How to Run a Solo Plumbing Business in 2026
A one-man plumbing shop can bring in $100,000 to $170,000 a year and hand back fifteen grand to quotes never sent and slow invoices. Real 2026 pricing, the license and permit floor, and the habits that separate the six-figure solo plumber from the one who wonders where it went.
A solo plumber with a van and a license can bring in $100,000 to $170,000 a year in most markets, then hand back fifteen or twenty grand of it to quotes never sent, jobs never billed, and checks that show up 40 days late. Running a one-person plumbing business is less about pipes and more about follow-through.
Hourly rates in 2026 run $75 to $150 depending on market, with a minimum service call of $100 to $200 and parts marked up 15 to 30 percent. Most work prices better flat: drain cleaning $150 to $400, a water heater install $1,200 to $3,500, a toilet install $200 to $500, a whole-house repipe $4,000 to $15,000, plus an emergency premium on the 2am burst pipe.
Plumbing is heavily licensed because bad plumbing floods houses and contaminates water: most states require a journeyman license to work and a master or plumbing contractor license to run the shop and pull permits, plus general liability insurance at $500 to $1,800 a year. Two things win jobs and neither is being cheapest: answering the phone and quoting fast before you leave.
Most work is repeat customers, referrals, property managers, and remodelers, plus emergency calls that feed themselves. Bill on-site with a card pay link to get paid in about a week instead of 30 to 45 days. Timestamped photos of the water heater and the finished joint are the plumber proof when a homeowner or adjuster comes back later.
The software that fits a solo plumber is not ServiceTitan at $250 to $500 a seat, it is KaamCam at $12, Jobber Core at $69, or Housecall Pro at $89, and the four things that matter are job photos, invoices with a pay link, a schedule you can check from the truck, and a client portal..