Local plumbing for Miami homes

Utilities, permits and licensing

Your drinking water comes from Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, and wastewater goes to Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. When a drain backs up, the question is where the blockage sits: inside the house or in your private sewer lateral is usually the owner's job, while the public main belongs to the utility. Florida licenses plumbing contractors through the Construction Industry Licensing Board at the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which has an online lookup.

Know your Miami house

Little Havana's streets hold many small bungalows and duplexes from the 1930s to the 1950s, along with low-rise apartment buildings. Miami housing runs from 1920s Mediterranean Revival houses in Coconut Grove and Shenandoah to high-rise condos along Brickell and Edgewater.

Miami-Dade and Broward are in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, where roofs, windows and garage doors must meet tougher wind standards. Homes built on concrete slabs have supply lines running under or through the slab, and a slab leak often shows up first as a warm spot on the floor or a meter that keeps spinning.

Freezing is not the issue here. Heavy rain, high groundwater and constant heat are, and they show up as slow drains, backed-up lines and corroded fittings. Summer highs sit near 90 degrees with heavy humidity, and the rainy season runs roughly May through October.

What to have ready

Write down when the problem started and anything that changed, like new fixtures or recent work on the building.

Signs you should call

Here is what Miami callers mention most:

• Slow or clogged drains
• Running toilet
• Low water pressure

How we connect you

1. Tell us what is wrong and how urgent it is.
2. Your details go to a plumber with availability in your part of Miami.
3. Nothing is booked until you and the pro agree on the visit and the cost.