Pressure washing in Texas

The prices below are national HomeGuide figures with no Texas breakdown, and the house-washing page is older than the driveway page. Use them as a yardstick for Texas quotes.

Reading a pressure washing quote

HomeGuide says many companies charge a minimum of $75 to $150 even for a small driveway, to cover setup and cleanup, so bundling the driveway, walks and patio into one visit usually makes more sense than booking them separately. Stain treatments for oil, rust and mold run $25 to $100 or more on HomeGuide's driveway page; ask whether they're included or extra.

Ask whether the price is for hot or cold water, since HomeGuide's per-square-foot ranges differ, and whether it covers capturing or diverting the wash water where your city requires it.

Sales tax on Texas pressure washing

The Texas Comptroller says pressure washing buildings, sidewalks and parking lots is taxable as building or grounds cleaning under Rule 3.356, and pressure washing items of personal property is taxable as maintenance of tangible personal property under Rule 3.292. The real property services rule covers residential and nonresidential cleaning alike, and businesses providing those services must hold a sales tax permit and collect the tax. Ask whether a quote includes tax.

Ask every company which licenses, permits and registrations it holds, and check each one with the office that issued it. Fort Worth and San Antonio regulate pressure washers directly, and your own city may have its own rule.

Fort Worth power washer permit

Fort Worth requires anyone doing mobile commercial cosmetic cleaning, which includes power washing, to hold a city permit. The permit costs $25 per business, each registered wash unit needs its own $25 registration certificate, and permits are valid for one year from the date of issue. Businesses that wash their own property with their own employees aren't covered by the permit but still have to follow the city's discharge rules. Ask a Fort Worth company for its permit and unit certificate.

San Antonio SAWS registration

Under a City of San Antonio ordinance, anyone who uses a power washer commercially or for pay must register with San Antonio Water System and get a certificate for that use. SAWS also runs a Power Wash Program for local pressure washing businesses that rewards practices such as sending wastewater to the sanitary sewer through a pretreatment system. Ask a San Antonio company for its SAWS certificate.

Pressure washing insurance

Ask for a certificate of liability insurance, check the dates, and confirm it with the insurer listed before the job.

Texas cities set their own rules for wash water that reaches the street or a storm drain. The three examples below are each city's own rules, so check yours before the job.

Dallas wash water rules

The City of Dallas says it violates Dallas City Code and the federal Clean Water Act for businesses to let water mixed with soap, detergents or other cleaning chemicals reach the street or storm drains. Pavement wash water can go to the street or a storm drain only if it has no soaps or chemicals, is clean enough not to harm the receiving stream, and causes no erosion or muddy runoff. Dallas tells washers using chemicals to block the storm drains and collect all the contaminated water by wet vacuum, and those using water only to block the drains and divert the water to landscaping or grass. Dallas Stormwater Management is at 214-948-4022.

Austin power washing wastewater

Austin Water says power washing wastewater may not go into the storm sewer if it contains pollutants or cleaning compounds and hasn't been treated (City Code Chapter 6-5, Article 5). It can go to the sanitary sewer only by hauling it to a permitted private fixed-site facility with pretreatment such as a sand and oil interceptor or grit trap, and not into a cleanout, manhole or toilet at the site being cleaned. Unauthorized discharge into the sanitary sewer is a Class C misdemeanor with fines up to $2,000 per day per violation under Chapter 15-10. Austin asks operators to call Utility Compliance Services at 512-972-1060, option 5, before starting.

Fort Worth wash water capture

Fort Worth says wash water that doesn't qualify for an exemption must be captured before it leaves the property. Water sent to a storm drain must be screened for debris and pass through an oil absorbent boom or pad, and violations can bring fines of up to $2,000 per occurrence. Sending water to the sanitary sewer needs the property owner's permission.

Wherever you live, ask the company before the job how it will block drains, whether it uses any chemicals, and where the water ends up. A crew that plans to rinse detergent into the gutter is a reason to keep looking.

Water utilities can restrict pressure washing when supplies are low. Check your own utility's current stage before you book.

San Antonio drought stages and impervious cover

During SAWS drought stages, washing impervious cover such as driveways, sidewalks, parking lots and streets is prohibited, and health and safety exceptions can be requested from SAWS. SAWS also prohibits water waste at all times, including runoff. A water waste charge appears on the customer's bill, starting at $137 for a single-family or small commercial site, and SAWS says that first charge can be waived by taking a one-hour course online.

Austin Conservation Stage equipment rule

Austin Water said that as of September 2, 2025, Austin was under Conservation Stage restrictions, and that commercial power and pressure washing equipment must meet efficiency requirements. The page doesn't spell out the standards, so ask an Austin company whether its equipment meets them.

HomeGuide's June 2026 driveway page puts a pressure washer rental at $40 to $100 a day, plus $20 to $40 a day for a surface cleaner attachment, against $100 to $350 for a professional two-car driveway wash. The rental is cheaper on paper, but the water rules don't change because you're holding the wand.

SAWS's ban on washing impervious cover during drought stages and its rule against runoff apply to customers, and Austin's storm sewer rule covers power washing wastewater generally. If you rent, block the nearest storm drain, skip detergents unless you can collect the water, and point the runoff toward grass. If your project includes sealing, HomeGuide's $100 to $300 sealing figure is on top of the wash.

If you hire, ask for the company's insurance certificate. If you rent, any damage you cause is yours to fix.

Get the job in writing: the surfaces, hot or cold water, any chemicals or stain treatments, sealing, how the water will be handled, and the total with tax. Pay the balance after you've walked the job.

If a seller comes to your home and you agree there to buy services over $25, Texas Business and Commerce Code Chapter 601 generally lets you cancel by midnight of the third business day after you sign. That right doesn't cover work you book yourself by phone or online.

If a dispute doesn't resolve with the company, you can file a consumer complaint with the Texas Attorney General. The office says complaints are public under Texas law and that filing one doesn't mean it has opened a case.

1. Ask which city permits or registrations the company holds, such as a Fort Worth permit or a SAWS certificate, and check them.
2. Get a certificate of liability insurance and confirm it with the insurer.
3. Ask how the crew blocks storm drains and where the wash water goes.
4. Ask whether it uses detergents or other chemicals, and how it collects that water.
5. Check your water utility's drought stage before booking driveway or sidewalk work.
6. Bundle surfaces into one visit to get past the minimum charge.
7. Get surfaces, stain treatments, sealing and the total with sales tax in writing.

Read our terms of service for how the city lists are ordered. The ranking doesn't check permits or insurance, so run these checks yourself. A pool deck is often washed alongside pool cleaning; see the pool service guide, and the house cleaning guide for indoor work.

Each city page lists local pressure washing companies with ratings, review counts and contact details, plus the local checks that apply there.

Pressure washing in Dallas-Fort Worth

• Dallas
• Fort Worth
• Frisco

Pressure washing in Houston and the Gulf Coast

• Houston
• Katy
• Sugar Land
• The Woodlands
• Conroe

Pressure washing in East Texas

• Tyler

Pressure washing in Austin and the Hill Country corridor

• Austin

Pressure washing in San Antonio and the Hill Country

• San Antonio

Pressure washing in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley

• Corpus Christi