How to Verify a Texas Plumber License Before You Hire in San Antonio

Before a plumber opens a wall, cuts into a slab or touches a gas line in your San Antonio home, take five minutes to run a Texas plumber license lookup on the company. Texas plumber license verification is free and runs on the state board's own database. It answers the questions that matter most: Is the license current? Is insurance on file? Has the board taken any disciplinary action?

This guide walks through the lookup step by step, explains what the license letters mean, and covers the San Antonio permit questions to ask before you sign. It is the same check we invite customers to run on us.

Start with the Responsible Master Plumber's name and number

In Texas, the license that lets a company contract plumbing work with the public belongs to a person, the Responsible Master Plumber, or RMP. The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners says a company offering plumbing services to the public must secure at least one Responsible Master Plumber and keep a current certificate of insurance on file with the board.

So the first question for any plumbing company is simple: who is your Responsible Master Plumber, and what is the license number? TSBPE's consumer guidance says the RMP's license number should be displayed in all advertisements. If a company can't or won't give you that number, treat it as a reason to keep looking.

How to run a Texas plumber license lookup

TSBPE's Public License Search instructions boil down to a few steps:

1. Open the search from the "Find a license/registration" link at the top of tsbpe.texas.gov.
2. Pick a search type. TSBPE recommends searching by license number when you have it; searching by name also works.
3. Choose "Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners" as the board and "Plumbing - Licensed or Registered" as the license type.
4. Enter the number only. TSBPE's example: "99999" works, but "M99999" or "99999M" will not.
5. On the results screen, click the plumber's name. Several names can appear for one number, because some numbers are duplicated across license types.
6. Read the license page, then take a screenshot or print it for your records.

TSBPE notes that this page syncs in real time with the database its own staff uses, so what you see is what the board sees. If the search is down, the board's free licensee lists, updated daily, include a Responsible Master Plumber list you can download.

What the license record tells you

The license page shows more than a yes-or-no answer. Here is what TSBPE lists and what to look for:

TSBPE says that if a field is empty, the board has no record on file for that category. It also states that activities allowed by a license or registration type shall not be performed with an expired license or registration.

Read the license letter correctly

Texas issues several plumbing license and registration types. TSBPE's lists include Master Plumbers, Journeyman Plumbers, Tradesman Plumber-Limited licensees, Plumber's Apprentice registrations and Plumbing Inspectors.

The letter on a number tells you which kind you are looking at. According to TSBPE, Master Plumber license numbers begin with M, and numbers that begin with A, T, J or any other letter are not Master Plumber numbers. You may also see a company list its credential as RMP followed by a number, as we do. RMP stands for Responsible Master Plumber, the master plumber the company operates under, and you search the digits. A crew member's journeyman or apprentice credential is useful to verify too, but it does not replace the company's Responsible Master Plumber.

Check the company and the crew

The person who knocks on your door may not be the Responsible Master Plumber, and that is normal. What matters is that the company contracting the job has an RMP with insurance on file, and that the people doing the work hold the license or registration for it.

Ask who will be on site and what credential each person holds. You can look those names up the same way. TSBPE also suggests calling its enforcement department to ask whether valid complaints have been filed against a license, and checking references from past customers yourself.

Confirm San Antonio permit and inspection needs

A valid state license is only half of the check. TSBPE recommends asking your local plumbing inspection department whether complaints have been filed locally, whether the company meets the requirements to do business in your city and whether the job needs a permit and inspection.

Inside city limits, the City of San Antonio's residential permits page says a building permit is typically required when you build, remodel, repair or demolish, with exceptions on its No Permit Required List. A single project may need several permits, such as building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing. The City's residential projects page adds that most construction projects in San Antonio require a licensed contractor registered with the City, and its Contractor Connect tool lets you search registered contractors by type of work.

Homes outside San Antonio city limits go through a different city or county process, and a San Antonio mailing address does not always mean City of San Antonio jurisdiction. Ask the plumber who will pull the permit, and confirm the inspection is scheduled before the work is covered up.

Get the scope and price in writing

TSBPE does not regulate what plumbers charge. Its guidance is to get several estimates, keep warranties and estimates in writing, and make sure each estimate is detailed enough to show exactly what work will be performed and how the company expects to be paid, whether it is a single price for the whole job or an hourly rate.

The board also says the written estimate and invoice should include the Responsible Master Plumber's license number and TSBPE's name, address and phone number. If those are missing, ask for a corrected copy before you approve the work.

Questions to ask before you approve plumbing work

• Who is your Responsible Master Plumber, and what is the license number?
• Is a certificate of insurance on file with TSBPE right now?
• Who will do the work, and what license or registration does each person hold?
• Does this job need a permit, who will pull it and when will it be inspected?
• What exactly is included, and what would change the price?
• What warranty applies, and is it written into the estimate?
• If walls, ceilings or floors are opened, who repairs them, and is that in the scope?

That last question matters more than people expect. Plumbing repairs often leave openings in finished surfaces, and our guide to drywall repair after plumbing or electrical work explains what a proper patch involves.

When plumbing work crosses into other trades

Many San Antonio plumbing jobs touch more than plumbing. A water heater swap may involve a gas connection or an electrical circuit. A repipe opens walls. A slab leak can mean flooring and drywall repairs afterward. Each part should be covered by the right credential.

Gas piping falls under plumbing, and CSW performs gas line services under RMP #46592. Electrical work is licensed separately: the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation says anyone who performs or offers to perform non-exempt electrical work in Texas must be licensed and perform that work through a licensed electrical contractor. You can check an electrical contractor on TDLR's license search.

How to verify C.S.W. Power Solutions

We publish our credentials so you can check them yourself. C.S.W. Power Solutions is a veteran-owned general contractor with in-house licensed electrical (TECL #31793) and plumbing (RMP #46592). To look up our plumbing license, search 46592 on the TSBPE Public License Search. To look up our electrical contractor license, search 31793 on TDLR's license search. Our licenses and certifications page lists every credential and which work it covers.

Plumbing work is performed by our in-house crew, and estimates are free, written and itemized. Visit our plumbing services page to see the work we handle, from leak detection to water heaters and sewer lines.