Plumbing Contractor Insurance in Texas

The proof goes on TSBPE’s own Certificate of Insurance. Its instructions say “ACORD forms are not accepted,” and that the only valid certificate is the one with the TSBPE seal. An agent signs it, stating that the policy meets the minimums. When you buy, ask whether the agent will complete that form.

Two moments to watch:

• Renewal. The certificate expires when the policy does, and the RMP must furnish a current one on or before that date. The board’s how-to says a new certificate should not be uploaded until within 3 to 5 days of the old one’s expiration. If the portal details do not match the form, it will not be processed.
• Changing companies. The RMP has 10 business days to notify the board. The board’s form says to have your agent submit a new certificate effective on the date of the change. It also warns that giving notice does not end your liability for complaints about earlier incidents.

Sources: TSBPE Certificate of Insurance form, revised August 2025; TSBPE Change of Company form; 22 TAC §§ 367.5(a), 367.6, TSBPE Administrative Rules, March 2026. Verified 30 October 2026.

The state figure is a floor. Others set their own terms.

Houston. Texas master plumbers must register their license with the City to obtain permits. The City’s page lists proof of insurance, with no dollar figure. Registration lasts one year. A plumbing contractor must also register anywhere else that requires it.

Sources: Houston Permitting Center — Master Plumber Registration; Tex. Occ. Code § 1301.551(h). Verified 30 October 2026.

San Antonio Water System. For connections to water, reuse or wastewater infrastructure, SAWS’s specification, reviewed in November 2023, sets these minimums:

SAWS insurance minimums Reviewed 11/3/2023

What SAWS asks of a contractor or plumber connecting to its system

Coverage	SAWS minimum
General liability	$1,000,000 occurrence, $2,000,000 general aggregate
Products/completed operations	$1,000,000 aggregate
Personal and advertising injury	$1,000,000
Contractual liability	$1,000,000
Auto liability	$1,000,000 per occurrence, combined
Employers’ liability	$1,000,000 / $1,000,000 / $1,000,000
Umbrella	$2,000,000

It also asks for workers’ compensation that meets the statutory requirements, SAWS and the City as additional insureds, a waiver of subrogation, and no exclusions for blasting, explosion, collapse or underground damage where applicable. Limits may be met by combining basic and umbrella limits. SAWS’s instructions refer to the ACORD form, while the board refuses it, so a company doing both kinds of work should expect to handle two separate certificates. This applies to SAWS connection permits, not to all San Antonio plumbing.

Sources: SAWS Contractor / Plumber Insurance Registration, reviewed 11/3/2023; SAWS Contractors / Plumbers Insurance Registry. Verified 30 October 2026.

General contractors, property managers and HOAs. We did not find a Texas general contractor, property manager or HOA publishing its own figure. If one of them asks you for a limit, that number comes from their contract, not from the state. For additional insured wording and certificates, see contractors general liability insurance.

Your customer. On written request, the RMP or company owner must give a customer the carrier’s name and the agent’s name, address and phone within 30 days. That includes a customer whose job came through a home warranty company or general contractor. The board also tells the public to check a master plumber’s license and certificate through its license search.

Sources: 22 TAC § 367.6(c), TSBPE Administrative Rules, March 2026; TSBPE consumer information. Verified 30 October 2026.

This page does not say any policy contains a given exclusion. Policy wording decides that. These questions come from an August 2026 Contractor Magazine article by the COO of an insurance brokerage, whose firm sells this insurance. He advises asking which restrictions come closest to the work you actually do:

• Is there a water-damage limitation?
• Is excavation below a stated depth removed?
• Does hot work carry conditions, such as a permit or fire watch?
• Are mold, pollution or gas work restricted?
• Are tract housing, condominiums, apartments or healthcare occupancies restricted?
• Are subcontractors’ work or subcontracted jobs restricted?

He also suggests a concrete test: a connection fails six months after the invoice is paid and damages two occupied floors. What does the policy address, and which endorsements could change the answer? Ask too what the completed-operations limit is.

One more comes from the Texas rule. If you do LP gas, medical gas or sprinkler work, ask whether the policy includes it, because the rule says the insurance must.

Sources: Corentin Hugot, “Five Insurance Questions to Ask Before the Next Leak,” Contractor Magazine, Aug. 27, 2026; 22 TAC § 367.6(a)(2), TSBPE Administrative Rules, March 2026. Verified 30 October 2026.

Plumbing contractor insurance questions

Do plumbers need insurance in Texas?

A master plumber acting as RMP does. The law requires a certificate showing at least $300,000 of commercial general liability for all claims arising in a one-year period, and a company offering plumbing must have an RMP. We found no text putting that certificate on a journeyman or tradesman working under an RMP. Other policies depend on your contracts and your business.

Is the $300,000 per job?

No figure per job appears in the statute. It says “not less than $300,000 for all claims arising in a one-year period.” The form uses nearly the same words. Your policy’s own limits are a separate matter, so read those.

I’m a journeyman doing side jobs. Do I need my own policy?

Start with the license question, because it comes first. The rule lets a journeyman work under the supervision of an RMP, and only on contracts secured by an RMP or someone who has secured one. It also lists a $5,000 penalty guideline for contracting or offering plumbing without securing an RMP. The law has exemptions and a written subcontract route, so read those or ask the board about your situation.

My agent sent an ACORD. Why did the board reject it?

Because the board does not accept ACORD forms. Its form’s instructions say the only valid certificate is the TSBPE one with the seal. The agent has to complete and sign that form.

If I have an LLC, do I still need this?

Yes, if you are acting as RMP or your company offers plumbing. The rules we read attach to the RMP and to any “person or company” offering plumbing, and we saw no LLC exception in them. What an LLC does for your own liability is a question for your attorney.

What limit should I carry?

At least what the rule and your contracts require, and above that it is your judgment. The state floor is $300,000 across a year, and SAWS, for its connection permits, publishes $1,000,000 occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate. Compare the value of the properties you work in and any contract clause against the limits you are quoted, and ask what each option leaves out.

How much does plumbing contractor insurance cost?

This page gives no price, because the price follows the operation. A quote depends on what the application says you do, such as service or new construction, residential or commercial, excavation, gas and subcontracting. Published figures come from vendors and vary widely. Compare limits, classifications and endorsements as well as the premium.

My premium jumped at renewal, or my carrier is dropping me. What now?

Watch the date first, because the certificate on file with the board expires when the policy does. Ask your agent why the premium changed, and what the carrier understood your work to be. Then have any replacement policy in place, and the new certificate signed, before the old one ends. This page cannot tell you why a given carrier acted as it did.