A hand cable, a machine cable or a jetter: what each reaches
A hand or small machine cable clears a sink, tub or shower trap and the short branch behind it. A larger machine reaches the main line to the street, and a jetter uses pressurized water to scour the pipe wall.
A camera run before or after shows whether the stoppage was grease or roots or a broken section, and the footage tells you whether to price a sewer line repair.
Florida drain cleaning: estimates by scope
One fixture drain runs $70 to $275 per job, one fixture drain, a main line $155 to $620 per job, main line, and a main line after hours $235 to $1,075 per job, main line, evening or weekend. Each is scaled to Florida pay and is an estimate, not a quote. Only three Florida companies publish a price we could count for the one-fixture job, so that row is widened to take in their lowest and highest.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, one fixture drain, not a quote | $70 to $275 per job, one fixture drain | A sink, tub, shower or toilet drain cleared with a hand or machine cable. Built from 2 national published ranges, adjusted by the Florida plumber wage ratio (0.78), then widened to take in the lowest and highest of the three Florida company prices for this job ($70 to $100). Four Florida plumbing companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: small sample (3), national estimate joined with the company range. |
| Estimated range, main line or sewer clean-out, not a quote | $155 to $620 per job, main line | A blockage in the main line, cleared through the clean-out or a roof vent, during business hours. Built from 3 national published ranges, adjusted by the Florida plumber wage ratio (0.78). Four Florida plumbing companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: no state company sample (no counted Florida company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Estimated range, main line or clean-out, evening or weekend call, not a quote | $235 to $1,075 per job, main line, evening or weekend | The same main-line clog, but the plumber comes outside business hours; holiday rates are not in the row. Built from 3 national published ranges and 2 published after-hours factors, adjusted by the Florida plumber wage ratio (0.78). Four Florida plumbing companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: no state company sample (no counted Florida company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Plumber wage, Florida mean | $26.94 an hour | What the BLS reports as the mean hourly wage of a plumber in Florida (May 2025); a drain company bills its own rate. |
Estimated ranges, one row per scope. Built from national published ranges (7 sources in all, 2 to 5 per row), adjusted by Florida's plumber wage ratio to the US (0.78, BLS May 2025), plus the local permit fee where the city publishes one. Not a quote. Four Florida plumbing companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Full method. Prices as of Oct 24, 2026.
Clear it again, or look at the pipe?
A first stoppage is a cleaning. The same stoppage inside a year is a reason to see the pipe on camera before paying for another cleaning.
- The clog came from grease or paper and the camera shows clean pipe after.
- The stoppage is in one fixture's branch line.
- The camera shows a crack, a belly or a gap in the pipe.
- Roots return within months of a cleaning.
- The blockage is in the line past the house cleanout.
A clog or a pipe problem: how to tell
One fixture draining slowly while the rest run normally is a local clog. Gurgling in the lowest drain when an upstairs fixture drains, or water in the shower when the washer runs, points to the shared line.
A stoppage that returns within weeks of a cleaning is the signal to ask for a camera inspection instead of a third cable run.
What Florida says about who may clear a drain
Section 489.105(3)(m) says a plumbing contractor may perform drain cleaning and clearing, and that a mandatory licensing requirement is not established for those specific services. A company that does broader plumbing work still needs a DBPR certificate or registration to contract for it.
Before the cable goes in, ask what happens if it finds a broken pipe, because a repair is priced and permitted as its own job.
Backups that need a call today
- Sewage rises in the lowest tub or floor drain and a plunger does nothing.
- Every drain gurgles when one fixture is used.
- Water backs up toward a bedroom or onto a finished floor.
- One sink draining slowly while the rest of the house is normal.
- A shower that holds an inch of water and then goes down.
Before you call
- Check whether the problem is one fixture or all of them, since the answer sets the price.
- Plunge a sink or tub with the overflow covered, a few times and no more.
- Skip chemical drain openers, which the cable operator will have to work around.
- Find the cleanout, a capped pipe outside near the house, so the company can reach the main line.
Is a permit needed to clear a drain in Florida?
The permit for plumbing work comes from your city or county (553.79), and the department decides whether clearing a drain needs one. Jacksonville's fee schedule leaves unstopping fixtures out of its $11.00-per-$100 repair charge, and the schedule doesn't say whether clearing a drain needs a permit, so ask the Building Inspection Division at 904-255-8500.
A cleaning that turns up a broken pipe becomes a repair. Ask the department before work moves from clearing to replacing.
Before any work starts, ask for the company's plumbing contractor license number and search it on DBPR's license search.
Questions people ask
Does a drain cleaner need a license in Florida?
The statute sets no mandatory license for drain cleaning alone. Section 489.105(3)(m) lets a plumbing contractor clear drains but doesn't establish a mandatory licensing requirement for that service. Other plumbing work does require a DBPR certificate or registration.
What does drain cleaning cost in Florida?
$70 to $275 per job, one fixture drain for one fixture, as a model figure. A main line is $155 to $620 per job, main line on our model. Treat both as planning figures, since neither is a quote.
Does clearing a drain need a permit?
Your city or county decides. Section 553.79 leaves permits to the local building department, so the answer comes from the office for your address.
How do I check the company?
Search its name on the DBPR portal. Type its name or license number into the DBPR search at myfloridalicense.com and read the license type it holds.
What if the camera shows a broken pipe?
The job becomes a repair, with its own price and permit. The sewer line repair page has the estimate, and the building department says whether the repair needs a permit.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152), Florida, mean hourly wage Read Oct 24, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152), United States, mean hourly wage Read Oct 24, 2026.
- PlumberMatch: how we estimate costs, Florida (editorial policy) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Fla. Stat. 489.105(3)(m) and 489.103(15) (2025) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- DBPR Licensing Portal: License Search Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Fla. Stat. 489.127 (2025), Prohibitions; penalties Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Fla. Stat. 553.79 (2025), Permits; applications; issuance; inspections Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Jacksonville.gov: City Fees (Sec. 320.409) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Jacksonville.gov: Building Inspection Division Read Oct 24, 2026.