✓ Verified Google reviews·✓ Reviewed regularly·✓ Updated June 5, 2026
Written by Mark Reid,
Home Services Editor ·Verified June 5, 2026
St. Louis has a housing stock that keeps plumbers busy year-round. A large portion of the city's homes were built before 1960, which means galvanized steel pipes, cast-iron drain lines, and aging water heaters are genuinely common problems here. Neighborhoods like Soulard, Tower Grove, and the Central West End are full of brick rowhouses where original supply lines haven't been touched in decades. Add the hard water that runs through much of the St. Louis metro area, and mineral buildup inside pipes and fixtures is a recurring issue. Winters here can be punishing enough to freeze exposed pipes, especially in older homes with uninsulated crawl spaces, and the region's clay-heavy soil shifts seasonally in ways that can stress underground sewer laterals. Knowing that context helps you have a smarter conversation with whoever you hire.
Every business on this page was drawn from third-party public business listings, then ranked by public review rating and review count, with a small lift applied to businesses that show a working website and phone number. Before anything goes live, we check each business's homepage to confirm that plumbing is what they primarily offer, which is how unrelated contractors get filtered out. Permanently closed listings are removed automatically as they're flagged. Where you see a Trust Verified badge on a listing, that business has gone a step further and passed our full verification process, covering trade qualifications and accreditations, public liability insurance, trading history, customer review history, and registered company information. You can read the full list of what that involves on our How We Verify page. For any business that doesn't carry that badge, those additional checks haven't been done by us, so they're on you to complete before you book.
Before you commit to any plumber, ask for a written quote that separates parts from labor so you can compare like for like. Ask whether the quote is fixed or an estimate, because those are very different things when the job hits a snag. For any work involving gas lines or water heater installations, check that the contractor holds the appropriate Missouri plumbing license and carries general liability insurance. St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis both require permits for certain plumbing work, including water heater replacements in some circumstances, so ask upfront whether a permit is needed and who pulls it. Getting two or three quotes is completely normal on any job over a couple hundred dollars, and it gives you a useful sense of whether a price is reasonable or inflated.
How We Select & Rate The Best Plumbers in St. Louis, MO
Rankings on this page are driven by public review rating and review count pulled from third-party business listings, with a small lift for businesses that have a working website and phone number. We check each business's homepage to confirm that plumbing is what they primarily offer, keeping unrelated trades off the page. Permanently closed listings are removed automatically. Businesses marked Trust Verified have additionally passed our full verification, covering trade qualifications and accreditations, public liability insurance, trading history, customer review history, and registered company information. See our How We Verify page for the complete list. All other businesses on this page have not been independently verified by us, and inclusion is not an endorsement. Always do your own checks before hiring.
Recommended and Featured listings are paid placements, so a business's fee affects whether and where it appears. Every other listing is ranked on rating and review count from third-party business listings. How we rank & verify →
Rated 4.9 stars across more than 1,500 Google reviews, Tony LaMartina Plumbing Co. Inc has built a measurable track record serving residential and commercial customers in St. Louis. The company handles plumbing repairs, installations, and water heater work throughout the area. That volume of consistently high ratings points to reliable service delivery rather than isolated praise.
Homeowners and businesses across St. Louis rely on Maplewood Plumbing & Sewer for drain cleaning, pipe repair, and sewer work. The company holds a 4.8-star rating across more than 1,700 Google reviews, reflecting consistent results for a broad residential and commercial customer base. Service covers the 63139 area and surrounding neighborhoods throughout the city.
Specializing in residential pipe repair and water heater installation, Pipe Solutions serves the 63109 corridor of St. Louis with consistent results across a broad customer base. A 4.7-star rating drawn from over 700 reviews points to reliable workmanship and straightforward service. Neighbors in the area use them for everything from shut-off valve replacements to full repipes.
Drain cleaning and pipe repair are among the core specialties at Raw Dawgs Plumbing, a St. Louis outfit serving the 63113 area and surrounding neighborhoods. With a 4.7-star rating across 146 Google reviews, the company has built a consistent record for residential plumbing work. More details on services are available at rawdawgsplumbing.com.
Fixture installation and drain clearing are among the core specialisms at Python Plumbing, LLC, a St. Louis-based outfit serving residential and commercial clients. The company holds a perfect 5-star rating across 68 Google reviews, suggesting consistent reliability in the field. Neighbors throughout the St. Louis area can reach the team directly through pythonplumbingstl.com.
Rated 4.9 out of 5 across 75 Google reviews, ALLN1 Plumbing has built a consistent record of customer satisfaction in St. Louis. The company handles residential plumbing work, from routine repairs to water heater installations and pipe issues. That rating, drawn from a solid base of reviews, makes it a credible option for homeowners in the 63147 area and surrounding neighborhoods.
R.A. Guinner Plumbing Company is a St. Louis plumber serving the 63116 area with a 4.8-star rating across 43 Google reviews. The company handles residential plumbing repairs and installations, from leaky fixtures to water heater replacements. That consistent customer feedback points to reliable, straightforward service from a locally rooted operation.
Drain clearing and pipe repair are the core focus at Sure-Fix Plumbing & Drain, a St. Louis outfit serving the 63111 area and surrounding neighborhoods. The company holds a 4.5-star rating across 58 Google reviews, reflecting consistent work on residential plumbing jobs. Locals call on them for everything from slow drains to water heater issues.
GMP Plumbing is a St. Louis plumbing contractor serving the 63110 area with a 4.7-star rating across customer reviews. The company handles residential and commercial plumbing work, from routine repairs to fixture installation. Its consistent rating points to reliable service in a trade where follow-through matters as much as the initial fix.
Bore's Plumbing Sewer Services is a plumbing and sewer specialist serving St. Louis. The company holds a 4.1-star Google rating across 17 reviews, reflecting consistent work in the 63109 area. Residential and commercial customers rely on them for plumbing repairs, drain clearing, and sewer line work throughout the city.
Fixture installation and pipe repair are among the core services Grasse & Associates brings to residential and commercial customers in St. Louis. The 63110-area firm holds a 4.3 rating on Google, reflecting consistent work across a modest but steady client base. Customers in need of routine plumbing maintenance or urgent shut-off valve issues have a local option worth considering.
Transparency notice: Recommended and Featured listings are paid placements, so a business's fee affects whether and where it appears. All other listings are ranked by a combined score drawn from ratings and review counts published on third-party business listings, plus basic completeness signals such as a working website and phone. A Trust Verified badge means we have independently checked that business's documents; businesses without it have not been independently verified by us. How we verify →
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Most St. Louis plumbers charge a service or trip fee in the range of $75 to $150 just to show up and diagnose the problem, and that fee may or may not be credited toward the final bill, so ask before they arrive. Hourly labor rates typically run $100 to $175 per hour, though emergency or after-hours calls often push that higher. A standard water heater replacement on a 40-gallon unit usually comes in between $900 and $1,500 installed, depending on whether it's gas or electric and whether code upgrades are needed. Clearing a blocked drain line runs roughly $150 to $400, while repiping a section of galvanized pipe in an older home can range from a few hundred dollars for a short run to several thousand for a whole-house job. Getting two or three quotes on anything over $300 is a reasonable move and helps you spot outliers.
Do plumbers in St. Louis need to be licensed?
Yes. Missouri requires plumbers to hold a state-issued license, and the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County each have their own licensing requirements on top of that. A journeyman plumber works under a licensed master plumber, and the master plumber license is what you want to see on file for any company you hire. You can ask to see a copy of the license, or look it up through the Missouri Division of Professional Registration. For any work involving natural gas connections, confirm they're also licensed to handle gas line work, since that's a separate qualification in many cases. Don't take a contractor's word for it alone.
What plumbing problems are most common in older St. Louis homes?
Galvanized steel supply pipes are one of the biggest recurring issues. In homes built before the mid-1960s, those pipes corrode from the inside out over time, restricting water flow and eventually leaking. Cast-iron drain lines in the same vintage homes can crack or separate, especially where tree roots from the large mature trees common in St. Louis neighborhoods have grown into the line. Mineral buildup from the region's moderately hard water shows up in water heater tanks, shower heads, and shut-off valves, shortening their useful life. Sump pump failures during the heavy spring rains the area gets are also a common call. If you're buying or renovating a pre-war home in areas like Dutchtown or Benton Park, a sewer scope inspection before closing is money well spent.
Do I need a permit for plumbing work in St. Louis?
It depends on the scope. Routine repairs like fixing a leaky faucet or replacing a toilet generally don't require a permit. But water heater replacements, new pipe runs, sewer line work, and any addition of fixtures typically do require a permit from either the City of St. Louis's Building Division or the St. Louis County Department of Public Works, depending on where you are. The licensed contractor you hire should know what applies to your job and should be willing to pull the permit themselves. Be cautious about anyone who suggests skipping the permit to save money. If unpermitted work causes damage later or comes up during a home sale, it can create serious problems.
How do I know if I have a sewer line problem versus a regular drain clog?
A single slow drain is usually a localized clog, often caused by grease, hair, or debris close to the fixture. When multiple drains in the house are slow or backing up at the same time, that points to a problem further down in the main sewer line. Other warning signs include gurgling sounds from toilets when you run a sink, sewage smells coming up through floor drains, or water backing up in the basement floor drain when you flush a toilet. St. Louis's older neighborhoods have a lot of clay tile sewer laterals from the street to the house, and those are prone to root intrusion and cracking. A plumber can run a camera through the line to see exactly what you're dealing with before recommending a fix.
How do I choose between plumbers and verify I'm hiring someone reliable?
Start by checking that the plumber holds a current Missouri master plumber license. You can verify this directly through the Missouri Division of Professional Registration's online lookup, which takes about two minutes. Ask for proof of general liability insurance and, for larger jobs, workers' compensation coverage. A reputable plumber won't hesitate to provide both. Read recent reviews on public business listings and pay attention to how the company responds when something goes wrong, since that tells you more than the five-star reviews do. Get quotes from at least two plumbers, and make sure each quote is itemized so you're comparing the same scope of work. Ask whether the price is fixed or subject to change, and get it in writing before any work starts. If you see a Trust Verified badge on a listing here, those checks have already been done independently, but for anyone without that badge, the verification is your responsibility.
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