The best plumbers in Raleigh and Wake Forest

Choosing a plumber usually means picking a name out of a search result and hoping for the best. North Carolina, at least, makes one part of it genuinely checkable: every plumbing contractor in the state has to hold a current license from the NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors, and that register is public and free to search.

So that is the foundation here. Every company below holds a current license, and we looked each number up at the board instead of taking it off a website. From there the ranking follows the things you can verify without hiring anyone: how long the company has been trading, the class of license it holds, whether the BBB has accredited it and for how long, and whether it will commit to a price in writing before anyone picks up a wrench.

One company we expected to find here turned out to be gone. Rural Plumbing closed after seventy-nine years, and its state license is still showing as active, which is a useful reminder that a live license does not always mean a live business.

Before the list starts, one thing to be clear about. We have not hired any of these businesses, and we are not telling you they do good work, because we have no way of knowing that. What is ranked below is ranked on facts you can check yourself: license number and status, years in business, published credentials, BBB rating and accreditation, service area and published hours. Where a business publishes nothing, we say so instead of filling the gap. Get more than one quote, and look the license up yourself before you sign anything.

Hours below come from each business's own published information and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

Bolton Construction & Service

Bolton has been plumbing Raleigh houses since 1925, which makes it the oldest plumbing contractor still trading in Wake County by a comfortable margin — a century and a year, to be exact. It holds a Plumbing Class I contractor license alongside heating and fire sprinkler classifications, so a single company can cover most of what a house is likely to need, and it has been BBB accredited since 2010.

Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 24-hour emergency service offered separately.

Address: 1623 Old Louisburg Rd., Suite 2, Raleigh, NC 27604

Why they made the list

• NC license L.22834, Plumbing Class I Contractor, active with classifications running to 12/31/2026. We looked this number up at the state board ourselves.
• Founded in 1925. Both the company's own history page and its BBB record agree on the year, which is not always the case with businesses this old.
• BBB rated A+ and accredited since 2010.
• Also licensed for Heating Groups 1, 2 and 3 Class I and for fire sprinkler installation and inspection. That breadth matters a lot more on a renovation than on a leak.
• Names Wake Forest on its service pages, so you are not calling outside its patch.

See the full directory listing

Blanton's Air, Plumbing & Electric

Blanton's started in Fayetteville in 1951 and now runs offices in Raleigh and Garner. It holds a Plumbing Class I contractor license alongside heating classifications, and it sells on upfront pricing with service options instead of an hourly rate. Like most companies that advertise this, it publishes no actual numbers.

Hours: Not published.

Address: 8810 Westgate Park Dr., Suite 110, Raleigh, NC 27617

Why they made the list

• NC license L.20688, Plumbing Class I Contractor, active to 12/31/2026, verified at the state board.
• Trading since 1951. Its own About page and the BBB record agree.
• BBB rated A+ and accredited since 2022.
• Advertises upfront pricing with service options, which at least means you should get a number before anyone starts work.
• Worth knowing: the state license record carries the Fayetteville head office address, not the Raleigh one. It is the same licensed entity, so do not be thrown by it when you look the license up.

See the full directory listing

Newcomb and Company

Newcomb is a Raleigh mechanical contractor that has been going since October 1954, and it holds a Plumbing Class I contractor license together with all three heating classifications. It is also one of the very few companies here whose BBB profile lists it as open around the clock, every day.

Hours: The BBB profile lists open 24 hours, every day. The company's own site publishes no hours.

Address: 3000 Comfort Ct., Raleigh, NC 27604

Why they made the list

• NC license L.19479, Plumbing Class I Contractor, active to 12/31/2026, verified at the state board.
• Operating since October 1954 according to the BBB record, which lines up with the company's own history page. Seventy-two years, second only to Bolton on this list.
• BBB rated A+, though it is not BBB accredited.
• Holds Heating Groups 1, 2 and 3 Class I as well as the plumbing license, so it can take on mechanical work that a plumbing-only contractor cannot.
• The BBB profile lists it as open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The company's own site publishes no hours at all, so confirm before you rely on it.

See the full directory listing

Lester's Plumbing Service

Lester's works out of Youngsville, has done since 1982, and names Wake Forest, Wakefield and Youngsville together as its home patch. That makes it the closest established plumbing contractor to most of our readers. It holds a Plumbing Class II license, which is worth understanding before you call.

Hours: Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nights, weekends and holidays are handled as needed or for warranty work only, not as a general emergency service.

Address: 400 Boardwalk Dr., Suite 440, Youngsville, NC 27596

Why they made the list

• NC license L.34092, Plumbing Class II Contractor, active to 12/31/2026, verified at the state board.
• Founded in 1982, confirmed by both its own site and the BBB record.
• BBB rated A+, though not BBB accredited.
• The only company on this list that names Wake Forest, Wakefield and Youngsville together as its home service area. The Raleigh companies treat those towns as the far edge of their territory.
• Class II, not Class I, which caps the scale of job it can legally take on. For a house that is unlikely to matter. For a commercial project it will.

See the full directory listing

Lane Plumbing

Lane opened on Sunnybrook Road in the mid-1980s and carries one of the lowest license numbers on this list, L.10067. It runs seven-day emergency service and has been BBB accredited since 2013.

Hours: The BBB profile lists 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The company advertises 24-hour and seven-day emergency service.

Address: 805 Sunnybrook Rd., Raleigh, NC 27610

Why they made the list

• NC license L.10067, Plumbing Class I Contractor, active to 12/31/2026, verified at the state board.
• BBB rated A+ and accredited since 2013.
• Advertises 24-hour, seven-day emergency service, and the BBB profile backs that up with hours running to 10 p.m. daily.
• Its own site says it opened in 1986; the BBB record says 1988. We could not settle which is right, so both are here.
• Serves Raleigh and Cary, and does not name Wake Forest. If you are north of the county line, call and ask first.

See the full directory listing

Raleigh Plumbing & Heating

Founded in July 1993, and BBB accredited since February 1998 — twenty-eight years, which is the longest accreditation of any company on this list. It keeps ordinary weekday office hours but advertises a genuine 24-hour emergency line on top.

Hours: Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed weekends. 24-hour after-hours emergency service advertised.

Address: 5060 Trademark Dr., Raleigh, NC 27610

Why they made the list

• NC license L.17542, Plumbing Class I Contractor, active to 12/31/2026, verified at the state board.
• BBB rated A+ and accredited since February 1998. Twenty-eight years of continuous accreditation is the longest run here by a decade.
• Founded July 1993, confirmed by both its own About page and the BBB record.
• Advertises 24-hour after-hours emergency service despite closing the office at five.
• One oddity: three different phone numbers appear across its website, its BBB record and the state license record. The number in its directory listing is the one from its own site.

See the full directory listing

PipeTechs Plumbing Technologies

PipeTechs has been trading since 1993 and is the most explicit company on this list about money: it commits in writing to a detailed written estimate before any work begins, stating what the final cost for parts and labor will be. It also holds a residential fire sprinkler classification, which almost no general plumber bothers with.

Hours: Not published.

Address: 6600 Mt Herman Rd., Raleigh, NC 27617

Why they made the list

• NC license L.32162, covering Plumbing Class I Contractor, Plumbing Class I Technician and Residential Fire Sprinkler Installation Contractor. Active to 12/31/2026, verified at the state board.
• Commits in writing to a detailed written estimate before work begins, stating the final cost for parts and labor. Only one other company here goes that far.
• BBB rated A+ and accredited since 2025.
• The residential fire sprinkler classification is unusual and useful if you are building or renovating. Less so for a repair.
• It publishes no opening hours anywhere, which for a company this transparent about pricing is a strange gap.

See the full directory listing

Poole's Plumbing

Robert K. Poole started this Garner company in April 1999. It is one of only two firms on this list that puts a written commitment behind its pricing, promising the price before any work is done, and it runs a genuine round-the-clock emergency service. Somebody picks up.

Hours: Mon-Fri 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Weekends on call. 24-hour, seven-day emergency service.

Address: 200 Tinsteel Ct., Garner, NC 27529

Why they made the list

• NC license L.35659, Plumbing Class I Contractor plus all three heating classifications, active to 12/31/2026, verified at the state board.
• States that technicians will always give the price upfront and before performing any work. That is a written commitment. Most companies get no further than saying they are fair on price.
• BBB rated A+ and accredited since 2008.
• Founded April 1999 by Robert K. Poole, confirmed by both its own About page and the BBB record.
• Works a one-hour radius from Garner and names Raleigh, Cary, Apex and Durham. It does not name Wake Forest, so check before you book.

See the full directory listing

CK's Plumbing & Backflow

A Raleigh company holding a Plumbing Class I contractor license, BBB accredited since 2010, running 24/7 emergency service and naming Wake Forest in its coverage. Backflow testing is a specialty most general plumbers do not advertise, and it is the kind of thing you only discover you need when an inspector asks for it.

Hours: Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weekends by appointment. 24/7 emergency service offered separately.

Address: 3800 Greywood Dr., Raleigh, NC 27604

Why they made the list

• NC license L.28692, Plumbing Class I Contractor, active to 12/31/2026, verified at the state board.
• BBB rated A+ and accredited since 2010.
• Advertises 24/7 emergency service, with weekend work by appointment.
• Names Wake Forest in its service area, which not every Raleigh plumber does.
• Its own site says trading since 2010; the BBB record says 2006, with accreditation from 2010. We could not reconcile the two, so both are here.

See the full directory listing

Midtown Plumbing

The newest company on this list, founded in the fall of 2013 — but BBB accredited within a year of opening, and explicit that it is licensed and insured to work in Wake Forest. It advertises 24/7 service on its Wake Forest page specifically, instead of burying the town in a list of thirty others.

Hours: Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed weekends. Emergency 24/7 service advertised on its Wake Forest page.

Address: 2660 Discovery Dr., Suite 132, Raleigh, NC 27616

Why they made the list

• NC license L.32314, Plumbing Class I Contractor, active to 12/31/2026, verified at the state board.
• BBB rated A+ and accredited since 2014, within a year of opening, which is fast.
• Founded in the fall of 2013, confirmed by both its own site and the BBB record.
• States it is licensed and insured to serve residents and business owners in Wake Forest specifically.
• Two different phone numbers appear across its site, the BBB record and the license record, so use the one in its directory listing.

See the full directory listing

Frequently asked questions

Who is the oldest plumbing company in Raleigh?

Bolton Construction and Service, founded in Raleigh in 1925 and still trading from Old Louisburg Road. Its own history page and its BBB record agree on the year, which is not always the case with a business this old. Newcomb and Company, founded in October 1954, comes second, and Blanton's dates to 1951 although it started out in Fayetteville.

How do I check a plumber's license in North Carolina?

Search the NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors at public.nclicensing.org. You can search by company name or by license number, and the record shows the class of license, the classifications held and the expiration date. It is free and it takes about a minute, which is a lot less time than dealing with an unlicensed repair.

What is the difference between a Class I and a Class II plumbing license in NC?

Class I is unlimited. Class II caps the scale of work the contractor is allowed to take on. Every company on this list holds Class I except Lester's Plumbing Service, which holds Class II. For a house that rarely matters. For a commercial project it does.

Which plumbers in Raleigh offer 24-hour emergency service?

Bolton, Lane Plumbing, Raleigh Plumbing and Heating, Poole's Plumbing, CK's Plumbing and Backflow and Midtown Plumbing all advertise round-the-clock emergency service, and Newcomb and Company's BBB profile lists it as open 24 hours every day. Lester's handles nights and weekends as needed, not as a standing service, so it is worth knowing the difference before 2 a.m.

Which plumbers in Raleigh give a written estimate before starting work?

PipeTechs Plumbing Technologies commits in writing to a detailed written estimate stating the final cost for parts and labor before any work starts. Poole's Plumbing states that technicians will always give the price upfront and before performing any work. Blanton's advertises upfront pricing too, although like most companies that say this, it publishes no actual rates.

Is there a plumber based near Wake Forest?

Lester's Plumbing Service in Youngsville, founded in 1982, is the closest established contractor on this list. It names Wake Forest, Wakefield and Youngsville together as its home service area, which none of the Raleigh companies do. CK's Plumbing and Backflow and Midtown Plumbing both name Wake Forest in their coverage as well.