A directory ranking tells you who paid to be listed. The state tells you who is licensed, whether the licence is current, and whether anyone has been disciplined on it.
Search for a plumber in Leander or anywhere else in Central Texas and what comes back is directories, and a directory ranking tells you who is listed there. Texas publishes the thing that actually decides whether someone should be touching your plumbing: the licence, whether it is current, and whether anyone has been disciplined on it. It is free, it takes a minute, and almost nobody does it.
The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners runs a Public License Search, and that is the one to use. You can search by name or by licence number, and if you are searching by number, enter the number only, without the rank letter.
What comes back is more than a yes or no. The licence page shows the licence type and status along with fingerprint status, completed training courses and renewal status. TSBPE notes that the search is synced in real time with the same database its own staff use, so what you are reading is what the regulator sees, and it tells you to print or screenshot the licence page for your records.
If you do not have a name yet, the board's search by location lets you enter a city or zip code and see licensed plumbers in that area, click through to a licence, and review the disciplinary history of any licensee. The board also publishes a Free Licensee List alongside its Find-a-Plumber tool.
There is a faster check that costs nothing and almost nobody knows about. TSBPE requires a Responsible Master Plumber to ensure that all service vehicles display the company name and the RMP's licence number.
That means the number should already be on the vehicle in your driveway. Read it, type it into the Public License Search, and you have verified the company before anyone has opened a toolbox. A service vehicle with no company name and no licence number on it is worth a question.
The ranks are not marketing. Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1301 defines them, and they describe who may do what and under whose supervision.
| Licence or registration | What Chapter 1301 says about it |
|---|---|
| Responsible Master Plumber | A master plumber who lets the licence be used by one plumbing company, is authorized to obtain permits, assumes responsibility for work performed under the licence, and has filed a certificate of insurance |
| Journeyman Plumber | Has completed at least 4,000 hours working under the supervision of a master plumber as a plumber's apprentice, and has passed the required examination |
| Tradesman Plumber-Limited | Constructs and installs plumbing for one-family or two-family dwellings under the supervision of a responsible master plumber |
| Water Supply Protection Specialist | An endorsement issued by the board, held in addition to a licence |
The practical point sits in that last column. A tradesman plumber-limited licence holder works on houses under a responsible master plumber's supervision, so the question is not only who is standing in your kitchen but whose licence the work is being done under.
The Responsible Master Plumber is the licence the company itself runs on, and the obligations attached to it are the reason it matters to you.
An RMP must already be licensed as a Master Plumber in Texas and be in good standing with the board, and must have submitted proof of a minimum of $300,000 of commercial liability insurance. The designation makes that plumber responsible for the general supervision and management of plumbing work performed under contracts secured under the licence, whether the people doing the work are employees or subcontractors.
That responsibility is specific. It includes obtaining all necessary permits and requesting all inspections required by the applicable plumbing or building codes. It includes ensuring that everyone performing plumbing work holds a current licence or registration. And it includes ensuring a licensee is present providing direct supervision at any job site where a registrant is working.
An RMP may act as the RMP of record for only one company at a time, and a person who holds a Plumbing Inspector License may not hold the RMP designation at all. If a company cannot tell you whose licence it operates under, that is the answer to your question.
Pulling permits is not paperwork the plumber does you a favour by skipping. It is one of the duties the RMP designation carries, and the local code gives it teeth.
Cedar Park has adopted the 2021 International Plumbing Code as the plumbing code for the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction, and under that ordinance a person who installs, alters or repairs plumbing in violation of the approved construction documents, the code official's directive, or a permit issued under the code is guilty of a class C misdemeanor offence, with each day a violation continues after due notice treated as a separate offence. Leander adopted the 2021 series of International Codes with local amendments by Ordinance No. 25-034-00.
So a quote that is cheaper because no permit is being pulled is not a saving. It is work with no inspection behind it, on a system you will still own when you sell the house.
Two limits are worth knowing before you assume a licence settles everything. TSBPE states that it does not regulate the pricing of plumbing services, which is why hourly rates and pricing strategies differ between companies. What it does require is that plumbers and plumbing companies provide accurate portrayals of their prices and services.
The board also recommends obtaining bids for plumbing projects, while acknowledging that an emergency may not leave room for that. Both of those are worth remembering when you are comparing a planned job against a burst pipe at ten at night.
Four questions, all answerable in a sentence by anyone operating properly. Whose licence is this work being done under, and what is the number. Is a permit required for this job, and are you pulling it. Who will actually be on site, and are they licensed or registered. And what is the scope in writing, so the accurate portrayal of services the board requires is something you are holding.
Vaquero Plumbing works under licence RMP 15304 and is family-owned, with its work backed by a two-year warranty. You are welcome to run that number through the board's Public License Search before you call us, which is the point of this page. We serve Leander, Liberty Hill, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Georgetown and Austin across our full range of plumbing services, and the questions above are ones we would rather you asked. The office is open Monday to Friday 8:00 to 5:30 and Saturday by appointment, the number is 512-893-8705, and anything that cannot wait goes through our emergency page.
Use the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners Public License Search, which is free. You can search by name or by licence number, and when searching by number you enter the number only, without the rank letter. The result page shows the licence type and status along with fingerprint status, completed training courses and renewal status. TSBPE notes that the search is synced in real time with the same database its own staff use, and that you can print or screenshot the licence page for your records.
Responsible Master Plumber. Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1301 defines it as a master plumber who allows the licence to be used by one plumbing company, is authorized to obtain permits for plumbing work, assumes responsibility for the plumbing work performed under that licence, and has submitted a certificate of insurance. The TSBPE requires proof of a minimum of $300,000 of commercial liability insurance before it will grant the designation, and an RMP may act as the RMP of record for only one company at a time.
Yes, and it is the fastest check there is. The TSBPE requires a Responsible Master Plumber to ensure that all service vehicles display the company name and the RMP's licence number. So the number is supposed to be on the vehicle, which means you can read it off the van and run it through the Public License Search while the plumber is still walking up.
No. TSBPE states plainly that it does not regulate the pricing of plumbing services, which is why hourly rates and pricing strategies differ between companies. What it does require is that all plumbers and plumbing companies provide accurate portrayals of their prices and services. TSBPE also recommends obtaining bids for plumbing projects, while acknowledging that an emergency may require immediate action.
Vaquero Plumbing works under licence RMP 15304 and is family-owned, serving Leander, Liberty Hill, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Georgetown and Austin. You are welcome to run that number through the TSBPE Public License Search before you call. The office is open Monday to Friday 8:00 to 5:30 and Saturday by appointment, and the number is 512-893-8705.
From leaks and clogs to water heaters and repipes, our family-owned crew is ready with same-day service and honest pricing.