Plumbers in Texas

The figures below come from HomeGuide's cost guides. Only the Dallas rows are Texas data; the rest are national benchmarks. Use them to judge the written quotes you get, not as a price any plumber owes you.

The Dallas service call range starts where the national one sits in the middle: $100 to $250 against $50 to $200. When a Texas plumber quotes a trip charge, ask whether it covers the first hour of work or only the drive.

The permit is a cost of its own. HomeGuide's national range runs from $30 to $500, and your city sets the actual fee. Ask whether the quote includes it, because in Texas the company's Responsible Master Plumber is the one who pulls it.

Texas plumbing licenses come from the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE). The board issues four licenses, each requiring an exam and yearly renewal: Tradesman Plumber-Limited, Journeyman Plumber, Master Plumber and Plumbing Inspector. Every licensee needs six hours of continuing education to renew.

Below the licenses sit registrations. An apprentice registers as a Plumber's Apprentice, and Drain Cleaner, Drain Cleaner-Restricted and Residential Utilities Installer are certifications added to that registration. A Journeyman, Master or Inspector can add endorsements for medical gas piping, multipurpose residential fire sprinklers or water supply protection.

The Responsible Master Plumber rule

Under Occupations Code §1301.351, any person or company that advertises or offers plumbing must secure the services of a Responsible Master Plumber (RMP). The RMP keeps at least $300,000 of commercial general liability insurance on file with TSBPE, obtains the permits, requests the inspections, makes sure every worker holds a current license or registration, and makes sure each service vehicle shows the company name and the RMP's license number. An RMP can act for only one company at a time.

Plumbing you can do without a Texas license

A property owner doesn't need a plumbing license to plumb in their own homestead (§1301.051). City permit and inspection rules are a separate question, so call your building department before you open a wall.

The overlap with electrical work is narrow. A licensed plumber may disconnect and reconnect a plumbing appliance such as a water heater on an existing circuit, but extending or replacing wiring needs a licensed electrician in Texas.

TSBPE's Public License Search finds a plumber by name, license number, city or county, or by name within one license type. Its Find-a-Plumber map, built with the Texas Division of Emergency Management from the same license data, shows licensed plumbers anywhere in the state.

Texas paperwork gives you three more checks:

• The bid and invoice. Under §1301.302, every written plumbing proposal, invoice or contract must show the RMP's name and license number plus TSBPE's name, mailing address and phone number. You're owed an invoice or completed contract when the job ends, even if there was no charge.
• The truck. Service vehicles must display the company name and the RMP's license number. Run that number through the search.
• The plumber at your door. License and registration holders must carry the license or registration on them while they work (§1301.351). Ask to see it and compare the name with the search result.

The city lists on this site are ranked on public review data, as set out in our terms of service. That ranking doesn't check licenses, so run the lookup on whichever plumber you call.

State law sets the floor. Under §1301.551, every Texas city of more than 5,000 people must regulate plumbing, water heaters included, by ordinance and require a permit before work starts. The law exempts small jobs: repairing leaks and replacing lavatory or kitchen faucets, ballcocks or water control valves, garbage disposals or toilets. A water heater replacement isn't on that list, so in those cities expect a permit for one.

Inspections must be done by a plumbing inspector. Before a city issues a permit to an RMP, it has to confirm with TSBPE that the RMP's certificate of insurance is on file.

TSBPE adopts both the Uniform Plumbing Code and the International Plumbing Code, and a city may amend the code it adopts for local concerns. Which code and edition applies depends on the city, so your building department is the one to ask.

Water line inspections and backflow testing

Two related checks come from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). A customer service inspection examines your private water lines for cross-connections, contamination hazards and illegal lead materials. It happens before water service starts to new construction, after material changes, or when a hazard is suspected. A Journeyman or Master Plumber with the Water Supply Protection Specialist endorsement may perform one.

Anyone who tests or repairs a backflow prevention assembly needs a TCEQ Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester license, valid for three years. If your water utility asks for a backflow test, ask the tester for that license number.

Paperwork. The written bid, contract and invoice must carry the RMP's name and license number and TSBPE's contact details. A bid without them is a warning before any work starts.

Cancellation. Texas's home-solicitation cancellation law, Business & Commerce Code Chapter 601, generally doesn't apply to plumbing work you asked for (Occupations Code §1301.004). It does apply where the transaction involves a breach of express warranty or a negligent installation that violates a building code.

Deposits. Ask before you sign how much is due up front, what it pays for, and when the permit will be pulled, and get the answers written into the contract. Keep every invoice and receipt.

Complaints. Complaints about a plumber go to TSBPE on its General Complaint Form. The board's phone line, (512) 936-5200, is open Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 4:30pm. Include the RMP's license number from your invoice.

A hard freeze is a Texas plumbing risk as well as a safety one. The Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed 246 deaths related to the February 2021 winter storm as of October 27, 2021, dated from February 11 to June 4, 2021.

For the plumbing bill, HomeGuide's national figure for repairing a burst pipe is $400 to $2,000 including materials and labor, or about $150 to $250 per linear foot (October 2025). Long runs of damaged pipe add up by the foot, so ask how many feet need replacing and whether the quote is per foot or for the whole job.

The usual checks matter more after a freeze, when you're calling in a hurry. Look up the license before anyone cuts into a wall, ask whether the repair needs a permit in your city, and get an invoice that names the RMP.

1. Find the RMP's name and license number on the bid, then confirm it on TSBPE's Public License Search.
2. Ask whether the service call covers the first hour and what the hourly rate is after that.
3. For larger jobs, get written quotes from more than one licensed plumber, each listing the work, materials, permit fee and total.
4. Ask who pulls the permit and when, and get the permit number.
5. Ask for the certificate of insurance: the RMP must keep at least $300,000 of liability cover on file.
6. Check that the plumber who arrives carries a license or registration.
7. If the job touches wiring beyond reconnecting an appliance, ask who the licensed electrician is.
8. Get the final invoice with the RMP's details and keep it with any warranty.

If a job needs both a plumber and an AC contractor, the AC repair and HVAC guide explains how TDLR licenses HVAC contractors.

Each city page lists local plumbers ranked on review data and adds that city's permit and license checks.

Plumbers in Dallas-Fort Worth

Dallas, Garland, Irving, Mesquite, Grand Prairie, Carrollton, Richardson, Fort Worth, Arlington, North Richland Hills, Southlake, Grapevine, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Prosper, Denton, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Little Elm, Rockwall, Weatherford, Burleson. Region guide: Dallas-Fort Worth.

Plumbers in North Texas and Texoma

Sherman, Wichita Falls. Region guide: North Texas and Texoma.

Plumbers in Houston and the Gulf Coast

Houston, Pasadena, Cypress, Baytown, Katy, Sugar Land, Conroe, The Woodlands, Pearland, League City, Friendswood, Texas City, Galveston, Alvin, Angleton. Region guide: Houston and the Gulf Coast.

Plumbers in Southeast Texas

Beaumont. Region guide: Southeast Texas.

Plumbers in East Texas

Tyler, Longview. Region guide: East Texas.

Plumbers in Austin and the Hill Country corridor

Austin, Pflugerville, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Kyle, Buda, San Marcos, Wimberley, Dripping Springs. Region guide: Austin and the Hill Country corridor.

Plumbers in Central Texas

Killeen, Waco. Region guide: Central Texas.

Plumbers in San Antonio and the Hill Country

San Antonio, New Braunfels, Canyon Lake, Boerne. Region guide: San Antonio and the Hill Country.

Plumbers in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley

Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen, Brownsville, Harlingen. Region guide: South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.

Plumbers in West Texas

El Paso, Midland, Odessa, Abilene, San Angelo. Region guide: West Texas.

Plumbers in Panhandle and South Plains

Lubbock, Amarillo. Region guide: Panhandle and South Plains.