How to choose a plumber in Edmonton.

Check the certificate

Plumber, Gasfitter (Class A) and Gasfitter (Class B) are compulsory certification trades in Alberta. Restricted plumbing work may only be done by a registered apprentice, a certified journeyperson or the holder of a recognized trade certificate.

Ask for the journeyperson certificate and check it with Alberta’s official Tradesperson Lookup Tool, which confirms registered apprentices and Alberta-issued certificates; it cannot search credentials issued outside Alberta. What Edmonton requires of a contractor:

• A City of Edmonton business licence; doing business without one carries a $500 fine
• Registration with the City’s Safety Codes, Permits and Inspections section
• A permit before any work starts, when the job needs one

Get the price range in writing

Ask for the price range before anyone comes out, and for a written estimate before work starts. HomeStars’ Edmonton guide puts plumbers at $100–$180 an hour, with premiums for after-hours, weekend and emergency service.

In Alberta, a direct sales contract must state the supplier’s name, business address and phone number, the itemized price and your cancellation rights; a prepaid contract worth more than $200 must set out the materials and the work.

Permits for a water heater

A like-for-like water heater swap in a single-family home needs no gas or plumbing permit under Alberta’s Permit Regulation, as long as the piping and venting design does not change. Moving, upsizing or converting the unit needs permits.

An Edmonton homeowner permit is only for an owner who owns and lives in the single detached house and does the work personally. Skipped inspections can mean opening finished walls and paying more inspection costs.

Red flags

Stop and check before you sign when you see:

• A seller at your door offering a water heater you did not ask for: Alberta bars prepaid contractors from selling one at your home unless you invited them
• Money taken before the work is done, with no prepaid contracting licence
• A journeyperson certificate that the Tradesperson Lookup Tool does not show
• Work started without the permit the job needs

If you signed at home

Alberta consumers can cancel a direct sales contract, such as one signed at home, within 10 days of receiving a copy, without giving a reason, and within one year if the seller needed a licence and did not hold one.

Questions to ask

Before work starts:

• Can I see your Alberta journeyperson certificate?
• Do you hold a City of Edmonton business licence?
• What is the price range, and what would change it?
• Does the job need a permit, and who pulls it?
• Is there a service-call fee or an after-hours charge?