Plumber in Spring, TX: water districts, inspections and hiring

Spring is a census-designated place in unincorporated Harris County, inside the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston, according to its Wikipedia entry. Old Town Spring, the original town site at Spring-Cypress and Hardy roads, is unincorporated as well. A small part of southern Montgomery County also uses the Spring name. There is no City of Spring utility or permit office.

Water service runs through utility districts. The North Harris County Regional Water Authority was created by the Texas Legislature in 1999 and confirmed by voters in January 2000. At creation it covered about 160 utility districts and two cities, and it delivers surface water to the MUDs and water providers inside its boundaries rather than to homes. It was formed to help districts move off groundwater under Harris-Galveston Subsidence District rules. Your own MUD, named on your water bill, owns your meter connection and sets service rules. To find it, use the TCEQ Water Districts Map Viewer or ask your HOA.

Texas Occupations Code 1301.551 requires cities with more than 5,000 people to regulate plumbing and to require permits for most work, other than repairing leaks or replacing faucets, ballcocks, garbage disposals or toilets. That permit duty is written for municipalities. Because Spring is unincorporated, there is no city plumbing permit to buy for a typical repair or water heater replacement.

Rules still apply in two ways:

• Hired plumbing must be done or supervised by a TSBPE license holder, the same as inside Houston.
• Water districts use the TCEQ customer service inspection (Form 20699) for new construction, for material improvements to private plumbing and where contaminant hazards are suspected. The inspection checks cross-connections, backflow protection and lead content. It may be signed only by a TCEQ licensed customer service inspector, a licensed plumbing inspector or a licensed plumber with a Water Supply Protection Specialist endorsement.

If you are planning a repipe, irrigation system or pool, ask the district operator on your bill which inspections and fees apply before work begins.

Census Bureau survey data for 2020 to 2024 count about 23,500 housing units in the Spring CDP, with a median year built of 1993 (ACS tables B25034 and B25035). About 28 percent were built in the 1970s and 18 percent in the 1980s, while roughly 46 percent date from 2000 or later. Fewer than 2 percent predate 1970. In practice that means two different sets of questions:

In a home on a concrete slab, a leak under the floor is an expensive surprise. Our slab leak guide covers the signs and the repair options.

Spring Creek is one of the 23 primary watersheds within Harris County's 1,777 square miles managed by the Harris County Flood Control District. When storms overload sewer lines, water can come back up through the lowest drain in a house. Our sewer backup guide explains what you can do before the next storm.

Texas licenses plumbers at the state level, through the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE). Under Texas Occupations Code 1301.351, a person other than a responsible master plumber may not do plumbing unless they hold the proper license, registration or endorsement and their work is supervised by a license holder. Anyone who advertises plumbing must secure a responsible master plumber, and license holders must carry the license on them while working. That rule applies the same way in unincorporated Spring as it does inside any city.

1. Ask for the name and license number of the person doing or supervising the work, not just the company name.
2. Search it in the Texas plumbing license search, by name or license number.
3. Confirm the status is active and the license type fits the job.
4. Get a written estimate that lists the scope, materials and price before work starts.

Homeowners have one exemption: Section 1301.051 says a property owner does not need a plumbing license to do plumbing in their own homestead. Someone you hire, including a handyman, is not covered by it. Our guide to choosing a plumber covers estimates, payment and warning signs in more detail.

This site is an independent homeowner guide. We are not a contractor, we do not perform plumbing work and we do not answer phones. To reach a plumber, call one of the licensed contractors listed on this page or see all listed contractors. Questions about this guide: email us. We do not take service requests. Run the license checks above on anyone you hire, including the contractors listed on this page. If water is actively spreading, start with our emergency steps first.