How to choose a plumber in Wichita.

Check the license

Kansas leaves plumber licensing to cities and counties. In Wichita and Sedgwick County, MABCD, the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department, licenses plumbing companies and certifies their journeyman and master plumbers; apprentices are not certified and must work under one of them.

Ask for the company’s MABCD license number. Look it up in MABCD’s online Lookup Contractor License tool, by license number or company name, or call MABCD at 316-660-1840 to confirm the company’s license and insurance. What MABCD requires of a plumbing company:

• An MABCD contractor license before it pulls a permit or does business
• At least one active member holding a current master certificate
• General liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence
• Its full name and MABCD license number on every ad, quote and website

Get the price range in writing

Ask for the price range before anyone comes out, and for a written estimate before work starts. A trip fee of $50–$300 is common, and HomeAdvisor’s 2026 guide lists $100–$300 or more for after-hours calls.

MABCD’s truth-in-advertising rule covers quotes too: a contractor’s bid proposal forms must show the company’s full name and MABCD license number.

Permit for a water heater

Every new or replacement water heater in Wichita needs an MABCD permit: $9 plus a $25 issuance fee. The plumbing company should pull it; MABCD tells homeowners that a contractor who asks them to pull the permit is a red flag.

Homeowners may do the work themselves only in a single-family home they live in, after passing MABCD’s water heater exam: 20 multiple-choice questions, $25, 75% to pass. If you own a home but do not live in it, MABCD says the work must go to a contractor with a license.

Red flags

Stop, or call MABCD at 316-660-1840, when you see:

• A contractor who asks you to pull the permit
• No company name and MABCD license number on the quote or the website
• A truck with neither the company’s name and license number nor its MABCD vehicle permit number
• A license number that MABCD’s lookup does not show, or that belongs to another company

Questions to ask

Before work starts:

• What is your MABCD license number?
• What is the price range, and what would change it?
• Is the permit included, and who pulls it?
• Is there a trip fee or an after-hours charge?
• Will you check the line with a camera before digging?