this company’s water heater work yet.
Order: companies based in Salem first, then companies whose water heater reviews we’ve read. Each group is alphabetical. These businesses are not our employees or vetted partners and do not receive requests from Ember & Tank. We haven’t checked their license, insurance or quality of work. Utah DOPL license lookup ↗.
See before-and-after replacement examples from independent companies →
HOMES IN SALEM
What Salem homes are like.
2005Median year built
18%Built before 1980
94%Owner-occupied
89%Heat with utility gas
98%Single-family homes
About 38% of homes were built since 2010, so many original water heaters are reaching the age when replacement planning makes sense.
89% of homes heat with utility gas, so gas water heaters with existing venting are common here.
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2024 5-year ↗ (2020-2024). Heating fuel is what homes use to heat the house. It often, but not always, matches the water heater’s fuel.
LOCAL CONDITIONS
What’s different in Salem.
Fines for work without a permit
Salem can fine up to $500 per occurrence or per day for home work done without a permit or during a stop-work order. City code makes it a Class C misdemeanor.
Electric rates go up with use
Salem City Power charges $0.1065/kWh for the first 500 kWh and $0.1593/kWh above 1,000 kWh (June 1, 2026). That matters if you're thinking about an electric or heat pump water heater.
ENERGY & WATER
Who supplies Salem homes.
Energy
- Electric: Salem City Power (municipal) (The city sets its own electric rates (updated June 1, 2026))
- Gas: Enbridge Gas Utah (Not named on the Salem city pages we checked)
Salem Power ↗ · Salem City Fee/Rate Schedule (electric rates) ↗ · Enbridge Gas Utah ↗
Water
Salem City Water Department (culinary water)
Salem Water Department ↗ · Salem 2025 CCR Water Quality Report (PDF) ↗
REBATES & CREDITS
Rebates for Salem homes.
For Salem City Power (municipal) and Enbridge Gas Utah customers in Salem. Ask installers for the price before rebates, then check with the program that you qualify.
- ThermWise Appliance Rebates – Water Heating ↗Active$100 for an ENERGY STAR gas storage water heater, $300 for an ENERGY STAR gas tankless, $350 for an ENERGY STAR condensing gas storage or a hybrid gas water heater (0.90 TE/EF or higher), $750 for a combined space/water heater (over 95% AFUE), and $50 for a smart water heater controller.
- Utah Home Energy Rebates (HER: HOMES and HEAR) ↗Not launchedUtah's federally funded home energy rebate program is on hold until further notice: DOE has not approved Utah's December 2024 application, so no rebates are available.
- Federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (25C) ↗EndedCovered improvements made through December 31, 2025.
Checked September 30, 2026. Who qualifies and the conditions: Utah rebates · How to check an incentive.
PERMITS & LICENSING
Permits and licenses in Salem.
Permits and who issues them
Salem takes building permit applications online through CitizenServe. Its Building Department page lists 'HVAC/Water Heater Permits' under forms and information, but no document was attached when we checked.
Salem City Building Department ↗ · Salem Building Department ↗ · Salem Owner-Builder Waiver (DOPL form, PDF) ↗ · Salem City Fee/Rate Schedule as of 07-01-2026 (PDF) ↗
Check the installer’s license
Ask for the license number and search it yourself on the Utah DOPL license lookup ↗. A listing on Ember & Tank is not a license check. Utah licensing explained →
NEARBY CITIES
Compare places near Salem.
| City | Distance | Permit to replace | Fee | Electric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payson | 4 mi | Required | By job value (from $24) | Payson Power and Light Department (city-owned) |
| Spanish Fork | 4 mi | Required | Building permit fee 'as | Spanish Fork Power & Light (city-owned) |
| Mapleton | 7 mi | Check with city | — | Rocky Mountain Power |
| Springville | 8 mi | Required | — | Springville Power (city-owned) |
| Santaquin | 9 mi | Required | Building permit and insp | Rocky Mountain Power |
| Provo | 13 mi | Required | $50 | Provo Power (Provo City municipal utility) |
COMMON QUESTIONS
Salem water heater questions.
Who provides electricity in Salem?
Salem City Power, the city's own electric utility. The city sets its residential rates, which rise in tiers with use.
What happens if I replace a water heater without a permit?
Salem can fine you up to $500 per occurrence or per day for home work done without a required permit.
More guides: Utah water heater replacement · All local guides