Every year the City of New Ulm Building Safety Department receives dozens of calls from homeowners or area contractors wondering about what is needed by the City if you are planning on replacing a gas-powered appliance in New Ulm. The City’s Building Safety Department’s role with gas-powered appliances is to protect the safety and health of the owner by ensuring that all connections are made correctly and not leaking as well as making sure that CO (Carbon Monoxide) is being vented properly and not going to build up in the structure.

Typical gas-powered household appliances include, but are not limited to: furnaces, water heaters, boilers, stoves, garage heaters and various other appliances. When these appliances are proposed to be installed and gas powered, the City requires a permit to be taken out, which costs $30, according to the current fee schedule. The fee for the permit includes the inspection, therefore there is not a separate cost for the inspection alone. Installation of a gas-powered appliance can be installed by the homeowner or a contractor. Advanced notice of the installation of the gas-powered appliances is appreciated but not required. A permit application, inspection and fee is NOT required for an electrically powered appliance.

The permit application can be picked up from City Hall at 100 North Broadway, 2nd Floor Building Safety Department or you can print it off on-line from the City of New Ulm website, under Community, Applications, Licenses and Permits, then “Mechanical Permit”. Please feel free to call the Building Safety Department at (507) 359-8245 if you have any questions or are getting your gas-powered appliance replaced.