Reno has a real heating season. Here is what fails in it, what the fix costs, and what the city charges for a new furnace permit.
Reviewed November 5, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Short answer
A furnace repair in Reno typically costs $125 – $480, and a new gas furnace installed runs $3,500 – $7,500, as of 2026-11-05. Inside Reno city limits a furnace replacement needs a $89 EZ permit plus a $45 issuance fee; Sparks and Washoe County require a permit for it too. The local code sizes heating for a 17°F design day.
What the symptom usually means
Symptom
Likely cause
Clicks, tries to light, shuts off
Dirty flame sensor or a failed igniter. The most common cold-morning call, and usually a small repair.
Blower runs but air is cool
Burners not lighting: gas valve, igniter, or a tripped limit switch from a clogged filter.
Short cycles every few minutes
Overheating from restricted airflow, or a thermostat or control-board fault.
Smell of gas
Leave the house and call NV Energy or 911 before any contractor. Not a repair call.
Carbon monoxide alarm
Same: out of the house first. A cracked heat exchanger on an old furnace is the usual replacement trigger.
Heating in the Truckee Meadows
The code the three jurisdictions share sizes heating equipment for a 17°F design day, with a mean annual temperature of 49.4°F: cold enough that the furnace is the system that runs the most hours a year in many Reno homes, and the one whose failure matters most at 2 a.m. in January. Gas furnaces dominate; swamp coolers and heat pumps share the cooling side. If your furnace is old enough that a heat exchanger crack is on the table, the replacement decision is really a heat pump versus furnace decision, covered on the heat pump page.
Before you book
Change the filter and check the thermostat batteries first. A surprising share of no-heat calls end there.
Ask for the NSCB license number and check it; C-21 or C-21b for a replacement.
For a replacement, the permit goes in the contractor's name: $89 plus $45 issuance in Reno. Sparks and Washoe County require one too.
Deposit no more than $1,000 or 10% of the contract (NRS 624.970).
Costs at a glance
Typical heating repair and replacement costs. Figures as of 2026-11-05.
Item
Typical range
Reno published price
Source
Service call / diagnostic
$75 – $200/ visit
$89(Goettl lists an $89 service fee and says it waives it)
Typical totals are $125 – $480, with the service call inside that. A full furnace replacement runs $3,500 – $7,500 installed. See the cost report for sources and dates.
Do I need a permit to replace a furnace in Reno? +
Yes. The City of Reno charges $89 for a residential furnace EZ permit ($133 for an oil-to-gas conversion) plus a $45 issuance fee, effective July 1, 2026. Sparks lists furnaces as permit-required work, and Washoe County's exemption list does not cover a furnace replacement.
Why does the 17°F figure matter? +
It is the winter design temperature the 2024 Northern Nevada Code Amendments set for Reno, Sparks and Washoe County, and it is what a correctly sized furnace or heat pump is calculated against. A quote that names a tonnage or BTU rating without a load calculation skipped that step.
Should I replace my furnace with a heat pump? +
In a home that already has gas, a dual-fuel setup (heat pump plus the furnace as backup) is the common Reno answer. The heat pump page explains the 17°F question the quote has to answer.
Does Reno Heat & Air repair furnaces? +
No. Reno Heat & Air is an independent referral service that connects you with independent, NSCB C-21-licensed contractors, who perform and are responsible for the work.
Need a furnace quote from a licensed Reno contractor?
Describe the job once. An independent, NSCB-licensed Reno contractor follows up. No obligation.
This page is publishing its cost, permit and license guides first. Matching with independent, NSCB-licensed contractors in Reno, NV opens in a later update. Until then, you can verify any contractor yourself at the Nevada State Contractors Board.