What to Ask a Plumber Before They Come Out
Two minutes on the phone
Before anyone drives out, ask for their Georgia license number, and ask whether the after-hours fee rolls into the repair price.
Five questions for the phone call
- Are you licensed in Georgia, and what is your license number? Write the number down. Georgia law requires anyone doing plumbing work for hire to hold a state license.
- Do you charge a flat trip or diagnostic fee after hours, and does it roll into the repair price?
- Will you repair the one break, or pressure-test and inspect for other damage while the system is open?
- Is the repair warrantied, and for how long?
- Will you pull the plumbing permit my city requires? The permit offices are listed below.
Add these for the job
Water heater
What size and type do you recommend, and will the job change my gas line, venting or water lines?
Does the price include the permit and inspection, and hauling away the old tank?
What is the tank warranty versus the labor warranty?
Hidden leak or slab leak
Will you pinpoint the leak with detection equipment before any concrete is opened?
Spot repair, reroute or repipe: which do you recommend here and why?
Does the quote include breaking and patching the slab, or is flooring repair on me?
Toilet or drain clog
Do you bring a drain machine and a camera?
If the clog is in the sewer line out in the yard, will you call 811 to have the lines marked, then run a camera through the line before any machine goes in? Atlanta Gas Light says that on rare occasions a gas line is bored through a sewer line, called a cross bore. It asks that underground lines be located through 811 first, then a camera used to check the blocked line. If a gas pipe is found in the sewer line, it says to stop all work and call Atlanta Gas Light at 877.427.4321. See main line clog.
What is the price difference between clearing from the toilet versus pulling the toilet?
If you find roots or a broken lateral, what are my options?
Frozen or burst pipe
Can you get here before the next hard night, and what is the after-hours fee?
If it already burst, will you pressure-test the rest of the system after the repair?
Which of my pipe runs are most exposed?
Gas appliance or gas piping
Smell gas right now? Do not make any calls from inside. Leave the house now and move a safe distance away. Do not use light switches or phones on the way out, and do not look for the leak. Once you are out of the area, call Atlanta Gas Light at 877.427.4321 or 911. Stay away until they say it is safe. The plumber comes after.
Are you licensed in Georgia for gas piping work?
Will you pressure-test the house gas lines after the work?
Will this work be permitted and inspected?
Have this ready when you call
- Your address and the cross street.
- What you see, in one sentence.
- Whether the water is off, and where you shut it.
- Whether anything electrical got wet.
Check the license, then the permit
Georgia law requires anyone doing plumbing work for hire to be licensed by the Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board. For information on contractor licensing, go to the Georgia Secretary of State.
Permits are set by your city. Atlanta's rule, as published on ATL311: a permit is required to install, repair or replace any electrical, plumbing or HVAC equipment, and homeowners may submit their own permit application. Several cities name water heaters outright: Marietta, Dunwoody and Alpharetta list water heater work under their plumbing or trade permits, and Roswell's building FAQ answers the question with a flat yes. Here are the offices to call.
| City | Permit office | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | City of Atlanta Office of Buildings, Trade Permits Division | 404-865-8550 |
| Marietta | City of Marietta Permits and Inspections | 770-794-5659 |
| Sandy Springs | City of Sandy Springs, permitting at City Hall | 770-730-5600 |
| Decatur | City of Decatur Design, Environment and Construction | 404-377-6198 |
| Dunwoody | City of Dunwoody (City Hall main line) | 678-382-6700 |
| Alpharetta | City of Alpharetta, Inspection and Code Enforcement | 678-297-6080 |
| Roswell | City of Roswell Community Development, Building Division | 770-641-3727 |
| Smyrna | City of Smyrna Community Development, Building Division | 678-631-5387 |
| Kennesaw | City of Kennesaw | 770-424-8274 |
| Lawrenceville | City of Lawrenceville Customer Service | 770-963-2414 |
| Duluth | City of Duluth Community Development and Engineering, Permitting and Inspections | 770-476-1790 |
Rules differ by city, so ask the office, not just the plumber. Your city's page under Metro Atlanta lists its permit rules.
We're a referral directory, not a contractor; this button opens our request form.
Questions we hear
Should I call the utility or a plumber?
For water, Gwinnett County and Marietta both draw the line at the meter: pipes on your side of it are yours to fix, with a private plumber. If a sewer backup is involved, stop using water as much as you can and call your water and sewer utility's emergency line. In Gwinnett, that line is 678-376-7000, and an investigator comes out, day or night, to check the sewer main and your connection up to the right-of-way.
What if they will not give a license number?
Then do not book them. Georgia law requires anyone doing plumbing work for hire to hold a state license.
General information, not professional plumbing advice. In an emergency that threatens life or property, call 911.
Sources
Every number and local fact above comes from one of these, read 2026/10. Spot something out of date? Tell us.
- Georgia Secretary of State: Licensee Search
- ATL311: Trade permits (knowledge article KB0012499)
- City of Roswell: Building Division
- Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources: Sewer Service Lateral Repair and Cleaning Policy (homeowner handout)
- Atlanta Gas Light: Sewer Blockage Safety for Customers
- Atlanta Gas Light: Call 811 Before You Clear
- Atlanta Gas Light: Emergency Information
- City of Alpharetta: Residential Permitting Procedures (rev. 2026)
- City of Marietta: Plumbing Permits
- City of Dunwoody: Trade Component Permits
- Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources: Customer Care FAQs
- City of Marietta: Water FAQs
- City of Sandy Springs: Plumbing Permits
- City of Decatur: How to Obtain a Permit
- City of Smyrna: Building Division
- City of Kennesaw: What kinds of construction require a permit?
- City of Lawrenceville: Types of Residential Building Permits
- City of Duluth: Do I Need a Permit?