How to Hire a Drain Cleaning Company in Georgia

Start by naming the job

Drain and sewer work falls into three broad kinds of jobs, and each calls for different questions:

• Clearing a stoppage. A technician runs a cable machine or a water jet through a cleanout or fixture. The drain cleaning methods guide explains what each tool does and doesn't do.
• Diagnosing the line. A camera inspection shows what is inside the pipe and where. The sewer camera inspection guide covers what to ask for and what a camera can't tell you.
• Repairing or replacing pipe. This ranges from a spot repair to digging up the yard, and it is where licensing, permits, and Georgia's dig law matter most. The options are compared in sewer line repair options.

Before you call anyone, write down which fixtures are affected, when it started, and whether you have an outdoor cleanout. Whether a given section of pipe is your responsibility or your sewer provider's depends on the provider; see who is responsible for the sewer line.

How Georgia licenses plumbers

Plumbers in Georgia are licensed by the State Construction Industry Licensing Board through its Division of Master Plumbers and Journeyman Plumbers, which the Secretary of State's office supports. In 2026 the General Assembly repealed and rewrote the governing law, O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 14, in Senate Bill 553, which the Governor signed. The act sets no effective date of its own, so under Georgia's default rule for such acts it took effect on July 1, 2026 (O.C.G.A. § 1-3-4). The table below follows the rewritten text.

Source: new O.C.G.A. §§ 43-14-2, 43-14-10, 43-14-13 and 43-14-19 in SB 553.

What the law requires

Under the rewritten chapter, no one may engage in plumbing contracting as a master plumber without a license from the division. A company may do plumbing only if a licensed master plumber is regularly connected with it on a full-time basis, and a person without a master plumber license may not advertise as being in the plumbing contracting business (SB 553, new § 43-14-13). For a house, either master class covers the work.

The same section draws a line at five feet from the building. Only licensed plumbers may build, alter, or repair plumbing within five feet of a building, while a licensed master plumber or a licensed utility contractor may handle the stretch from the property line up to that point, whatever its depth. If a sewer replacement crosses both zones, ask who holds which license.

What about drain cleaning?

Georgia's definition of plumbing is broad. It covers installing, maintaining, altering, or repairing piping, fixtures, and appurtenances connected to sanitary drainage, and installing, maintaining, extending, or altering a property's sewerage system up to its connection with a point of public disposal (new § 43-14-2). The statute does not single out clearing stoppages, though, so it doesn't settle whether a cleaning-only service needs a plumbing license. If that matters for your job, ask the Division of Master Plumbers and Journeyman Plumbers through the Secretary of State's office. Either way, insist on a licensed master plumber for any repair or replacement and for any work that needs a permit.

How to check a license

Georgia's licensing law requires licensees to show the number the Secretary of State's office issued on their work vehicles, on their advertising (or a website address where the number can be found), and on invoices and proposal forms (new § 43-14-18). A quote with no number on it is the first thing to question.

Then look the number up. The Secretary of State's licensing complaint instructions link to its online licensee search in the GOALS portal, and they note that a complaint against a licensee needs the person's name and license number. When you search, check that the license belongs to the master plumber connected with the company you're hiring, that it is a Master Plumber Class I or Class II license rather than only a journeyman license, and that its status is current.

Permits, inspections and Georgia 811

Repairing or replacing a sewer line usually requires a plumbing permit and an inspection from your city or county, and each jurisdiction sets its own process and fees. In Augusta, for example, the city's permit requirements for sewer line replacement reference plumbing contractor license requirements and call for an inspection after the work is done but before the sewer line is backfilled. Check your own city or county building department's website before the work starts.

The rewritten state law defines a plumbing contractor as a licensed master plumber who is responsible for obtaining required permits, coordinating inspections, and securing final approval of permitted work (new § 43-14-2). Separately, both Georgia's Consumer Protection Division and the FTC list a contractor who asks you to get the permit as a warning sign.

If the job involves digging with mechanized equipment, Georgia's dig law says no one may start until the person planning the excavation has submitted a locate request through Georgia 811 (O.C.G.A. § 25-9-6, posted by Georgia 811). When your contractor is the one digging, that request is the contractor's job. Ask for the ticket number before the machine arrives.

Insurance, estimates and contracts

Ask for proof of insurance before anyone starts. The FTC advises considering only contractors who are licensed and insured (FTC), and Georgia's Consumer Protection Division says a legitimate contractor should be able to provide a business license, general liability insurance, workers' compensation insurance, and written warranties (Storms and Fraud).

Get the estimate in writing before work begins. According to the FTC, a written estimate should describe the work, the materials, the completion date, and the price, and a big gap between bids deserves an explanation. Georgia's Consumer Protection Division recommends written estimates from several companies for identical project specifications (CPD). The drain cleaning cost factors guide explains what drives the numbers.

Before you sign a contract, the FTC says to make sure it includes:

• the contractor's name, address, phone number, and license number;
• estimated start and completion dates;
• any promises made about the scope of work and the cost of labor and materials;
• if you sign at home, a written statement of your right to cancel within three business days.

Make sure every blank is filled in. On payment, the FTC says not to pay the full amount up front and not to make the final payment until the work is done. For storm repairs, Georgia's Consumer Protection Division suggests paying no more than one-third as a down payment, tying later payments to completed work, and holding the final payment until the job is finished (Storms and Fraud).

Get any guarantee in writing too. For drain cleaning, ask how long it lasts, what counts as a failure, and what voids it, such as roots or a broken pipe found later.

A step-by-step way to vet a company

1. Write down what's happening: which fixtures are affected, since when, where your cleanout is, and whether neighbors have the same problem.
2. Contact more than one company and describe the same symptoms to each, so the quotes cover the same job.
3. Ask for the name and license number of the master plumber behind the company, and check it in the Secretary of State's licensee search.
4. Ask who will come to your home and whose license the work falls under.
5. Ask for proof of insurance.
6. Get a written estimate before any work starts, including what happens if the first method doesn't clear the line.
7. If anyone recommends a repair or replacement, ask for the camera video and a written description of the defect and its location. For a large job, consider a second opinion from another licensed plumber.
8. Ask who will pull the permit, when the inspection happens, and, if there's digging, who submits the Georgia 811 request.
9. Read the contract before signing: license number, dates, scope, price, payment schedule, guarantee, and cancellation notice. Don't sign anything with blank spaces.
10. Pay on the agreed schedule, keep receipts and photos, and hold the final payment until the job is complete and any required inspection has passed.

Red flags, storm chasers and price gouging

Georgia's Consumer Protection Division lists these signs of a possible home repair scam (CPD):

• soliciting door to door, or claiming to have materials left over from another job;
• accepting cash only, or asking you to pay for the entire job up front;
• asking you to get the required building permits;
• pressuring you for an immediate decision;
• offering an exceptionally long guarantee;
• suggesting you borrow money from a lender the contractor knows.

A recommendation to replace an entire sewer line without showing you camera footage is another reason to slow down. Video lets you, and a second plumber, see the problem.

After bad storms, the division warns about "storm chasers" who take up-front payments and disappear, charge exorbitant prices, charge for unnecessary repairs, or do substandard work. It also calls an offer to pay your insurance deductible a possible sign of fraud (Storms and Fraud). Under a law the division says took effect July 1, 2025, a contractor who signs a contract within one year of a natural disaster to repair, replace, or mitigate disaster damage to your home may not take an assignment of your insurance proceeds. It must also give you a notice-of-cancellation form and let you cancel until midnight of the fifth business day after your insurer tells you in writing that all or part of the claim isn't covered.

During a declared state of emergency, Georgia's price-gouging provision makes it unlawful, in the area covered, to sell goods or services the Governor's declaration identifies as necessary to protect life, health, safety, or property at more than their pre-declaration price. Increases that reflect higher costs to the seller are allowed (O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.4). It applies only while the emergency lasts and only to what the declaration names.

Your three-day cancellation right

The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule gives you until midnight of the third business day after the sale to cancel certain sales made at your home; Saturday counts as a business day, while Sundays and federal holidays don't (FTC). The seller must tell you about this right at the time of the sale and give you two copies of a cancellation form.

The exceptions matter on plumbing calls. According to the FTC, the rule doesn't cover sales under $25 made at your home, sales needed to meet an emergency, or repairs or maintenance on your personal property that you asked the seller to come and do, although anything sold beyond that request is covered. Under the regulation itself, the emergency exception applies only when you started the contact and give the seller a separate, dated, signed statement in your own handwriting that describes the emergency and waives your right to cancel (16 CFR 429.0).

So if a company you called about an overflowing toilet asks you to handwrite a statement like that, you are giving up the three-day window. Before signing it for anything beyond clearing the immediate problem, ask yourself whether that extra work really can't wait three days. Whether a particular sale is covered depends on its facts, and the FTC notes some state laws give more rights.

Worked example: comparing three quotes

Suppose, purely as an illustration, that a homeowner in Macon notices the tub gurgling and filling with dirty water whenever the toilet flushes, and calls three companies. No prices are shown here, because the point is what each quote includes.

Company B can't be checked yet. Georgia law requires the number on proposal forms, so the homeowner asks for it before going any further. Company C shows three of the Consumer Protection Division's warning signs at once: pressure for an immediate decision, a request that the homeowner get the permit, and an exceptionally long guarantee. Add a large deposit and a replacement recommendation with no video, and there is every reason to walk away. A journeyman also can't contract for plumbing work on their own.

Company A is the only quote the homeowner can verify, which doesn't make it the cheapest. Suppose its camera then shows a separated joint. The homeowner asks Company A and at least one other licensed plumber for written repair estimates covering the same scope, asks each one about the permit, and compares them line by line.

If something goes wrong: where to complain in Georgia

Start with the company. Put your complaint in writing and keep copies. The FTC suggests following up phone calls with a letter sent by certified mail, return receipt requested (FTC).

Licensing problems go to the Secretary of State. Complaints are filed in writing, online through GOALS. A board can discipline a licensee who violates its laws or rules, but most boards have no authority over billing or fee disputes. For unlicensed practice, a board may in some cases seek a cease-and-desist order or refer the matter for criminal prosecution (Secretary of State).

Deceptive or unfair sales practices go to the Consumer Protection Division. You can file online, by mail or fax, or start by phone, and you should include copies of invoices, contracts, and letters. The division may contact the business, but it does not act as a judge in the dispute and cannot force the business to pay you back (CPD). If you paid by credit card, the division notes that you must notify the card company in writing within 60 days of the first bill showing the charge to keep your right to dispute it.

A lawsuit of your own. Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act lets an injured consumer sue, but it generally requires a written demand for relief at least 30 days before filing (O.C.G.A. § 10-1-399). An attorney can tell you whether it fits your situation. For a Cooling-Off Rule violation, the FTC asks consumers to report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to their state attorney general.

Next step

Before you book anyone, ask for the master plumber's name and license number and look it up in the Secretary of State's licensee search. It takes a few minutes, and every other step in this guide depends on knowing who is actually licensed to do the work.