Three tools for a stopped drain, and what each one reaches
Cabling means running a rotating steel line into the drain until it breaks the plug apart or hooks it. Jetting sends pressurized water along the pipe wall to strip off grease and scale. The camera removes nothing. It's the one tool of the three that shows a crack or a sagging section.
Ask what the quoted price includes: one tool or all three, and whether anyone looks inside the pipe before the job is called finished.
What drain cleaning costs in Texas: three estimates
The price follows the plug's location. One fixture drain runs $125 to $295 per job, one fixture drain, the main line $170 to $675 per job, main line, and the same main line after hours $255 to $1,175 per job, main line, evening or weekend. The model scales national ranges to Texas pay, adds no permit fee and leaves out repairing a broken pipe.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, one fixture drain, not a quote | $125 to $295 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 Texas plumber wage ratio (0.84). Four Texas 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 Texas company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Estimated range, main line or sewer clean-out, not a quote | $170 to $675 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 Texas plumber wage ratio (0.84). Four Texas 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 Texas company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Estimated range, main line or clean-out, evening or weekend call, not a quote | $255 to $1,175 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 Texas plumber wage ratio (0.84). Four Texas 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 Texas company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Plumber wage, Texas mean | $29.22 an hour | Average hourly wage paid to Texas plumbers, BLS May 2025. Companies bill a different rate. |
Estimated ranges, one row per scope. Built from national published ranges (7 sources in all, 2 to 5 per row), adjusted by Texas's plumber wage ratio to the US (0.84, BLS May 2025), plus the local permit fee where the city publishes one. Not a quote. Four Texas 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 23, 2026.
Another cleaning, or a pipe repair?
Ask for the camera footage, or a saved copy, before you pay for a second cleaning, because the footage shows whether the pipe itself has failed.
- The recording shows sound pipe and a plug of hair, grease or paper.
- One fixture drains slowly and the others don't.
- The recording shows a crack, an offset joint or a caved-in section.
- The same line stops up again soon after each cleaning.
- There's a soggy patch in the yard, or a sewage smell outside.
One slow drain, or every drain in the house?
One sink that crawls while the rest run points at that fixture's trap or its branch. A floor drain that gurgles when the washer empties, or the lowest tub filling from upstairs, points at the line every fixture shares.
A line that backs up again after each cleaning is the case for the camera. Footage of a crack, an offset joint or a collapsed section turns the job into sewer line repair.
Who may clear a drain in Texas
TSBPE sets two registrations for this work. A Drain Cleaner-Restricted registrant may clear obstructions in building drains and sewers through an existing code-approved opening, under the general supervision of a Responsible Master Plumber (RMP). A Drain Cleaner registrant, which takes 4,000 hours as a Drain Cleaner-Restricted, may also install cleanouts and remove and reset p-traps.
Any other plumbing on the drain needs a license holder's direct supervision. The RMP answers for supervising the work done under the company's contracts and for making sure everyone doing plumbing is licensed or registered, and TSBPE's public search finds that RMP by name, number, city or county.
Drain trouble that needs a call tonight
- Sewage is welling up in a floor drain, the tub or a toilet.
- Several fixtures back up at the same moment.
- The overflow is moving toward an outlet or the electrical panel.
- One sink or tub is slow while every other drain runs.
- A toilet that clears after a plunge or two.
Before you call a company
- Lift the stopper from a bathroom sink or tub and pull out the hair by hand.
- Cover the overflow hole with a wet rag, then work a cup plunger over the sink or tub; switch to a flange plunger for a toilet.
- Put a bucket below the sink trap, loosen the slip nuts and check the trap for the plug.
- Stop when a second fixture slows down, because the plug is then past what a plunger reaches.
Does clearing a drain need a permit in Texas?
Occupations Code 1301.551 has every city over 5,000 residents require a permit for plumbing other than repairing leaks and replacing lavatory or kitchen faucets, ballcocks or water control valves, garbage disposals, or water closets. Austin's own list of permit-exempt work names clearing stoppages. For any other city, its permit office answers.
Replacing a cut-out length of pipe is not among the jobs the statute names, and that work is priced on the sewer line repair page.
Before any work starts, ask for the license number of the company's Responsible Master Plumber and search it on TSBPE's public license search.
Questions people ask
How do I clear a slow bathroom sink myself?
Take out the stopper, clear the hair, and plunge with the overflow covered. Pull the stopper and the hair first, since they're the usual plug. Then plunge with the overflow blocked, and if the sink is still slow, unscrew the trap over a bucket. When a second fixture is slow too, stop and call a company.
How much is a main sewer line cleaning in Texas?
Our model puts it at $170 to $675 per job, main line, an estimate and not a quote. The main line comes to $170 to $675 per job, main line on the model, and $255 to $1,175 per job, main line, evening or weekend for an evening or weekend call. The figures start from national ranges and are scaled for Texas pay, so they're estimates, not quotes.
Can an apprentice clear my drain in Texas?
A Drain Cleaner-Restricted registrant can, under an RMP's general supervision. Under TSBPE's rules a Drain Cleaner-Restricted registrant may clear obstructions in building drains and sewers through an existing code-approved opening, under a Responsible Master Plumber's general supervision. Anything past that, such as cutting into the pipe, needs direct supervision by a license holder.
Do I need a city permit to have a drain cleared?
Austin exempts it by name; elsewhere, ask the city. The list in Occupations Code 1301.551 covers repairing leaks and replacing faucets, ballcocks, water control valves, garbage disposals and water closets. Austin's own exemption list names clearing stoppages, and the permit office of your city answers for your address.
How do I check a drain company's license?
Search the RMP's license number in TSBPE's public search. Ask for the license number of the company's Responsible Master Plumber and search it on TSBPE's public license search, which also searches by name, city or county. TSBPE answers questions at (512) 936-5200.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152), Texas, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152), United States, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- PlumberMatch: how we estimate costs, Texas (editorial policy) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TSBPE: Other Registrations Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TSBPE: Responsible Master Plumber Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TSBPE / HPC public license search; TSBPE Contact page Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TSBPE Plumbing License Law, plain-view PDF Sept 2025 Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Austin: Work exempt from building permits Read Oct 23, 2026.