What repiping replaces
A repipe replaces the water supply lines inside the house, from where water enters to each fixture. Replacing one failing run is a smaller job.
Ask each company to write down which fixtures and how many walls its price covers, because the size of the job is what moves the figure.
What repiping costs in Texas: a wide band
A whole-house repipe lands at $1,325 to $12,700 whole house on our model, with a typical Texas plumbing permit of $65 counted in. The band is wide because the national sources disagree widely. Behind the figure sit 2 national published ranges scaled to Texas pay, so it's an estimate, not a quote.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $1,325 to $12,700 whole house | Built from 2 national published ranges, adjusted by the Texas plumber wage ratio (0.84) plus a typical permit fee ($65). 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 | Texas plumber pay, BLS mean for May 2025; invoices use their own rates. |
| Plumbing permit, Texas typical fee | $65 | Midpoint of the plumbing permit fees Texas cities publish. What you pay is set by your city's schedule. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (2 sources), 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. We have no counted Texas company price for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 23, 2026.
Replace one run, or the whole house?
Leaks that keep turning up in different places argue for pricing a full repipe, while one failure in an otherwise sound line is a repair. Get both numbers from the same company so you can compare them.
- One run has failed and the pipe elsewhere is sound.
- The company can show you the failed section.
- Leaks keep appearing at new spots after each repair.
- The same company finds the failing pipe in more than one room.
The service line outside and the pipes inside
In Fort Worth the utility owns the line from the main to the meter, and the owner owns the line from the meter to the building inlet. Fort Worth reports that none of its service lines is classified as lead or unknown.
El Paso Water reports no lead service lines identified, with more than 100,000 meters assessed and 192 galvanized lines flagged for replacement. Its Service Line Map is at epwater.org. Waco says it has removed all known lead service lines and offers a searchable database of line materials. Amarillo began a second round of field investigations in January 2026 under the EPA Lead and Copper Rule.
Who may repipe a Texas house
TSBPE license holders do the work. A Journeyman works under a Responsible Master Plumber, and so does a Tradesman Plumber-Limited on one- and two-family homes. The RMP carries at least $300,000 of commercial liability insurance and is responsible for obtaining the permit and requesting the inspections.
An owner may do the plumbing in their own homestead without a license (Occupations Code 1301.051). San Antonio issues an owner a plumbing permit for an existing home only if it's the homestead and the owner does the work, and Laredo treats a homeowner who pulls a permit as the contractor.
Pipe failures that need a call today
- A pipe has let go and water keeps reaching it after the main valve is closed.
- Water is showing at more than one place in the walls or ceiling at once.
- A pinhole drip that stops when its own run is shut off.
- A whole-house repipe you're pricing while the plumbing still works.
Before you ask for repipe quotes
- Mark on a floor plan where leaks have shown up, and whether they fall in one run or several.
- Find out whether your utility publishes service line materials. El Paso has a map and Waco a searchable database.
- Ask for written quotes with the same scope: pipe material, fixtures covered and who patches the walls.
- Ask whether each price includes the permit and the inspections.
Permit for a repipe
Replacing pipe isn't on the state's list of work left out of a city's permit requirement, so a city over 5,000 residents permits a repipe. Houston's minimum plumbing permit is $97.56 on its schedule dated January 1, 2026, and Corpus Christi's minimum is $146.41 on a schedule that runs to September 30, 2026. San Antonio lists a $57.50 base fee and $8.05 for each fixture.
Irving's schedule lists $65 for a single-trade permit covering water, sewer and gas service line replacements, water heaters and similar work, on a page that marks some fees as updated in 2026. Check that the $65 is current.
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
Is a permit required to repipe a Texas house?
Yes: a repipe isn't among the state's permit-free jobs. A repipe isn't one of the jobs Occupations Code 1301.551 leaves out of a city's permit requirement, so a city over 5,000 residents requires one. The city sets the fee, and the Responsible Master Plumber obtains the permit.
How much does repiping cost in Texas?
$1,325 to $12,700 whole house, a wide estimate and not a quote. The model's figure is $1,325 to $12,700 whole house, permit fee in it. The national sources it starts from disagree widely, so set written quotes for the same scope against the band.
Are there lead service lines in Texas cities?
Reports differ by city: Fort Worth lists none, El Paso none identified. Fort Worth classifies none of its service lines as lead or unknown. El Paso Water reports none identified and 192 galvanized lines needing replacement, and Waco says it has removed all known lead lines. Amarillo started a second round of field checks for lead lines in January 2026.
Who owns the service line, the city or me?
In Fort Worth, the owner owns it from the meter to the building. Fort Worth Water owns the line from the main to the meter. Elsewhere, your water utility can tell you where its part ends.
Can a Texas homeowner repipe the house without a license?
In your own homestead, yes, with the city's permit rules still applying. Occupations Code 1301.051 exempts a property owner from the license requirement for plumbing in their homestead. Houston sells a homeowner's permit, San Antonio requires an affidavit that you'll do the work yourself, and Laredo treats you as the contractor.
- 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.
- Fort Worth Water: Service line inventory Read Oct 23, 2026.
- El Paso Water 2025 Water Quality Report (CCR) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Waco: Water Quality Report 2025 Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Amarillo 2025 Water Quality Report (CCR) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TSBPE: Journeyman Plumber Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TSBPE: Responsible Master Plumber Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TSBPE Plumbing License Law, plain-view PDF Sept 2025 Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of San Antonio DSD: Residential Permits Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of San Antonio DSD Current Fee Schedule (FY 2027) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Laredo: Permit Applications and Requirements Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Houston Fee Schedule (Finance Dept) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Houston Permitting Center: Plumbing Inspections Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Corpus Christi FY 2026 Development Fee Schedule Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Irving: Rates and Fees Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TSBPE: Tradesman Plumber-Limited Read Oct 23, 2026.