What every Lakewood homeowner should know before hiring a plumber
Hiring a plumber is a decision you make under pressure, often with water on the floor. Knowing what to check before the work starts is what keeps a bad day from becoming an expensive one.
Most people hire a plumber the way they hire a tow truck: in a hurry, with water on the floor, and with no time to research. That is understandable, and it is also when mistakes happen. A plumber who is wrong for the job can leave you with work that fails inspection, a repair that does not last, or a bill you did not expect. This guide covers what to check before any work starts in Lakewood, so you can make a sound decision even when the pressure is on. None of it requires technical knowledge. It requires asking a few direct questions and listening carefully to the answers.
Check the licence, and know what the tiers mean
Colorado licenses plumbers statewide through the State Plumbing Board, which sits within the Department of Regulatory Agencies, known as DORA. There are three licence tiers, and the difference between them is measured in supervised work hours. A Residential plumber licence requires 3,400 hours of experience. A Journeyworker licence requires 6,800 hours. A Master plumber licence requires 8,500 hours. The tier tells you how much supervised experience the licence holder has, and it matters for the kind of work they are qualified to do. A Master plumber is the licence holder who can be the responsible master for a plumbing contractor.
Separate from the individual licence, a plumbing contractor must hold a plumbing contractor registration. Ask any plumber you hire to show you the licence and registration numbers, and check them against the DORA records before the work starts. A legitimate plumber will not hesitate. If a plumber cannot or will not show a licence, or asks you to pull the permit yourself, that is a reason to stop and find another plumber. We do not claim any particular licence in this guide, and you should not take any business's word for its credentials. Ask to see the licence and registration numbers, and verify them yourself.
Ask about permits, and know who pulls them
Lakewood has adopted the 2021 International Plumbing Code, through Municipal Code Chapter 14.05 and Ordinance O-2023-16, with the Colorado Plumbing Code underneath it. Permits are required for water-heater replacement, water service lines, fixture installs, gas piping, drain-waste-and-vent work, sewer replacement, and repiping. If a job needs a permit, the plumber should pull it, and the work should be inspected. A plumber who suggests skipping the permit is asking you to take on the risk. Unpermitted work can fail an inspection later, complicate a home sale, and leave you with no record that the work was done to code.
Permit fees in Lakewood are valuation-based, which means the fee depends on the value of the work, not a flat figure. There is no single flat fee to quote, and any plumber who gives you a flat permit fee as a fact should be asked where the figure came from. Confirm the fee with the Lakewood Permit Counter at 303-987-7500 before the work starts. Ask the plumber which permit the job needs, who will pull it, and when the inspection is scheduled. Those are ordinary questions, and a professional will answer them without hesitation.
Get the scope in writing before work starts
A written scope of work is the single most useful document in any plumbing job. It should say what will be done, what materials will be used, what is included and what is not, and how changes will be handled if the plumber finds something unexpected once the work is open. A verbal estimate and a handshake are not enough for anything beyond the smallest repair. Ask for the scope in writing, read it, and make sure it matches what you discussed. If the scope says the plumber will replace a section of pipe, it should say which section, what material, and whether the permit and inspection are included.
Be wary of a price that is far below every other quote, and of a plumber who will not put anything in writing. A low quote can mean corners being cut on materials, on the permit, or on the scope itself, and the difference usually appears later as a second job to fix the first one. Ask what happens if the work uncovers a bigger problem, and ask who pays for the additional work. A clear answer to that question tells you more about a plumber than any advertisement.
Check reviews, and read them properly
Reviews are useful, but read them the way you would read references, not the way you would read a star rating. Look for reviews that describe the actual work: what the problem was, what the plumber did, and whether the fix held. A pattern of reviews mentioning the same strength, such as clear communication or tidy work, is meaningful. A pattern of reviews mentioning the same problem, such as a job that had to be redone, is more meaningful still. Be cautious about a business with only a handful of reviews, or with reviews that all sound alike. A small number of detailed, specific reviews is worth more than a large number of vague ones.
Ask the plumber for references if the job is large, such as a repiping or a sewer replacement. A plumber who has done that work in Lakewood will have customers who can describe it. Also check whether the business has a real local presence: a Lakewood address, a local phone number, and familiarity with Lakewood's neighborhoods, its water providers, and its permit process. A plumber who knows that Lakewood's water provider follows the address, and that the city has adopted the 2021 code, is a plumber who has worked here before.
Red flags worth walking away from
Walk away from a plumber who will not show a licence or registration, who asks you to pull the permit, who will not put the scope in writing, who demands full payment before the work starts, or who pressures you to decide immediately. Walk away from a plumber who diagnoses a major job, such as a sewer replacement, without a camera inspection, or who recommends replacing a water heater without looking at it. Those are not normal practices. A professional plumber diagnoses before recommending, writes down the scope, pulls the permit, and lets you take the time to decide.
One more check is worth making. Make sure the plumber you hire does the work you need. A plumber who specializes in new construction may not be the best choice for a repair in a 1950s home with galvanized pipe and a clay lateral, and a plumber who does not work with gas lines should not be asked to. Ask directly whether the plumber handles your kind of job, and how often they do it in Lakewood. See our services and residential plumbing pages for the work we do, and our emergency plumbing page for the calls we take around the clock.
Hiring a plumber is a decision about trust, and trust is built on verifiable facts: a licence you can check, a permit you can confirm, a scope you can read, and reviews you can weigh. Ask the questions, verify the answers, and choose the plumber who answers clearly. If you would like to talk through a job with us, call Emergency Plumber Lakewood at (720) 909-6690. We are open 24 hours, every day.
Get help with plumbing in Lakewood
If you would rather have a plumber take it from here, call Emergency Plumber Lakewood at (720) 909-6690. We serve homes across Lakewood, and we are open 24 hours, every day.
What Lakewood homeowners ask
What plumbing licence tiers exist in Colorado?
Colorado licenses plumbers through the State Plumbing Board within DORA. A Residential licence requires 3,400 hours of experience, a Journeyworker licence requires 6,800 hours, and a Master licence requires 8,500 hours. A plumbing contractor must also hold a separate contractor registration.
How do I check a plumber's licence in Lakewood?
Ask the plumber to show you the licence and registration numbers, then check them against the DORA records before the work starts. A legitimate plumber will not hesitate to show them.
Do I need a permit for plumbing work in Lakewood?
Permits are required for water-heater replacement, water service lines, fixture installs, gas piping, drain-waste-and-vent work, sewer replacement, and repiping. The plumber should pull the permit, and the work should be inspected. Lakewood has adopted the 2021 International Plumbing Code.
How much is a plumbing permit in Lakewood?
Permit fees in Lakewood are valuation-based, so the fee depends on the value of the work. There is no single flat fee. Confirm the fee with the Lakewood Permit Counter at 303-987-7500 before the work starts.
What should be in a written scope of work?
The scope should say what will be done, what materials will be used, what is included and what is not, and how changes will be handled if something unexpected is found once the work is open. It should also say whether the permit and inspection are included.
Sources
- Colorado DORA — Check a license — verify a plumber’s licence and contractor registration.
- Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations — Plumbing — State Plumbing Board licensing information and licence tiers.
- Lakewood Municipal Code, Chapter 14.05 — 2021 International Plumbing Code — Lakewood’s adopted plumbing code, Ordinance O-2023-16.
- City of Lakewood — Permit types information sheet — which plumbing jobs need a permit in Lakewood.
