Plumber St. Louis: $169 to $420 + Who Owns the Lateral

St. Louis rows are Angi's city figures; rows marked national are HomeAdvisor's. City permit fees are extra.

Do this now: a leak, a sewer backup or no water in St. Louis

1. Smell gas? Leave the house and call 911 or Spire from outside. Do not flip switches or look for the leak.
2. Water spraying inside: shut the main valve. If you cannot, or the leak is in the street, alley or at the curb, call the City Water Division's emergency line, (314) 771-4880.
3. Sewage coming up a basement drain: call MSD at 314-768-6260. MSD says it sends a crew for urgent cases usually within a few hours.
4. Water near outlets or the panel: shut power off at the breaker only if you can reach it from a dry spot. The Red Cross says not to touch electrical equipment while standing in water.
5. Frozen pipe: keep the faucet open and thaw with a hair dryer or heating pad, never an open flame, the Red Cross says. More in frozen pipes.

Is it an emergency? When a St. Louis plumbing call cannot wait

A St. Louis plumbing problem is an emergency when water is spreading, sewage is backing up, or pipes are freezing, and Lambert airport averages 84.9 days a year with a low at or below 32 F, NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals show. Angi's August 2026 St. Louis data puts an emergency visit at $95 to $476, with weekend rates of $110 to $370 an hour. A dripping faucet or a slow drain can wait for a weekday. Costs and steps are on emergency plumber in St. Louis.

Who owns the water line in St. Louis

In the City of St. Louis the owner owns the whole water service line, but the City's Service Line Repair Program fixes the public part for a $3.00 per quarter surcharge on residential water bills. That program covers the line from the main up to and including the stop box. From the stop box to the house is the owner's job, and the owner's plumber. Leaks in a public street, alley, right of way or easement belong to the Water Division. Customer service: (314) 771-2255.

The City has no lead service line replacement program yet. The Water Division says it is pursuing grants and a zero-interest loan, and City ordinance does not let water rate revenue pay for private lead lines. Ask the plumber what your service line is made of while they are there.

Sewer line repair in St. Louis: the $28 Sewer Lateral Repair Program

Sewer line repair in St. Louis is free when the break is under the public right of way and you are in the City's Sewer Lateral Repair Program, which every owner of a residential property with 6 or fewer units pays for through a $28 fee on the real estate tax bill. Repairs under private property are not covered. The City and MSD both say the entire lateral, from the house to the MSD main, is private property, so anything the program does not cover is the owner's cost.

To use the program, a St. Louis-licensed plumber inspects the line and sends a statement and video to Street Department, Attn: SLRP, 1900 Hampton, St. Louis, MO 63139; call (314) 647-3111 with questions. Taxes must be paid and the fee assessed. Nationally, HomeAdvisor puts a sewer camera inspection at $270 to $1,740. Repair methods and prices are on sewer line repair.

Drain cleaning in St. Louis: what the city will not pay for

Drain cleaning in St. Louis is always the owner's cost: the Sewer Lateral Repair Program does not clear clogs or tree roots on any part of the lateral. HomeAdvisor's 2026 national range for snaking a drain is $95 to $500, and sewer line cleaning runs $190 to $570. A main line clog called in after hours costs more: Angi lists $1,230 to $4,650 for a main sewer line clog on an emergency call in St. Louis. Drains and sewers are licensed work in the City; the Plumbers and Drainlayers Board licenses Master Drainlayers as well as plumbers. If every drain in the house is slow, the problem is usually the main line; see drain cleaning for methods and prices.

St. Louis plumbing permits and licenses

The City issues plumbing permits only to licensed plumbing contractors certified by the City of Saint Louis, with a $30 application fee plus a separate fee schedule. The permit page lists fixtures, sewer laterals, stacks and water supply lines as examples. The Plumbers and Drainlayers Board licenses Master Plumbers, Master Drainlayers, Journeyman Plumbers and apprentices. There is no public license search on the board pages, so call the Building Division at (314) 622-3313, or look up past permits at your address with the City's permit search.

Old houses, old pipes: St. Louis by the numbers

St. Louis has the oldest housing of the 33 cities we cover. The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey puts the median year built at 1939 or earlier, and 100,811 of the city's 174,111 housing units, 57.9%, were built in 1939 or earlier. Water is moderately hard: the Water Division's 2025 report lists total hardness averaging 129 ppm, with a range of 80 to 206 ppm. Before an occupied house is sold, the City requires a Residential Occupancy Permit inspection unless a Certificate of Inspection was issued in the past 12 months; the fee is $120. That inspection is a general code check and does not mention sewer laterals, so order a camera inspection separately.

Help paying for plumbing repairs in St. Louis

• Senior Minor Home Repair Program (St. Louis Area Agency on Aging): basic plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling repairs for City homeowners 60 or older; clients may pay part of the cost. (314) 612-5918.
• Healthy Home Repair Program (Community Development Administration with Mission: St. Louis): health and safety repairs for owner-occupants of at least 2 years at or below 80% of area median income. Expect a significant waitlist. 314-657-3888.
• MSD Customer Assistance Program: 50% off wastewater rates for 2 years under 200% of the federal poverty guideline (250% if disabled or 62+). Billing: (866) 281-5737.
• Water Division bill help: the Tornado Recovery Water Affordability Program takes applications Aug 24 to Oct 31, 2026, and repayment plans are available.

Local rules, programs and climate for St. Louis, from the official city, utility, state, Census and NOAA pages listed under Sources.

More St. Louis repair guides

After-hours help: emergency plumber in St. Louis. Tank or tankless trouble: water heater repair in St. Louis. Water already in the walls: water damage restoration in St. Louis and mold removal in St. Louis. Heat and AC: HVAC repair in St. Louis and furnace repair in St. Louis. Roofs: roof repair in St. Louis. Compare plumbers in Kansas City and plumbers in Chicago, or start at the plumber guide and home repair costs. Calls go to an independent company that serves your area and takes this kind of job (how calls work).

More home repair help in St. Louis: garage door repair, tree removal, electrical work and window replacement, with prices, the local rules and the line to call for each.