Can a handyman replace a faucet or a toilet?

It depends on your state and city, and this site cannot answer for all of them. California, for one, sets its no-license limit at $1,000 as of November 2026, for jobs with no workers and no permit. Ask your building department.

Is a drain company the same as a plumber?

Not always. Texas treats them differently: plumbers hold licenses, while drain cleaning has its own registration. Other states may draw the line elsewhere. Ask what the company holds, what it may do beyond clearing the line, and who comes back if the clog returns. Then read one quote or three.

What if a handyman offers a much lower price for pipe work?

A lower number does not settle it, as the FTC notes on bids generally. Ask whether the job needs a permit and whether that person may legally pull one.

Can wait / Licensed plumber, Drain company, Handyman

Plumber, drain company or handyman?

Plumber or handyman depends on what the job touches and where you live. One clog can suit a drain company, a small visible job may suit a handyman, and permit or pipe work belongs with a licensed plumber.

Updated November 4, 2026. Sources are listed at the foot of this page.

Find your line

If one drain is slow and everything else in the house behavesDrain companyClearing clogs is the whole job. In Texas, ask about the state's drain cleaner registration.
If the work means replacing a length of pipeLicensed plumberChicago requires a permit for that, and your city may have its own rule.
If it is small, visible, needs no permit and no crewHandymanCalifornia's no-license limit is $1,000, as of November 2026, with no workers or permit.
If you are in Washington and the work is inside the buildingLicensed plumberWashington requires state plumber certification, though many outside lines are an exception.
If several drains misbehave at once and nobody can say whyLicensed plumberThat is a diagnosis question. Ask for someone who can answer for the whole system.

Gloved hands feeding a cable into a rusted drain — Clearing roots and rust from an old drain with a snake. A drain company or a plumber can do this work.

Which of the three can legally and sensibly take your job?

	Licensed plumber	Drain company	Handyman
Typical work	Supply, drain and fixture work, including permit jobs	Clogs and drain clearing	Small visible tasks, where allowed
State check	Look up the license where a state issues one	Ask what applies; Texas has a registration	California sets a $1,000 limit, as of November 2026
Permit work	Ask who pulls it, then get that in writing	Ask before any digging or pipe replacement	Often the wrong call; ask your building department
2023 price figure	$45 to $200 an hour, national summary	$100 to $400 to unclog, any provider, national summary	No dated figure found
If it goes wrong	A state board may take complaints	Depends on your state	Depends on your state; licensed-only funds may not apply

Sources for this table: Hourly and drain ranges, CSLB press release, TSBPE license types, FTC home improvement guide

What would move this job to a different trade?

A gas or rotten-egg smell: none of the three comes first. Walk out, touching no switches and using no phone indoors. Once well away, ring 911 and the gas utility. See the gas page.
Sewage inside the house: keep people and pets out, avoid contact, and go to the sewage page.
The drain company finds more than a clog: pause and get the finding in writing before agreeing to pipe work.
The small job grows: in California, once it needs workers or a permit, a license is required regardless of size.

What does each one cost, and how old are those numbers?

The only dated figures here sit in a Bob Vila roundup of HomeAdvisor data, a 2023 survey summary last updated that June. It covers the whole country, could be stale, and prices differ from town to town. It puts plumbers at $45 to $200 an hour, with apprentices at the low end and masters at the top. Clearing a drain runs $100 to $400, or a flat rate of $200.

No dated figure was found for handyman rates or for drain companies as a separate group. To get a real number, describe the same job to one of each and ask for the price in writing. The FTC wants the work, materials, finish date and price on paper, and warns against automatically taking the lowest bid.

Before anyone quotes a trap or drain part, it can help to know what the thing is. Plumbing Supply and More's trap section, from a retailer run by the same team as this site, pictures the shapes. Nothing obliges you to buy there.

White plastic drain pipes inside a sink cabinet — Plastic drain pipes under a sink.

Who answers for the work if it goes badly?

That depends on the state. Texas licenses plumbers through a state board, with a separate drain cleaner registration. Washington certifies plumbers and, since July 2021, licenses plumbing contractors as businesses. Illinois licenses plumbers through its public health department and requires contractors to register and carry insurance. Colorado has a State Plumbing Board, and local rules may add to it. Your state may differ; start at state rules and the license question.

Maryland shows why this matters: its Guaranty Fund applies only to work by licensed home improvement contractors. Elsewhere, the FTC's advice holds: have your state or county government confirm any license, and request proof of insurance.

To see how a local firm sets out its services and whether it states licensing, look at Central Plumbing & HVAC's plumbing page. This firm, also run by the same team as this site, serves just Bucks and Montgomery counties, PA, so most readers live beyond its reach. Treat it as an example rather than a recommendation.

Words to use

"What license or registration do you hold for this work in this state, and where can it be looked up?"

"If you find more than a clog, will you stop and tell me before doing anything else?"

"Does this job need a permit here, and who pulls it?"

Also asked

Can a handyman replace a faucet or a toilet?: It depends on your state and city, and this site cannot answer for all of them. California, for one, sets its no-license limit at $1,000 as of November 2026, for jobs with no workers and no permit. Ask your building department.
Is a drain company the same as a plumber?: Not always. Texas treats them differently: plumbers hold licenses, while drain cleaning has its own registration. Other states may draw the line elsewhere. Ask what the company holds, what it may do beyond clearing the line, and who comes back if the clog returns. Then read one quote or three.
What if a handyman offers a much lower price for pipe work?: A lower number does not settle it, as the FTC notes on bids generally. Ask whether the job needs a permit and whether that person may legally pull one.

Next decision in can waitFlat-rate or hourly plumber?

Sources

How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam what estimates should hold; insurance proof
How Much Does a Plumber Cost? national hourly and drain figures, 2023
CSLB press release on AB 2622 California's $1,000 small-job limit
TSBPE license types Texas licenses and drain cleaner registration
Washington plumber certification certification and outside-line exception
Illinois plumbing program who licenses and registers in Illinois
Chicago permit guide replacing pipe needs a Chicago permit
Maryland Home Improvement Commission Guaranty Fund covers licensed contractors only