A licensed Irving plumbing crew since 1995, working the older streets near the town center and the Las Colinas and Valley Ranch side of town alike.
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Irving draws a hard line between plumbing work that needs a permit and plumbing work that does not, and the line does not sit where most homeowners assume. A faucet swap is one thing. A water heater is another, and the city treats it that way. Herndon McFarland Plumbing has worked both sides of that line in Irving since 1995, with over 150 years of combined experience on the team and licensing through the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners.
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Irving sends us small fixture calls and full line replacements in the same week, on streets a few minutes apart. We kept the trade broad enough to take all of it.
Nothing on that list goes to an outside crew. That is the reason a one-year labor guarantee on installations is something we can offer honestly.
The City of Irving requires a building permit to erect, enlarge, alter, move, demolish, or repair a structure inside the city limits. For plumbing, the city’s residential permit guidelines state that a permit is not required to replace fixtures or appliances at existing connections, then name a single exception: water heaters. The same page states that a homeowner planning to do the work personally must have a homestead exemption filed with the Dallas Central Appraisal District before applying for a residential permit, with roof permits excepted.
Read those rules together and the practical effect shows up fast. Change a kitchen faucet at the existing connection and the city has no interest. Change the water heater and it is permitted work every time, whether or not the new unit matches the old one. If the house is a rental, sits in a trust or a company name, or is simply not homesteaded, the owner cannot apply for that permit at all. The job goes to a licensed plumber who can pull it.
That matters more than it sounds. Irving covers a wide range of building eras, and houses change hands carrying whatever the last owner did to them. Unpermitted water heater work surfaces at the worst moment: during a sale, during a claim, or during a repair when somebody finally looks at how the thing was vented. We pull the permit, do the work to code, and stay for the inspection.
Rusty or Cloudy Hot Water Only
Clear cold water with discolored hot water points at the tank or a spent anode rod.
A Puddle or a Rust Ring at the Base
Moisture under a tank with age on it is not condensation. A leaking tank is not repairable.
Popping or Rumbling While It Heats
Sediment has built up across the bottom and the burner is heating through it. That wastes gas.
Water Discharging From the Temperature and Pressure Relief Line
The relief valve is doing its job, which means something upstream is wrong. Do not cap it.
Homeowners call us back because the diagnosis holds up and the paperwork gets done right the first time.
Describe the symptom, when it started, and what has been done to the house before, and we will work from there. If the job needs a permit we pull it, and we stay until it passes inspection. Licensed since 1995, bonded, and standing behind the labor for a year. Browse all our services or go straight to scheduling.
Yes. Irving’s residential permit guidelines exempt fixture and appliance replacements at existing connections, then name water heaters as the exception to that exemption. It applies whether the replacement matches the old unit or not, and whether the heater is gas or electric. A licensed plumber applies through the city’s online permit portal, installs to current code, and schedules the inspection. Skipping that step usually costs more later, because an unpermitted water heater surfaces during a home sale or an insurance claim.
Only under a specific condition. Irving requires a homeowner who intends to do the work personally to have a homestead exemption on file with the Dallas Central Appraisal District before applying for a residential permit, with roof permits as the exception. If the property is a rental, held in a trust or a company name, or otherwise not homesteaded, the owner cannot apply. In that case the work goes to a licensed plumber, who pulls the permit, performs the installation, and sees the inspection through to sign off.
Irving does not require a permit for cosmetic work, and it does not require one for swapping fixtures or appliances at connections that already exist. Replacing a faucet, a toilet, or a garbage disposal in the same location generally falls on that side of the line. Moving a line, adding a fixture where none existed, repiping, replacing a sewer line, or touching gas piping is a different category, and so is any water heater. When a job sits near that boundary, we ask the city before starting rather than after.
Start with an inspection, not a demolition. Unpermitted work is not automatically unsafe, but nobody ever checked it, so it needs checking now. We look at materials, venting, slope, connections, and whether anything got buried that should have stayed accessible. That gives you a real list: what is fine as built, what needs correcting to meet code, and what should be redone and permitted properly. Documentation matters later, when you sell or file a claim.
That depends on the house more than on the product. Tankless units need gas supply and venting that many older Irving homes were never built for, so the installation can involve upsizing a gas line or running new vent. In a house with the capacity, they free floor space and remove a standing tank as a flooding risk. In a house without it, a correctly sized conventional heater is often the better call. We check the gas line, the vent path, and the fixture count first.
From slab leaks under the foundation to sewer line repipes, every job is diagnosed, documented, and done right. A look at recent work across North Dallas.
Excellent customer service, very friendly staff from the person taking the call to the staff fixing the repairs. Very trustworthy company. Shaun explained the step-by-step process and provided very fair prices.
Their positive, upbeat, anxious-to-please attitude made the whole process the very best it could be! All of the employees were a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend Herndon McFarland.
Trent and Reggie were the most professional associates entering our home. They treated our home with respect as if it were theirs. We will use this company again because of them and our experience.
Mention these offers when you schedule. Cannot be combined; see details on each.
Our thank-you to seniors and active or retired military.
One-time use. Cannot be combined with any other coupon or offer. MENTION AT SCHEDULINGSave on any water slab leak repair or full reroute under your foundation.
Cannot be combined with any other offer or coupon. MENTION AT SCHEDULINGSave on any water heater replacement, tank or tankless.
Cannot be combined with any other offer or coupon. MENTION AT SCHEDULINGSave on any plumbing service call or faucet replacement.
One-time use. Cannot be combined with any other offer or coupon. MENTION AT SCHEDULING
