Comment by Fwirt

That’s horrible that you legally cannot replace your own water heater. What region mandates that?

Where I live I can replace my own water heater, but it’s more cost-effective not to because the most reliable brands will only sell to licensed plumbers. So I can get a big box store model that will leak or die in 3 years for $300, and then have to pay for fittings, wiring, etc. myself and pay to dispose of the old one and provide my own labor, or pay a plumber buddy of mine who has access to the good stuff that will last 10-15 years $1000 to install one for me.

Building permits and inspections make sense in a lot of cases for things that could cause societal damage. E.g. if I wire my house wrong and it burns down, it could kill the people living in it (even if it’s not me) or set my neighbor’s house on fire. If I put in a septic system wrong it could poison all the wells in the area. But when you start needing permit and inspections for basic maintenance, it becomes difficult to justify the regulations.