Licence classes in Texas
| Class | Scope |
|---|---|
| Responsible Master Plumber (RMP) | Designation held by a Master Plumber who is legally responsible for a company's plumbing work; a company cannot offer plumbing to the public without one. |
| Master Plumber | Full scope; may plan, superintend and install plumbing, and is the prerequisite licence for becoming a Responsible Master Plumber. |
| Journeyman Plumber | Full-scope installation work carried out under the direction of a Master Plumber. |
| Tradesman Plumber-Limited | Limited to one- and two-family dwellings, working under supervision. |
| Plumbing Inspector | Inspects plumbing work on behalf of a political subdivision. |
| Apprentice (registration) | Registered trainee who must work under supervision. |
How to verify a contractor before work starts
- Ask for the licence number and the exact registered name it is held under.
- Check that name against the company on the estimate, the invoice and the vehicle.
- Check the status is current, not expired, suspended or revoked.
- Ask for a certificate of insurance issued to your address, not a policy number read out on a call.
- For gas, sewer, water-heater or repiping work, ask which permit is being pulled and by whom.
Which plumbing code applies
2018 Uniform Plumbing Code (IAPMO) and 2018 International Plumbing Code (ICC) Texas is a genuine dual-code state: 22 TAC 367.2 adopts both the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code and the 2018 International Plumbing Code, the latter carrying the 2018 International Fuel Gas Code and 2018 International Residential Code with it. A licensed plumber must follow the code adopted by the political subdivision where the work is done, and where a jurisdiction has adopted no code, one of the two state-adopted codes applies.
Permits
Plumbing permits in Texas are issued by the city or county where the work is done, and there is no statewide permit list; in unincorporated areas there may be no plumbing permit requirement at all, so permitting rules have to be checked address by address.
Complaints
A Texas plumber can be checked by name, licence number or company through the TSBPE licence verification search, and TSBPE is the state authority to contact about a licensed plumber or about unlicensed plumbing work.
PlumberTexas is not a licensed contractor
PlumberTexas is an independently operated referral service. PlumberTexas is not a plumbing contractor, holds no contractor licence, employs no plumbers and performs no plumbing work. Every job arranged through this site is performed by an independent, separately licensed professional who contracts directly with the homeowner.
Consumer protection
Texas does not license residential contractors outside the licensed trades, so the plumbing licence is the main state credential a homeowner can check; residential construction disputes are governed by the Residential Construction Liability Act in Property Code Chapter 27.