Hiring a Contractor For Your Water Service Line Repair

Hiring an experienced and reputable contractor helps ensure you get quality work for your home or business at a fair price.

To help you choose a contractor, follow our suggestions below.

Call your local jurisdiction to discuss your project and find out which permits are required.  The contractor you select should also be familiar the required permits for water service line repair in your jurisdiction.

• You can learn about the City of Tacoma’s required water service line permits here or call 253-591-5030.
• The contractor or owner living in the home must obtain a permit for water service line repair before repairs start.

Hire only a licensed and bonded plumbing contractor.

• To make sure your contractor is properly registered, check the State Department of Labor & Industries website or call 1-800-647-0982.
• When you call, you can ask about any complaints that Labor & Industries has received about a particular contractor.

Ask friends and neighbors for references, and ask contractors for references from their past customers, and then call them.

• Tacoma Water can provide a list of contractors that are knowledgeable of our programs and proceses. This list is not a recommendation or endorsement. For more information and to request a copy, email WaterGrantLoan@cityoftacoma.org.

Get at least three bids for water service line work.

• Most contractors will provide bids for free, but be sure to ask about fees when you request a bid.
• Always ask bidders about any costs you do not understand before you sign a contract.

Call water piping supply companies or hardware stores to verify costs for water pipe material, pressure reducing valves, and other equipment.

If there are any charges on an estimate you do not understand, be sure to ask the contractor.

• Never sign a contract that you do not understand, seems incomplete, does not clearly specify the work to be done or details how long a project will take.
• It is your right to know what you are agreeing to pay before a project begins.

Ask the contractor for a provision in the contract that states you will make your final payment after the appropriate jurisdiction completes its inspection and places the water service line in service.

• Some customers receiving Tacoma Water service may need to seek permits from the respective City they are located in.
• Your contractor should know what jurisdiction to contact for permits.

Following these tips can help you find a reputable contractor to successfully complete your project!