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Water heaters

Plan your water heater around the 2027 gas rule

Electric water heaters are a valid option today and after the rule takes effect. If you prefer gas, start planning the replacement now, while a conventional gas unit can still be installed. The air district that covers Napa and Sonoma County currently sets January 1, 2027 as the date new conventional gas water heaters can no longer be sold or installed. A delay to January 1, 2028 has been proposed and is not adopted yet.

Gas Water Heaters

Current rule

January 1, 2027

New conventional gas water heater sales and installs in typical home sizes, under Bay Area Air Quality Management District Rule 9-6. A move to January 1, 2028 is pending and not adopted.

Electric is still a valid option. If you prefer gas, start planning the replacement while a conventional gas unit can still be installed.

When to call

  • You prefer gas and want to plan a replacement while a conventional gas unit can still be installed
  • Electric is a good fit for the house and you want it sized and installed correctly
  • The heater is 8–12 years old, noisy, rusty, or leaking, even if it still makes hot water
  • You want a straight comparison of gas now versus electric for this house

What the rule actually does

This is not a knock-on-the-door order to rip out a working heater. Rule 9-6 is a point-of-sale and installation standard for new units in typical home sizes (under 75,000 BTU/hr). After the effective date, a new conventional gas water heater generally cannot be sold or installed in Napa or Sonoma County. The heater you already have can keep running until it fails.

January 1, 2027 - with a pending 2028 extension

The adopted date is January 1, 2027. Air district staff have released draft amendments that would move that date to January 1, 2028. That extension is pending. It is not the current rule. Plan against 2027 until the district adopts something else.

Electric is still a valid option

An electric tank or heat-pump water heater is a legitimate choice for many Napa and Sonoma homes, now and after the deadline. If the panel, space, and hot-water demand support it, electric can be the cleaner path and avoids the gas cutoff altogether. We will say so when it is the better fit for the house.

If you prefer gas, start planning

A working gas heater does not have to come out today. If you want the next unit to be gas, start planning the replacement while a like-for-like gas install is still allowed. Tanks here often last 8–12 years. A new gas unit installed before the deadline starts that clock over. Waiting until the tank fails after the date usually means electric, whether that was the plan or not.

What we install

We install residential gas tank and tankless water heaters, and electric water heaters when that is the right call. Units are sized for the house and strapped and permitted the way Napa and Sonoma jurisdictions expect. If a repair will honestly get you to a planned replacement, we say so.

We are plumbers, not the air district. Rule language and any extension can change. We will tell you what we can legally install on the day we quote the job. For the current rule text, see the Bay Area Air District’s building-appliances page. Read the air district page.

All water heater service - tank, tankless, repair, and replacement.

Gas water heater questions

Is California banning gas water heaters on January 1, 2027?
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District - which includes Napa County and Sonoma County - currently sets January 1, 2027 as the date new conventional gas water heaters in typical home sizes cannot be sold or installed. Existing units can stay. A one-year delay to January 1, 2028 has been proposed and has not been adopted.
Do I have to replace my gas water heater if it still works?
No. A working unit is not being pulled. The decision is about the next one. Electric is a valid option whenever you replace. If you prefer gas, start planning now, while a conventional gas install is still allowed.
Is an electric water heater a valid option?
Yes. Electric is a valid option today and after the rule takes effect. If the house can support it, we will size and install an electric unit. If you prefer to stay on gas, we will help you plan that replacement on this side of the deadline.
What if the deadline moves to 2028?
Then you have a little more calendar. You do not get a newer tank. If you prefer gas and the heater is already mid-life or older, it is still smart to plan. We treat 2027 as the date we plan around until the district adopts something else.
Can you still install a gas water heater today?
Yes. We install residential gas tank and tankless water heaters throughout Napa and Sonoma County while the current rule allows it, and electric when that is the better fit. Call (707) 332-8469 and we will look at the unit you have and what makes sense for the house.

Official sources and coverage

We did not write the rule. Read the air district and the local reporting yourself - then call us about the heater in your house.

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