Tankless Water Heater in Lithonia, GA

Is my address actually in the City of Lithonia?

It is worth checking. The small historic City of Lithonia sits inside a much larger Lithonia mailing area that overlaps the City of Stonecrest and unincorporated DeKalb County. Inside city limits, the Building and Permitting Division at 6920 Main Street issues trade permits, including plumbing, through its Citizen Portal. Outside the city, the permit goes to Stonecrest or DeKalb County. A tankless conversion touches gas piping, venting and water connections, so it should be permitted wherever the house sits.

Can an older Lithonia house take a tankless heater?

Lithonia is an old granite-quarrying town, and the streets around Main Street hold older homes, though the fact sheet's housing figures cover the whole 30058 ZIP rather than the city alone (about 16% of houses there predate 1980). In older homes the heater often sits in a closet or utility room with a metal flue. A tankless unit needs its own sealed vent to an outside wall or the roof and a gas line big enough for a large burner, so a plumber will check both before quoting. Newer homes in the wider mailing area usually have a garage wall that makes venting simple. Either way, the plumber will want a spot for a condensate drain if you pick a high-efficiency condensing model, and an outlet for the unit's controls.

Does DeKalb water need special handling?

DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management supplies water from the Chattahoochee River, treated at the Scott Candler plant. The county report does not list hardness, so a water test is the way to set a flush schedule. DeKalb's service line inventory lets you check your line's material, and the 2026 report advises extra flushing for homes with lead or galvanized service lines. Main breaks go to DeKalb's 24-hour repair line at 770-270-6243.

A note on gas

If a tankless burner needs a bigger gas meter, that request goes through the gas utility, not the plumber. Atlanta Gas Light is the likely pipe utility for Lithonia; the city has no gas department. Confirm on your bill. If you smell gas, leave the house first, then call 911 and AGL at 877.427.4321 from a safe distance.