How to choose a plumbing inspector
What to ask before booking, what you should receive afterwards, and the conflict of interest worth naming out loud.
Plumbing is a licensed trade in every state, though the licensing body and the classifications differ. Licence status is the baseline check, and it is publicly verifiable through your state board.
Before booking
- Confirm the licence, and confirm it is current rather than merely held at some point.
- Ask whether they carry their own camera equipment or subcontract it.
- Establish whether your property has a cleanout, and get the price quoted for your actual situation. This is the difference between $125 to $500 and $175 to $750.
- Ask whether the price includes creating access if none exists, and what putting the toilet back is priced at.
- Ask what you receive afterwards: a verbal summary, a written report, or the recorded footage.
- If this is a purchase, confirm they can turn the report around inside your inspection window.
Source: HomeGuide, Sewer Camera Inspection Cost, 2026
The conflict of interest, stated plainly
A plumbing contractor who inspects your sewer line is also the contractor who would be paid to repair it. That is not a reason to avoid them, and in most cases the person best qualified to assess a line is someone who repairs them for a living.
It is a reason to ask for the footage rather than only a verdict, and to get a second opinion before authorising anything in the five-figure range. A contractor confident in their assessment will hand over the recording without hesitating.
What a good report contains
- The recorded footage, provided to you rather than described.
- Distances from the access point to each defect, so a second opinion can find the same spot.
- Pipe material and diameter.
- A clear split between defects needing action now and items to monitor.
- Where a repair is recommended, what kind: spot repair, lining, or full replacement. These differ by an order of magnitude.