The short version: In the Portland metro in 2026, a licensed plumber runs about $150–$250 an hour. True Flow charges $185/hour Monday–Friday, 8am–4pm, plus parts and materials — no separate trip fee during standard hours.
After hours (before 8am, after 4pm, and all day Saturday & Sunday) there's a $462.50 minimum that covers getting a licensed plumber to your door plus the first hour, then $185/hour after that.
Almost nobody in this trade will put a number on a web page. You call around, and every shop tells you the same thing: "It depends, we'd have to come take a look." That's not always a dodge — plumbing really does vary job to job — but it also leaves you with no way to plan. So here's how pricing actually works in the Portland area, with real numbers.
Hourly rates in the Portland metro
Across Washington, Multnomah, and Clackamas counties, most licensed residential plumbers bill somewhere between $150 and $250 per hour in 2026. Where a given shop lands depends on overhead, how far they drive, and whether they're padding the rate to absorb "free" estimates and callbacks.
True Flow's standard rate is $185/hour, Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm, plus parts and materials. During those hours there's no separate trip charge or diagnostic fee — you're paying for the time we're actually working on your house.
Why the hourly number is misleading on its own: that $185 isn't take-home pay. It covers a licensed, bonded, insured plumber, a truck stocked with parts, the Oregon CCB license (ours is CCB#200212) and the continuing education behind it, fuel across a metro that stretches from Forest Grove to Gresham, and the warranty that stands behind the repair. A "cheap" unlicensed guy has none of that cost — and none of that accountability.
After-hours and weekend pricing
Pipes don't burst on a schedule, and emergency work costs more everywhere. Here's exactly how ours breaks down:
| When you call | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Mon–Fri, 8am–4pm | $185/hour + parts & materials |
| Mon–Fri, before 8am or after 4pm | $462.50 minimum (call-out + first hour), then $185/hour |
| Saturday & Sunday, all day | $462.50 minimum (call-out + first hour), then $185/hour |
Weekends count as after-hours all day — a Saturday afternoon call bills the same as a Tuesday at 2am. We publish this because we'd rather you know the number before you dial than find out when we hand you the bill. We answer 24/7, so if it's an emergency, call.
What common Portland plumbing jobs actually cost
Hourly rate is only half the picture — the bigger driver on most jobs is parts and scope. These are typical all-in ranges for the Portland area in 2026. Your house may land outside them; that's why we look before we quote.
Drain cleaning
A single clogged sink, tub, or toilet is usually a shorter visit. A main-line clog that needs a bigger machine, or a cleanout that's hard to reach, runs higher. If the drain keeps backing up, the real question is why — which often points to roots or a bellied line, not just a clog. (See our post on tree roots in Portland sewer lines.) More on drain cleaning →
Water heater replacement
The tank itself, the labor to haul the old one out and set the new one, code upgrades (expansion tank, seismic strapping, proper venting), and permit all factor in. Tankless costs more up front and needs gas and venting work. A straightforward like-for-like tank swap is the low end; a tankless conversion is the high end. More on water heaters →
Repiping
Whole-house repipes are priced by the number of fixtures, the number of stories, and how accessible the walls and crawlspace are. If your home has failing polybutylene pipe — common in Portland-area homes built from the late 1970s into the mid-'90s — this is the fix. More on repiping →
Leak detection & repair
Finding a hidden leak is billed at the hourly rate because it is the work. Once we locate it, the repair itself might be a 20-minute fix or an open-wall job, depending on where it hides. More on leak detection →
How to not overpay
- Confirm they're CCB-licensed. In Oregon, plumbing contractors must hold a CCB license. Ask for the number and look it up. Unlicensed work isn't covered by insurance and can fail a home inspection later.
- Ask how they bill: hourly, flat-rate, or "book pricing." None is automatically better, but you should know before they start.
- Get the trip/diagnostic fee up front. A $49 "just to show up" fee changes the math on a small job.
- Don't shop on price alone for emergencies. A burst pipe at midnight is a stop-the-water situation, not a get-three-quotes situation.
- For big jobs, ask about financing so a $4,000 water heater doesn't have to come out of one paycheck. We offer it through Wisetack, and checking if you qualify won't affect your credit score.
Our take: most plumbers won't publish a price because it removes their room to maneuver. We think that's backwards. You should be able to know roughly what a call costs before you pick up the phone. That's the whole reason this page has numbers on it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a plumber cost per hour in Portland?
Most licensed plumbers in the metro charge $150–$250/hour in 2026. True Flow charges $185/hour Monday–Friday, 8am–4pm, plus parts and materials, with no separate trip fee during standard hours.
Do plumbers charge a call-out or trip fee?
Some do, some don't. We don't charge a separate trip fee during standard weekday hours — you pay for time on the job. After-hours and weekend calls carry a $462.50 minimum that covers getting a licensed plumber to your door plus the first hour.
Is an estimate free?
Yes for planned work — a water heater replacement, a repipe, a fixture install. Diagnostic work on an active problem (like tracking down a hidden leak) is billed hourly, because that's the actual repair work, not a quote.
Is a licensed plumber worth it over a handyman?
For anything touching gas, your water heater, or pipes inside walls — yes. Licensed, permitted work is what protects you at resale and what your insurance relies on if something fails. The handyman price plus the redo is usually more than doing it right once.
Want a real number for your job?
Tell us what's going on and we'll give you a straight answer. Free estimates on planned work.