Texas Master Plumbers Must File a Certificate of Insurance With the State

Texas puts the insurance rule for plumbers in a statute, and the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners enforces it. This guide quotes what the state and five big cities say, as of October 2026, with a link to each source. I am a landlord and a cost estimator, not an agent or an attorney. Nothing here tells you what to buy or what limits to carry.

What the Texas statute says

The plumbing license law is Occupations Code Chapter 1301. A plumbing company works under a master plumber who acts as the responsible master plumber, or RMP. Section 1301.002(9-a) defines that person and lists, as one element, one who “has submitted a certificate of insurance as required by Section 1301.3576.”

Section 1301.3576 is titled Certificate of Insurance for Responsible Master Plumber and reads:

Before a master plumber works as a responsible master plumber, the master plumber must provide the board with a certificate of insurance that meets the requirements of Section 1301.552.

Section 1301.552 is titled Certificate of Insurance for Plumbing Permit in Political Subdivision. It sets the contents of the certificate and tells cities what to check:

A political subdivision that requires a responsible master plumber or an agent of a responsible master plumber to obtain a permit before performing plumbing in the political subdivision shall verify through the board’s Internet website, or by contacting the board by telephone, that the responsible master plumber has on file with the board a certificate of insurance. The certificate of insurance must:

(1) be written by an insurer authorized to engage in the business of insurance in this state or an eligible surplus lines insurer, as defined by Section 981.002, Insurance Code;

(2) provide for commercial general liability insurance for the responsible master plumber for a claim for property damage or bodily injury, regardless of whether the claim arises from negligence or on a contract; and

(3) provide coverage of not less than $300,000 for all claims arising in a one-year period.

The statute names the responsible master plumber. It does not name a journeyman or an apprentice working under one.

What the state rule says

The board’s rule is 22 Texas Administrative Code Section 367.6, titled Responsibilities of RMP-Insurance Required, in the Secretary of State’s Texas Administrative Code viewer. Subsection (a) reads:

(a) A Responsible Master Plumber shall at all times maintain insurance that:

(1) meets the requirements of the PLL; and

(2) includes coverage for all types of plumbing that will be performed under the RMP’s license, including, but not limited to:

(A) LP-Gas plumbing;

(B) medical gas plumbing; and

(C) multipurpose residential fire protection sprinkler systems.

Subsection (b) ties the certificate to the board’s online account:

(b) A Master Plumber may not act as a RMP of record unless the Master Plumber has uploaded to the RMP’s online account a valid certificate of insurance form approved by the Board.

Subsection (c) gives customers a right to ask:

(c) Upon written request, the RMP or owner of the plumbing company shall furnish the name of the insurance carrier and name, address, and telephone number of the insurance agent with whom the RMP is insured to any customer within 30 days of the request. For the purposes of this subsection, the customer is the person to whom the plumbing services were provided even if the services were provided pursuant to a contract with a third party including but not limited to a home warranty company, general contractor, or a company established to perform inspections.

“PLL” in subsection (a)(1) is the Plumbing License Law, the Chapter 1301 text quoted above. Our guide to which Texas trades must carry liability insurance by law puts this rule next to the electrical, air conditioning, and elevator rules.

What the big cities say

Cities that issue plumbing permits work from the state license, and the state statute above tells them to verify the certificate with the board. The notes below come from city web pages and forms I read in October 2026. They can change without notice, so confirm with the permit office before you rely on them.

Houston. The Master Plumber Registration page says “Texas Master Plumbers and Landscape Irrigators must register their license with the City of Houston to obtain permits.” Under What You Need it lists “Proof of insurance.” It states no dollar amount.

San Antonio. The Development Services plumbing page says “To get a permit, you will need to register your State Plumber License.” One item on its list reads “Current insurance on file with the Texas State Plumbing Board.” It states no dollar amount.

Dallas. The plumbing contractor registration form, dated 5/13/2024, says:

To comply with provisions of the Plumbing License Law and Board Rules, the RMP’s credentials/insurance will be verified on the TSBPE website.

It adds: “All contractor certificates of registration expire when the state license or certificate of insurance expires.” It states no dollar amount.

Fort Worth. The contractor registration application lists “Master Plumbing (No Fee)*” and defines the asterisk as “*Insurance Required.” The form states no dollar amount. Fort Worth’s Chapter 26, Plumbing lists four sections, which adopt the 2021 International Plumbing Code, set amendments, resolve conflicts, and set a penalty. I did not see an insurance section in that list.

Austin. The contractor registration page says “License registration renewals and insurance updates for existing mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and irrigation registrations are also available in person.” It states no dollar amount for plumbers. A search of Austin’s Code of Ordinances for “plumbing insurance” in October 2026 returned seven results, and the excerpts I read covered flood construction, property maintenance, and fire code sections, not plumber insurance.

I ran the same search in the Houston and San Antonio codes and the results were flood, stormwater, and development code definitions. I did not search the Dallas code of ordinances text. A city ordinance can exist that my search missed. Ask the permit office where the work happens.

What a certificate of insurance is

A certificate of insurance, or COI, is a one-page summary of a policy that the insurance agent prepares and sends to whoever asked. It is a document, not coverage. Our guide to what a certificate of insurance is and how to read one goes through the ACORD 25 field by field and covers what Texas Insurance Code Chapter 1811 says a certificate can and cannot do.

The plumbing board uses its own Certificate of Insurance form, which an agent signs. The form says the certificate “neither affirmatively or negatively amends, extends, or alters the coverage afforded by the insurance policy specified herein” and that “The terms of the policy control over the terms of this certificate.” The board says to upload it through its online licensing system or email it to the board.

A new plumbing business hears a request for a COI from several places:

• The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, before a master plumber acts as the responsible master plumber, under Section 1301.3576.
• A city permit office, which under Section 1301.552 checks the board’s records, and which may take proof of insurance when a license is registered.
• A general contractor or homebuilder hiring the plumber as a subcontractor.
• A property manager or building owner who wants proof on file before the work starts.
• A customer, who can use Section 367.6(c) to ask for the carrier and agent.

If you own rentals, the contractor’s policy is the contractor’s. It sits beside yours, and our guide to commercial general liability coverage shows what that kind of policy is built to do. Ask a licensed agent how any of this applies to your job.