What should a plumber's written quote include in California, and when do I pay?

Which rules apply to your job

California's Business and Professions Code sets up two paths. Section 7159.10 defines the small one. A job counts as a service and repair contract only if all four of these are true:

• The price is $750 or less.
• You contacted the contractor and asked for the work.
• The contractor sells you nothing beyond what it takes to fix the problem you called about.
• No payment is due, or taken, until the work is completed.

"Completed" has a precise meaning in that section. Everything that made you call has to be fully corrected, and if the job needed a permit, the building department has to have accepted the work.

If even one of those four is missing, the law treats the paper as a home improvement contract, whatever the price. That brings the fuller contract rules and the cancellation rights in Civil Code sections 1689.6 and 1689.7. Section 7151 defines home improvement broadly. It covers repairing, altering, replacing and adding to a home.

Example one: the kitchen sink that will not drain

You call a plumber because the kitchen sink backs up. The quote is under $750 and covers clearing that drain. Under section 7159.14, the paper you sign should do all of this:

1. Be in writing and state the price. That can be a fixed amount, or an estimate if the plumber works on time and materials.
2. Include labor, materials and profit in that amount.
3. Stay within the estimate. On a time and materials job, the final bill cannot go over the estimate unless you agree in writing.
4. Carry no more than one service charge. A trip charge or an inspection fee counts as one.
5. Leave payment until the drain runs. Payment is not due before the job is completed.

Two more rules sit around the paper. If the plumber has a service charge, the law wants it mentioned in every ad, with the amount given to you when you phone. The old parts are yours to see: the contractor must offer them back.

Say that, once the drain is clear, the plumber also offers to replace the faucet. Selling beyond the problem you called about takes the job outside the service and repair path, and the home improvement rules apply.

Example two: repiping an older house

A repipe is well over $750, so it is a home improvement contract. Section 7159.5 sets the money rules:

• The contract is in writing and states the contract amount in dollars and cents. That amount covers profit, labor and materials. Finance charges are not part of it.
• A down payment, if any, may not be more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract amount, whichever is less.
• If you will pay in stages before the end, the contract needs a schedule of payments in dollars and cents, each tied to a stated part of the work or to materials delivered.
• Apart from the down payment, the contractor may not ask for or take more than the value of the work done or materials delivered so far.
• After any payment, you can ask the contractor for a lien release covering the work you have paid for.

The deposit cap, worked out

Above $10,000 the cap stops growing. A request for a third or half up front on a big job does not fit the rule.

Six checks before you sign

1. The contractor's license number is on the contract. Section 7030.5 requires it on every construction contract.
2. The price is written in dollars and cents, or as a dollar estimate on time and materials work.
3. The contract is in the language the plumber used to explain the job to you. For service and repair contracts, section 7159.10 requires that.
4. Any service or trip charge is stated, and there is only one.
5. On bigger jobs, the deposit fits the cap in the table above, and any stage payments are tied to work you can see.
6. You know which path the job is on. If it was sold as a small repair but fails one of the four tests, you have the fuller rights.

Asking CNTRline for a written quote

CNTRline Plumbing Service Inc holds CSLB license #1036920 and serves Rohnert Park and nearby areas. You can describe the job and ask for a quote in writing on CNTRline's quote request page, or call (707) 308-5599. Hold the quote up against the six checks above.

Sources

1. Contractors State License Board, 2026 California Contractors License Law and Reference Book: Business and Professions Code sections 7030.5, 7151, 7151.2, 7159.5, 7159.10 and 7159.14: cslb.ca.gov (PDF). Checked 5 November 2026.
2. Civil Code sections 1689.6 and 1689.7 (cancellation rights), as cited in Business and Professions Code section 7159.10(b) in the same book. The Civil Code text itself was not reopened for this guide.
3. License number and service area for CNTRline: its website and Google listing, both read on 5 November 2026.