Hiring local businesses in El Paso

El Paso had 678,815 residents in the 2020 Census, and nearly every service call here runs into the same handful of local systems.

El Paso power and electricity choice

El Paso Electric is an investor-owned utility that sits outside ERCOT, and the Public Utility Commission of Texas sets its rates. It serves about 465,000 customers over 10,000 square miles, from Hatch, New Mexico, to Van Horn. PowerToChoose lists no retail plans for ZIP 79901, which means no retail choice there. Enter your own ZIP on PowerToChoose to see whether that holds at your address.

El Paso water and watering days

El Paso Water runs water, wastewater and stormwater. Its conservation ordinance allows landscape watering up to three days a week by even or odd address, never on Mondays for homes, and from April 1 to September 30 only before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Watering on the wrong day, letting water run into the street, or leaving a leak unfixed for more than five working days can cost $50 to $500.

Flood maps, bulk pickup and appraisal in El Paso

The city has a Floodplain Administrator, and FEMA issued revised preliminary flood maps for El Paso County on November 15, 2023, which you can look up on the FEMA Map Service Center. A special bulky-item pickup costs $35 for up to 5 cubic yards, plus $7 for each extra yard, and it takes brush and branches. The El Paso Central Appraisal District, at 5801 Trowbridge Dr., values property; the county tax assessor-collector does not collect property taxes, and the appraisal district may collect some or all of them.

The Planning & Inspections Department issues building permits at its One Stop Shop, 811 Texas Ave., and through the online Citizen Access Portal. Ask any contractor for the permit number and look it up there before work starts.

El Paso also makes contractors register with the city. Residential general contractors, which covers new homes, additions, remodels, roofing, windows, fences, retaining walls and pools, need at least $100,000 of liability insurance and a $50,000 blanket construction bond. That city check sits on top of any state license the trade needs, such as TDLR for electricians and AC contractors or the plumbing board for plumbers.

Each service guide pairs the state license check with El Paso's own permit, water or registration rules.

Home systems and indoor services in El Paso

• Plumbers in El Paso, where an unfixed leak can draw a city fine
• AC and HVAC contractors working on El Paso Electric power
• Electricians and their state license check
• House cleaning services
• Pest control
• Movers and bulky-item pickup

Outdoor and exterior work in El Paso

• Roofers, who need city registration
• Tree service and brush disposal
• Pool service and the pool cover rebate
• Pressure washing without street runoff

Professional services in El Paso

• Divorce lawyers
• Dentists
• Realtors and flood map checks
• Gyms and your membership rights

El Paso is part of our West Texas coverage. For a second set of quotes, compare Odessa and Lubbock.