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- Mesquite Chamber of Commerce Member
- 30+ Years Experience
Why a Licensed Master Plumber Matters in Texas
Texas regulates plumbing under the Plumbing License Law, Chapter 1301 of the Texas Occupations Code. Most plumbing work performed for someone else requires a state license. The law also contains a short list of exemptions, and those exemptions are narrower than most homeowners assume.
This page explains what the law actually requires, which exemptions exist, and how to check a plumber’s license yourself before anyone touches your pipes.
James Armstrong is a Texas Master Plumber, License M-39428, with a gas endorsement. James Armstrong Plumbing has operated since 1995 and has been BBB A+ accredited since 2018.
Licensed Master Plumber
License #M39428
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Our Services
Comprehensive Plumbing Solutions for Homes & Businesses
Most Requested 
Plumbing Repairs and Installation
Get fast help from a trusted plumber in the DFW for leaks, fixture installs, and upgrades. We restore your plumbing with smooth, reliable work.
Water Heater Services
From quick fixes to full replacements, our water heater services in Dallas-Fort Worth, keep your hot water steady. We work on all standard and tankless models.
Most Requested 
Drain Cleaning Services
Stubborn clogs disappear with our drain-cleaning solutions in Texas. We clear the buildup fully so your drains flow the way they should.
Sewer Line Plumbing
Our team handles sewer line plumbing in the DFW , with careful inspection and precise repairs. We keep wastewater moving safely away from your home.
Gas Line Plumbing
Safe and reliable gas line plumbing in the DFW, is just a call away. Whether it’s a leak, repair, or new line, we follow strict safety standards.
Emergency Service
Emergency Service — Available 24/7
Burst pipe? Major leak? Don’t wait. Our emergency team serves the entire DFW area around the clock.
Technician available now
Why Choose Us
The Three License Levels in Texas
Texas issues plumbing licenses at three main levels, in order of experience required.
Tradesman Plumber-Limited
The entry license. Works under the supervision of a Responsible Master Plumber, generally limited to one-family and two-family homes.
Journeyman Plumber
A licensed plumber who has passed the journeyman exam and works under a Responsible Master Plumber. No supervision restriction to residential work.
Master Plumber
The top license. A Master Plumber has held a journeyman license, met the additional experience requirement, and passed the master exam. Only a Master Plumber can serve as a Responsible Master Plumber, the person legally accountable for the plumbing work a company performs.
That last point is the one that matters most to a homeowner. A company does not hold a plumbing license. A person does. Every plumbing company operating legally in Texas has a Responsible Master Plumber standing behind its work, and that individual is the one the state holds accountable.
At James Armstrong Plumbing, that person is James Armstrong.
The Exemptions That Actually Exist
Chapter 1301 contains a subchapter of exemptions. Here is what they cover, in plain terms.
You can work on your own home
Section 1301.051 says a property owner is not required to be licensed to perform plumbing in the owner’s own homestead. This is real and it is broad. If you want to replace your own faucet, the state does not require you to hold a license. Local permit requirements may still apply, and doing your own gas work carries risk that a faucet does not.
Certain rural and unplatted properties
Section 1301.052 exempts some properties outside municipalities, properties not connected to a public water system, and properties on land not required to be platted. Two limits matter. First, the exemption does not cover plumbing performed in conjunction with new construction, repair, or remodeling, which is most of what a homeowner would actually hire out. Second, the small-municipality exemption in that section is narrow. It applies only inside a municipality with fewer than 5,000 residents that is also inside a county with fewer than 50,000 residents, and only where the city has passed an ordinance affirmatively allowing unlicensed persons to perform plumbing.
That combination does not exist anywhere in the Dallas-Fort Worth area we serve. Dallas, Collin, Rockwall, Kaufman, and Ellis counties all have populations far above 50,000, so the small-town exemption cannot apply regardless of how small an individual city is.
Service lines away from the building
Section 1301.059, added in 2023, exempts certain work on water, sewer, and storm drainage service mains and service lines on private property, in the area running from the public right-of-way to no closer than five feet from a building. Subsection (b) states plainly that this exemption does not apply to property used as a one-family or two-family dwelling. It does not reach houses.
Other trades and specialties
The chapter also addresses irrigators and water well pump installers, LP gas installers, lawn irrigation systems, medical gas and vacuum piping testing, and certain self-help projects near the international border. These are trade boundary provisions rather than general permission to skip a license.
What the Law Actually Requires
Section 1301.351 of the Occupations Code requires a license, endorsement, or registration to perform plumbing in Texas. Section 1301.359 makes a Texas plumbing license valid statewide, so a plumber licensed by the state is licensed everywhere in Texas.
Municipal registration is a separate matter. Many Texas cities require a plumbing contractor to register with the city or to pull permits through a local process before working there. That is a city requirement layered on top of the state license, not a replacement for it. When you are hiring, the state license is the baseline question. Whether a given city also requires local registration for your specific job is worth asking about directly.
What That Means If You Are Hiring Someone
Put together, the exemptions do not create a path for an unlicensed person to perform repair work on a single-family home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The homestead exemption covers you working on your own house. It does not cover someone you pay to work on it.
If a contractor tells you a license is not required for the job at your home, that claim is worth verifying rather than accepting.
How to Verify a Plumber's License Yourself
The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners maintains a public license search. You can look up any license holder by name or license number and confirm the license is active and in good standing before work begins.
Ask for the license number directly. A licensed plumber will give it to you without hesitation. Ours is M-39428.
You can also ask whether the company carries insurance, which the state requires a Responsible Master Plumber to maintain, and whether the person arriving at your home is the license holder, an employee working under that license, or a subcontractor.
Why This Matters Beyond Compliance
Licensing is not paperwork for its own sake. Plumbing failures cause property damage, and gas work carries fire and carbon monoxide risk. A Master Plumber license with a gas endorsement means the state has verified that person’s experience and tested their knowledge of the code that governs those systems, including NFPA 54 for fuel gas piping.
The license is not a guarantee of good work. It is a floor, and it gives you an accountable party and a complaint process if something goes wrong. An unlicensed person offers neither.
Meet James Armstrong
Meet the Master Plumber Serving DFW: James Armstrong
James Armstrong has been a Mesquite-resident Master Plumber since 1995. What began as helping neighbors fix leaky faucets turned into a career — and eventually a family business, built on one simple rule: treat people right, do the job with integrity, and always stand behind your work. Today, James and his crew serve Rowlett, Sachse, Garland, and the broader east DFW metro, with most calls dispatched and on-site within 25 minutes of the Mesquite headquarters at 844 Dalworth Dr.
“In thirty years of plumbing across the DFW metro, the drain calls almost always come down to two things: tree roots in the older neighborhoods, and grease and hair buildup in the newer developments. We camera-inspect first, then choose hydro-jetting or snaking based on what we actually see — not on what gets you to the highest invoice.”
James Armstrong, Master Plumber • Texas License M-39428 • Founder, James Armstrong Plumbing
Every job comes with the Armstrong Clean Promise — we leave your home cleaner than we found it, guaranteed. No excuses, no mess, no shortcuts. It’s the kind of commitment that’s earned us thousands of repeat customers and a reputation across the DFW metroplex for honest, reliable work.
Emergency Calls Accepted After Hours & Weekends as well.
Our Process
What to Expect When You Call
Call or Book Online
Speak with a real person, not a call center. We schedule at your convenience.
Same-Day Inspection
A licensed plumber evaluates your issue on-site. No guesswork.
Upfront Quote
You approve the price before work begins. The number you see is final.
Clean, Expert Work
Armstrong Clean Promise — we leave your home better than we found it.
Follow-Up Guarantee
We check in within 24 hours and follow up to ensure everything holds.
No hassle estimate · No obligation · Real person answers
What Counts as an Emergency, and What Can Wait
We would rather tell you to go to bed than charge you an after-hours fee to look at something that will keep until morning. Here is our honest split.
| Situation | Our read |
|---|---|
| Burst or actively spraying pipe | Emergency. Shut the main and call |
| Water heater tank split, especially in an attic | Emergency. Shut the water and the power or gas |
| Sewage backing up into tubs, showers, or floor drains | Emergency. Stop using water in the house |
| No water at all in the house | Emergency, and often a main line issue |
| Slab leak you can hear running | Emergency. Shut the main |
| Gas smell | Not a plumbing call at all. Use the steps at the top of this page |
| One toilet clogged, another working | Usually waits. Shut its valve and stop using it |
| Water heater out, no leak | Usually waits. Cold showers beat an after-hours fee |
| Slow drain, dripping faucet, running toilet | Waits. Call during business hours |
| Water stain on a ceiling with nothing actively running | Usually waits, but same-day |
Call us either way. If it can wait, we will say so and book you for regular hours at regular rates.
Service Areas
Serving Communities Across Dallas-Fort Worth
- Allen
- Anna
- Arlington
- Azle
- Balch Springs
- Bedford
- Benbrook
- Blue Mound
- Blue Ridge
- Burleson
- Celina
- Colleyville
- Combine
- Dallas
- Everman
- Fairview
- Farmersville
- Flower Mound
- Forest Hill
- Fort Worth
- Frisco
- Garland
- Grand Prairie
- Plano
- Richardson
- Rowlett
- Sunnyvale
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions? We’ve got answers. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Give us a call anytime.
Yes, in most cases. Chapter 1301 of the Texas Occupations Code requires a license, endorsement, or registration to perform plumbing work in Texas. A limited set of exemptions exists, including one that lets property owners work on their own homestead, but the exemptions do not generally allow an unlicensed person to be hired to perform plumbing at someone else's home.
Yes. Section 1301.051 of the Texas Occupations Code states that a property owner is not required to be licensed to perform plumbing in the property owner's own homestead. Local permit requirements may still apply, and gas work carries real safety risk regardless of what the license law permits.
A Journeyman Plumber has passed the journeyman exam and works under a Responsible Master Plumber. A Master Plumber has held a journeyman license, met an additional experience requirement, and passed the master exam. Only a Master Plumber can serve as the Responsible Master Plumber legally accountable for a company's plumbing work.
Yes. Section 1301.359 of the Texas Occupations Code provides that a license, endorsement, or registration issued by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners is valid statewide. Individual cities may separately require contractor registration or permits, which is a local requirement on top of the state license.
There is a narrow one, and it rarely applies. Section 1301.052 exempts plumbing inside a municipality with fewer than 5,000 residents only if that municipality is also within a county of fewer than 50,000 residents and the city has passed an ordinance authorizing unlicensed persons to perform plumbing. Because every county in the Dallas-Fort Worth area has well over 50,000 residents, this exemption does not apply here.
The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners publishes a public license search where you can verify any license by name or number and confirm it is active. Ask the plumber for the license number before work begins.