About Houston Plumbings
Local Plumbing Company in Houston, TX
We’re a Houston plumbing company for homes, rentals and businesses across the city and the towns within about 20 miles. We answer the phone day and night, find the cause before we price the fix, and put every price in writing before any work starts.
Who we are
Who Is Houston Plumbings?
Houston Plumbings is a residential and commercial plumbing company serving Houston, Texas and the cities around it. We’re based in Porter, in Montgomery County, just north of Kingwood off I-69, and we work every part of the metro: inside Loop 610, along Beltway 8, and out toward the Grand Parkway.
Our work is the plumbing Houston actually throws at people. Slab leaks under homes that shift on clay soil. Sewer lines full of roots, or bellied where the ground settled. Pipes that split in a January freeze. Tank and tankless water heaters choked with scale from our hard water. Drains that back up when a storm knocks out a lift station.
What we do, in plain terms
- Emergency plumbing repairs, with calls answered 24/7
- Leak detection, slab leak repair and reroutes
- Drain cleaning, hydro jetting and sewer camera inspection
- Sewer line repair, trenchless replacement and backwater valves
- Water heater repair and installation, tank and tankless
- Gas line installation, gas leak repair and generator hookups
- Repiping, water line replacement and fixture work
- Commercial plumbing for restaurants, offices, retail and apartments
See every service we offer on our Houston plumbing services page.
Houston Plumbings, residential and commercial plumber
(832) 678-7978, answered 24/7
Houston plus about 20 miles: Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria and Galveston counties
Texas-licensed plumbers under the TSBPE; ask for the license number on any job
Porter, Texas 77365 (Montgomery County)
Same-day service; emergencies go first
Written price before any work starts
2021 Uniform Plumbing Code with Houston amendments
Our story
Why We Built a Plumbing Company Just for Houston
Most of the calls we take start the same way: someone already paid for a fix that didn’t hold, or got a price that changed once the work was done. We started Houston Plumbings to run the job the way we’d want it run in our own homes.
What Houston homeowners keep running into
- A price that only shows up on the final invoice.
- Tile or a slab broken open before anyone has found the leak.
- “Let’s patch it” on a galvanized or polybutylene line that’s failing everywhere.
- A week-long wait after a hard freeze or a hurricane.
- No photos, readings or paperwork when the insurance adjuster asks.
- A big replacement pitched when a $10 part was the real problem.
What we built instead
- We find the cause first: camera on drains and sewers, acoustic, thermal and pressure testing on hidden leaks.
- You get the options and the price in writing before we start.
- We tell you when a repair is enough and when a repipe or a new sewer line costs less over time.
- Emergencies get triaged first, day or night.
- Photos, readings and a written scope you can hand to an insurer, HOA or buyer.
- If the cheap fix is the right fix, that’s the one we recommend.
Local knowledge
What Makes Plumbing in Houston Different?
Houston plumbing fails for local reasons: expansive clay that moves slab foundations, ground that is still sinking in parts of the west and north, hard freezes in homes built for heat, floods that overload sewers, hard water, and a lot of older pipe. Almost half the city’s homes were built before 1980.
A plumber who knows these conditions checks the right things first. Here’s what we look at on almost every Houston call.
Clay soil under the slab
Houston’s expansive clay swells when it’s wet and shrinks in drought. A University of Houston study of 453 slab foundations in Southeast Texas found they move with the seasons.
What it breaks: slab leaks, separated joints and bellied sewer lines.
Ground that’s still sinking
The Harris-Galveston Subsidence District’s 2025 report shows parts of Katy and Fulshear sinking more than 2 cm a year. One Katy GPS station has dropped about 14 inches since 2007.
What it breaks: buried water and sewer lines, and the slope a sewer needs to drain.
Freezes in homes built for heat
A hard freeze is 24°F or colder for two hours or more. In February 2021, Bush Intercontinental bottomed out at 13°F after 44 straight hours below freezing, and the city estimated a quarter of its water customers had leaks. More hard freezes came in January 2026.
What it breaks: attic and exterior-wall pipes, hose bibs, backflow assemblies.
Floods and lift stations
Harvey flooded about 160,000 Harris County homes, 68% of them outside the 100-year floodplain. When Beryl cut power in July 2024, 178 of Houston’s 387 wastewater pumping stations lost power.
What it breaks: sewer backups through floor drains, tubs and cleanouts.
Hard water
Houston’s main system runs about 90% on surface water from Lake Houston, Lake Conroe and Lake Livingston. In 2025 hardness ranged from 2.5 to 13.4 grains per gallon and averaged 7.9.
What it breaks: tank and tankless water heaters, cartridges and shower valves.
Older pipes
About 47% of City of Houston homes were built before 1980, and 192,199 of them date from the 1970s alone. Many still have galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains.
What it breaks: rusty water, low pressure, pinhole leaks and rotting cast iron.
Houston plumbing by the numbers
| Local factor | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| City of Houston homes built before 1980 | About 47% | U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey |
| Coldest reading of the February 2021 freeze | 13°F at Bush Intercontinental | National Weather Service |
| Water hardness, 2025 | 2.5–13.4 gpg, average 7.9 | City of Houston water quality report |
| Wastewater stations without power after Beryl | 178 of 387 | City of Houston |
| Harvey-flooded homes outside the 100-year floodplain | 68% | Harris County Flood Control District |
We use these numbers to decide what to check first, not to sell a job.
Our standards
Our Promises on Every Houston Plumbing Job
These aren’t slogans. They’re the rules our plumbers work by, on a dripping faucet or a full repipe.
Diagnose before we price
Drains and sewers get a camera. Hidden leaks get acoustic, thermal and pressure testing. No one cuts concrete on a guess.
Price in writing first
You see what we found, your options and the price on paper. Nothing starts until you approve it.
Licensed plumbers only
Plumbing in Texas is licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. Ask for the license number on your job and check it yourself.
Code and permits, every time
We work to the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code as Houston adopted it, and pull permits when the job needs one.
Test, clean up, document
We pressure-test or flow-test the repair, clean the work area and leave photos and notes for your records.
The cheaper fix, when it’s right
If a flapper, a cartridge or a trap fixes it, we’ll tell you. We’d rather earn your next call than oversell this one.
How do I check a Texas plumbing license?
Use the public license search on the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners website. Every plumbing company in Texas works under a Responsible Master Plumber, so ask for that license number and look it up before work starts.
The TSBPE has licensed Texas plumbers since 1947, and the Legislature has continued it through 2033. It licenses and registers plumbers from apprentice up to master.
A license check takes two minutes and tells you:
- Whether the license is active or expired
- The license type: journeyman or master
- Any endorsements, such as Water Supply Protection Specialist
We’d tell you to do this with anyone you hire, us included.
Codes and permits
The Houston Plumbing Rules We Work Under
Good plumbing in Houston means knowing the local rules, not just the trade. These are the ones that shape most of our jobs.
| Rule | What it means for your job |
|---|---|
| 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code with Houston amendments | Houston’s local amendments took effect January 1, 2024. Repairs and new work are built to them. |
| City plumbing permits | Water heaters, sewer line work and major fixture installs go through the Houston Permitting Center. Pasadena, Sugar Land, Pearland and other cities run their own permit offices. |
| Gas lines and CenterPoint Energy | New or repaired gas piping inside Houston needs a city permit and inspection before CenterPoint will restore or start gas service. |
| Backflow testing | Assemblies on irrigation and business lines are tested by a TCEQ-licensed tester. Reports go to Houston Public Works within two business days. |
| Sewer line ownership | In the City of Houston, the homeowner owns the sewer line from the house to the city connection. |
| Federal water heater standards | Commercial gas water heaters must be condensing from October 6, 2026. Most residential electric tanks over 35 gallons move to heat pump technology from May 6, 2029. |
How we work
What Happens When You Call Houston Plumbings?
Five steps from the first ring to a fixed problem. No step gets skipped because the job is small.
Call (832) 678-7978. We’ll help you shut off the water or gas if needed, set a time, diagnose the cause on site, give you a written price, then fix it, test it and leave you the paperwork.
You call, we triage
We ask what’s happening and walk you through the main shut-off or the gas valve if needed. Emergencies go to the front of the line.
Why it matters: the first ten minutes decide how much water ends up in your walls.We find the cause
Camera inspection, leak location, pressure gauges or a hardness test, whichever fits the problem.
Why it matters: you pay to fix the real problem, not a guess.You approve a written price
We show you what we found, explain repair, reroute or replace, and price each one.
Why it matters: no surprises on the invoice.We do the work to code
Permits are pulled when the job needs them, and gas work is inspected before CenterPoint restores service.
Why it matters: the work passes inspection and holds up when you sell.We test and document
Pressure or flow test, camera recheck after jetting, cleanup, photos and notes.
Why it matters: proof the leak is fixed, for your insurer or a water bill adjustment.Water where it shouldn’t be? Our emergency plumbers answer 24/7.
Call (832) 678-7978Who we work for
Who We Help Around Houston
Different properties fail in different ways. Here’s who calls us most, and what they usually need.
Owners of older homes
1950s to 1980s slab and pier-and-beam homes in the Heights, Oak Forest, Meyerland, Spring Branch and Sharpstown, where galvanized supply and cast iron drains drive the big decisions.
Suburban families
Newer homes in Katy, Cypress, Spring, Pearland and Sugar Land: water heaters, softeners, scaled tankless units and fixture repairs.
Landlords and property managers
About 58% of City of Houston households rent. We handle tenant emergencies and unit turns, with photos and clear invoices for owners.
Home buyers and sellers
A sewer camera scope and pipe-material check during the option period, before polybutylene or broken cast iron becomes your problem.
Restaurants and businesses
Grease traps, commercial drain jetting, restroom repairs and backflow testing that keep you open and compliant.
Anyone in an emergency
Burst pipes after a freeze, sewage after a storm, a water heater leaking into the attic. Call any hour and we’ll help you stop the damage first.
Where we work
Where We Work: Houston and Nearby Cities
From our base in Porter we cover all of Houston plus the cities within about 20 miles: more than 130 residential ZIP codes along I-10, I-45, I-69, US-290, Beltway 8 and the Grand Parkway.
North and Lake Houston
Porter, Kingwood, Humble, Atascocita, Spring and Aldine, near Lake Houston and Bush Intercontinental.
ZIPs: 77365 · 77339 · 77345 · 77338 · 77346 · 77373 · 77379 · 77388 · 77032 · 77060
Inner Loop and Central
Houston Heights, Montrose, River Oaks, Downtown, the East End, Bellaire and West University Place, around the Texas Medical Center.
ZIPs: 77002 · 77003 · 77004 · 77006 · 77007 · 77008 · 77019 · 77098 · 77005 · 77401
West and Northwest
Memorial, Spring Branch, the Energy Corridor, Katy, Cinco Ranch, Cypress and Jersey Village, near the Addicks and Barker reservoirs.
ZIPs: 77024 · 77055 · 77080 · 77077 · 77079 · 77449 · 77450 · 77494 · 77429 · 77433 · 77040
Southwest and Fort Bend
Sharpstown, Alief, Westchase, Meyerland, Sugar Land, Stafford, Missouri City and Fresno, around the Galleria and US-59.
ZIPs: 77036 · 77072 · 77082 · 77042 · 77096 · 77478 · 77479 · 77477 · 77459 · 77489 · 77545
South and Bay Area
Pearland, South Belt, Glenbrook Valley, Sunnyside, Clear Lake and Friendswood, near Hobby Airport and Johnson Space Center.
ZIPs: 77581 · 77584 · 77089 · 77075 · 77017 · 77061 · 77021 · 77058 · 77062 · 77546
East and Ship Channel
Pasadena, Deer Park, South Houston, Galena Park, Channelview and the Fifth Ward, along the Houston Ship Channel.
ZIPs: 77502 · 77503 · 77504 · 77505 · 77506 · 77536 · 77587 · 77547 · 77530 · 77020
Don’t see your neighborhood? Check the full list on our Houston service areas page, or just call and ask.
Before you hire
Questions to Ask Any Houston Plumber, Including Us
A good plumber answers these without hesitating. If you get a vague answer to any of them, keep looking.
License and permits
- Who is the Responsible Master Plumber, and what’s the license number?
- Will you pull the permit for this job, and is the permit fee in the price?
- For gas work: who schedules the city inspection and the CenterPoint release?
Price and proof
- Will I get the price in writing before you start?
- Will you camera or leak-test before digging or cutting the slab?
- What happens to the price if you find something else once the wall is open?
- Can I get photos and a written report for my insurer or buyer?
FAQs
About Houston Plumbings: Frequently Asked Questions
The company
Where is Houston Plumbings located?
We’re based in Porter, Texas 77365, in Montgomery County just north of Kingwood. We’re a mobile plumbing company, so we come to you anywhere in Houston and the cities within about 20 miles. There’s no walk-in shop.
What areas and ZIP codes do you serve?
All residential City of Houston ZIP codes, plus nearby cities including Kingwood, Humble, Atascocita, Spring, Cypress, Katy, Sugar Land, Missouri City, Pearland, Pasadena, Bellaire and West University Place. That’s more than 130 ZIP codes across Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria and Galveston counties.
Do you answer calls at night, on weekends and on holidays?
Yes. Call (832) 678-7978 any time. Burst pipes, sewage backups, gas smells and leaking water heaters get triaged first.
Do you do residential and commercial plumbing?
Both. Homes, rental properties and apartment buildings, plus restaurants, offices and retail spaces. Commercial work includes drain jetting, grease traps, restroom repairs and backflow testing.
Licensing and standards
Are your plumbers licensed in Texas?
Yes. Plumbing work in Texas has to be done by or under plumbers licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. Ask for the license number on your job and check it on the TSBPE public license search.
What plumbing code do you follow in Houston?
The 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code as the City of Houston adopted it, with local amendments that took effect January 1, 2024. Outside the city limits we follow that city’s adopted code and permit rules.
Do you pull permits?
Yes, whenever the job needs one: water heater replacement, sewer line work, gas piping and major fixture installs are common examples. The permit is part of the written price.
Pricing and paperwork
Will I know the price before you start?
Yes. We diagnose first, then give you the options and the price in writing. Nothing starts until you approve it.
Can you help with an insurance claim?
We don’t handle your claim, but we give you what adjusters ask for: photos, test readings, a written scope and an invoice. For slab leaks, many Texas policies cover the water damage and the tear-out but not the failed pipe, so read your policy.
What should I have ready when I call?
Your address or ZIP code, what you’re seeing (water, sewage, no hot water, a smell), when it started, and whether you’ve shut off the water or gas.
Talk to a plumber
Talk to a Local Houston Plumber Today
Burst pipe, slab leak, backed-up sewer or no hot water? Call now for same-day service anywhere in Houston and nearby cities. We’ll tell you what it probably is, what it should cost and when we can be there.
Houston Plumbings
(832) 678-7978
Calls answered 24/7
Porter, Texas 77365
Serving Houston, TX and about 20 miles around
Same-day service; emergencies first
Texas-licensed plumbers (TSBPE)