How to start a plumbing business

Get licensed and certified

Most states license plumbers at journeyman and master levels through documented experience hours and an exam. Reciprocity is limited — fewer states recognize out-of-state plumbing licenses than electrical ones — and a few states license only at the local level.

Register your business and get insured

Register as an LLC or sole proprietorship, get an EIN, and open a business bank account to keep finances clean. General liability is required for licensing in most states; add a bond where required and workers' comp once you hire.

Buy your core equipment

Plan on $5,000–$15,000 to start. A stocked work van is the biggest line item, plus tools, drain machines, licensing, and insurance. Inventory (fittings, fixtures) adds up fast.

Set your prices

Emergency and service calls are usually billed hourly or as a flat trip-plus-diagnosis fee; repipes and water-heater swaps are quoted by the job. Plumbers earn a national median of about $63,800 a year — the highest of the major trades — and self-employed plumbers who win emergency and repipe work can earn well above that.

Get your first customers

Win on response time: answer (or auto-text-back) every call, claim your Google Business Profile, and build referrals with property managers and remodelers. Emergency calls are the fastest way to fill early weeks.

Set up the system to run it

Use one tool to schedule jobs, send estimates and invoices, take payment, and follow up automatically — so admin doesn't eat your evenings. JobStack is the AI-powered CRM built for plumbers.