Look the plumber up on the website of the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, tsbpe.texas.gov, by name or license number, and confirm the license is active and is the right type. For an Austin repipe, the license that matters most is the Responsible Master Plumber who pulls the permit. Grackle Repiping Austin manages repipes done by licensed and insured plumbing contractors, with every Austin permit pulled by a City-registered Responsible Master Plumber whose license you can check the same way.
The Texas plumbing license types
The TSBPE issues several license levels. They are not interchangeable, and the one that matters depends on the question you are asking.
| License | What it means for a repipe |
|---|---|
| Responsible Master Plumber | A master plumber who answers for a plumbing business’s work. In Austin, this is the license that can pull a plumbing permit, once the plumber is registered with the City |
| Master Plumber | The top skill level; a master who is not acting as a Responsible Master Plumber does not pull Austin permits on that basis |
| Journeyman Plumber | A licensed plumber who installs and repairs plumbing |
| Tradesman Plumber-Limited | A licensed plumber with a narrower scope than a journeyman |
| Plumbing Inspector | The license held by people who inspect plumbing for a city |
| Apprentice (registration) | A registered learner who works under licensed plumbers |
On a typical repipe, several of these people may be on site. What you check is the license behind the permit and, if you like, the licenses of the people doing the work.
How to look up a license
- Get the name and license number in writing. Ask whoever you are hiring for the Responsible Master Plumber who will pull your permit. A legitimate estimate can name that person.
- Search the board’s site. Go to tsbpe.texas.gov and use its license search by name or number.
- Read the result. Confirm the license type, that it is active rather than expired, and that the name matches what you were told.
- Match it to the permit. In Austin, the permit names the plumber who pulled it, and the City publishes issued permits as open data. The name on the permit should be the license you checked.
If the name on the estimate and the name on the permit differ, ask why before work starts. The Austin repipe permit guide explains when the permit is issued and inspected.
Why Austin adds a City registration
Austin’s plumbing code, the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code with local amendments effective July 10, 2025, adds a local layer on top of the state license. Amendment 104.1.1 lets a Responsible Master Plumber licensed by Texas and registered with the City obtain a plumbing permit, and amendment 104.1.3 requires licensed plumbers to register with the City. A state license alone is not enough to pull an Austin permit; the City registration has to be in place too. The City publishes its codes on its building technical codes page.
The suburbs run their own offices. Round Rock, for example, requires contractors to register and uses a one-permit system that lists every contractor on the job. The Round Rock page covers the details.
Want the permit details before you decide?
An estimate lists the permit, the pressure test and the patch scope as separate lines, so you can check each one.
What a license does and does not tell you
A license shows that a person passed the board’s requirements and is allowed to do plumbing at that level in Texas. It does not tell you what the job will cost, how long it will take, or what is included. For a repipe, those live in the estimate, and the lines worth checking are:
- the pipe material and layout, such as PEX in a manifold or trunk-and-branch layout, or copper
- which fixtures and connections are included, and whether old pipe is removed or capped
- the permit, the pressure test and the City inspection
- a pressure regulator and expansion tank, where static pressure tops 65 psi
- every wall and ceiling opening, and whether patching includes texture and paint
The Austin repipe cost guide shows how those lines add up, and the repipe timeline guide shows when each happens.
The state code where no city code applies
The board also adopts plumbing codes for Texas. Where a city has adopted its own code with amendments, as Austin has, the city code governs. In an unincorporated area, or anywhere no code has been adopted, plumbing must follow a code adopted by the board. If your house sits outside city limits, which code and which permit office apply is confirmed per address before the work is scheduled.
A short checklist before you sign
- The Responsible Master Plumber’s name and license number, checked on the TSBPE site
- For Austin, confirmation that the permit will be pulled before work starts
- A written scope that says whole-house or partial, so retained pipe is not a surprise
- The inspection happening before any wall is closed
