You spent decades building your plumbing business, earning the license, and training the crew. See what it's worth, privately, before you talk to a single buyer. We run a confidential, competitive process, so your plumbers, your customers, and your competitors never know unless you decide to move forward.
For most owners this is the biggest and most personal decision of their lives. We treat it that way.
Tell us about your company and a senior plumbing advisor will reach out personally to discuss what your business is worth.
What a plumbing company sells for comes down to its revenue mix, how much runs through the owner's license, and the strength of its membership base. We've closed 31 plumbing transactions as part of more than $1B in deals; these are the ranges we see.
Recurring membership revenue is the biggest lever. A shop with a real service-agreement base (maintenance plans, drain-cleaning contracts, priority memberships) can be worth a full turn or two more than one that lives on emergency calls and one-off jobs. We know how to document that revenue so a buyer pays for it.
For smaller, owner-run businesses, buyers price on SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings), which is your profit plus your owner salary, benefits, and one-time costs added back. Once a plumbing business earns more than about $500K and runs on a management team, buyers switch to EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), after subtracting a market-rate salary for the manager who replaces you. Same idea, larger company. The multiple is applied to that earnings number.
An example. Take a plumbing company with $6M in revenue and about $900K in adjusted earnings. A project-heavy shop that leans on new construction, with the owner still in the field, might sell around 5x, roughly $4.5M. The same earnings from a business with a real membership base, a service manager running the schedule, and licensed plumbers beyond the owner can command 7.5x or more, roughly $6.75M and up. Same earnings, very different outcome, driven mostly by revenue mix and how much runs through the owner personally.
What you keep. How the deal is structured (asset versus stock sale, earnout, rollover equity), your tax basis, and depreciation recapture on your trucks and equipment all change your net. Structuring the sale to maximize what you keep, not just the top-line number, is a core part of what we do. Talk to a tax professional for your situation.
See the exact number your multiple gets applied to.
For most plumbing company owners, the hardest part of selling is not the money, it is the people. You want your plumbers and apprentices to keep their jobs, your customers taken care of, and the name on the trucks to stay. We make that part of the deal, not an afterthought.
In most plumbing sales the crew is retained, because a buyer is buying a business that runs. In a trade this short on skilled labor, your licensed plumbers and trained apprentices are among the most valuable things a buyer gets, and how your people are treated is something we negotiate for you.
Many buyers keep your name, your brand, and the trucks in the community and run the company as a local platform. We help you pick one whose plans fit what you built.
You decide how involved you stay after the sale. Because many plumbing companies run the license through the owner as qualifier, buyers often want a defined transition so the license and bond transfer cleanly. It's negotiable, and we build it around your goals.
Not all private equity means what you fear. Many PE-backed buyers keep the team, invest in the business, and give owners a second payout when the larger company sells again. We steer you toward the right buyer, not just the highest bidder.
Successful plumbing companies get unsolicited calls, often from a private-equity-backed platform rolling up the trades or a larger regional operator. One buyer, negotiating alone, has every reason to pay as little as possible. A competitive process changes the math.
The buyer who called you is welcome to bid. In our process, they just have to bid against everyone else.
Know your number before any buyer names theirs.
BizDepot is a national M&A advisory that sells profitable plumbing businesses. We've closed 31 plumbing transactions as part of more than $1B in total deal volume. Here's what that gets you.
We bring your business to a national universe of vetted, financially qualified buyers, the platforms and strategic operators actively acquiring plumbing companies, not just whoever happened to call you.
We market a blind profile. Your crew, customers, and competitors don't learn the business is for sale until a vetted buyer signs an NDA.
We know how plumbing companies are valued, how buyers underwrite membership revenue, license risk, and revenue mix, and where value is won or lost, because we've done it 31 times.
Our fee is success-based. You pay nothing up front, and we're paid only when your business sells. If it doesn't sell, you owe us nothing.
You don't have to be ready to sell to find out what your business is worth. Get a free, confidential valuation, keep the number, and decide in your own time. No pressure, no obligation.
Plumbing companies are valued on a multiple of recast earnings, but the multiple itself is set by a handful of factors buyers underwrite closely.
The share of revenue from service agreements, maintenance plans, and drain-cleaning contracts. Renewing revenue de-risks the business, which is why a membership business commands materially more than an emergency-call shop.
Service and repair work is valued well above new construction, because it is higher-margin, faster-paying, and repeats. A book that leans on new construction is cyclical, and buyers price that risk in.
How much of the business depends on your personal license. A company whose only master plumber is the owner is discounted for the risk the license walks out the door. Licensed plumbers and a qualified backup protect the value.
A diversified residential and commercial customer base lowers a buyer's risk. Heavy reliance on one builder, property manager, or account is a discount you can work down.
Clean, separated books, documented job-costing, and clear membership records let a buyer trust your numbers. Personal expenses run through the business cost you multiple.
Owner dependence is the most common discount in this trade, and it is fixable. Documented systems and a defined transition show a buyer the business runs without you, protecting your value.
These are the levers that move your multiple. You do not need them all in place before you talk to us. If you have 12 to 24 months, working on them can add a full turn or more to your multiple. If you're ready to sell now, we position the strengths you already have.
Grow your service-agreement base and document plan counts, renewal rates, and per-visit profit so a buyer pays for it.
Get a second qualifier on staff so the business does not depend on your personal license. This takes about a year, so start early.
Move your revenue mix toward service, repair, and drain work, and away from reliance on new construction.
Separate your books and keep clear job-costing and membership records so a buyer can verify faster.
Spread revenue so no single builder, property manager, or account is too large a share.
Lock in your licensed plumbers and key techs with the right agreements so the team that creates the value stays.
Not sure which of these matters most for your business?
Get a free valuationFour kinds of buyers are acquiring plumbing companies today. Many of them keep the team and the brand and grow the business. We help you find one whose plans fit yours.
PE-backed platforms are rolling up the trades, and names like Apex Service Partners, Wrench Group, and Sila Services are actively acquiring plumbing companies with real membership revenue and licensed depth. For a quality company the competition is real, and membership revenue is commanding a premium. Markets change, which is why many owners get a valuation now, while they have time to act on it.
National service brands and larger mechanical contractors expanding their footprint into your market or adding service lines.
Funded operators looking for one great business to run themselves.
Multi-location players adding density, licensed crews, and membership books.
We work with established plumbing businesses, from owner-led service companies with real earnings to larger service and mechanical operators. If you're above $2M in revenue and thinking about an exit, you're worth a conversation.
BizDepot's job is to bring that buyer universe to your door, confidentially, and make them compete for your business.
Your sale is run end to end by a senior advisor, confidentially, from the first valuation to the wire at closing.
4–7 months
first call to wired funds
We do everything else
You do three things
Straight answers to the questions plumbing owners ask us most. Pick a topic.
Most plumbing businesses sell for about 2x to 4x SDE at the smaller, owner-operated end, and about 4x to 7x EBITDA once earnings pass roughly $500K and the company runs on a management team. Scaled and specialty operators with heavy recurring or commercial contract revenue reach 8x and up. Your exact number depends most on your membership revenue, your service-versus-construction mix, and how much runs through your license, and a free, confidential BizDepot valuation gives you a specific range.
Established plumbing companies generally sell for about 4x to 7x EBITDA, with drain and sewer specialists and strong membership-revenue businesses at the top of that range and beyond. Larger companies command more because scale and predictable revenue reduce risk and attract private-equity buyers who pay a premium to use them as a platform. BizDepot gives you the specific multiple for your business in a free valuation.
SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings) adds the owner's salary and perks back to profit and is used for smaller, owner-run businesses. EBITDA is used for larger companies with a management team, after subtracting a market-rate salary for the manager who replaces you. Plumbing businesses shift from SDE-based to EBITDA-based pricing as they grow past about $500K in earnings.
Buyers treat recurring membership revenue (maintenance plans, service agreements, drain-cleaning contracts, priority-service memberships) as the most valuable revenue you have because it is predictable and it renews, and it is the single biggest lever on your multiple. A book with a real membership base can be worth a full turn or two more than a comparable emergency-call shop, and positioning it correctly is part of how BizDepot lifts your price.
Grow your membership and service-agreement base, qualify a backup master plumber so the license does not depend on you, shift your mix toward service and repair work, clean up and separate your financials, and diversify your customer base. Starting 12 to 24 months out has the biggest impact, but even a few months of cleanup helps, and a free BizDepot valuation shows you which levers matter most for your business.
Owner dependence lowers the price, because a buyer weighs the risk of the business walking out the door with you. The discount is steepest when you are the only licensed master plumber and the qualifier of record. It is normal and fixable. We help show a buyer the business runs without you and structure a transition that protects your value.
Start with a valuation and exit strategy, then a financial recast and CIM, confidential introductions to vetted buyers, a private buyer auction, diligence, and a funded close. BizDepot runs all of it for you, confidentially.
A well-prepared sale typically runs about 4 to 7 months from first call to wired funds, depending on your financials, owner and license dependence, and buyer diligence. BizDepot manages every stage so it stays on track.
A recast rebuilds your profit-and-loss to show a buyer the true earnings power of the business by adding back owner-specific and one-time expenses. It is what your valuation multiple is applied to.
A Confidential Information Memorandum is the blind marketing document that presents your business to qualified buyers without revealing its identity until they sign an NDA.
An Indication of Interest is a non-binding early signal of a buyer's price range. A Letter of Intent is a more detailed offer that sets price and terms and moves the deal into diligence.
For a business with meaningful earnings and multiple potential buyers, an M&A advisor that runs a competitive process usually nets a higher price and better terms than a single-buyer sale. BizDepot is a national M&A advisory built for exactly this.
Plumbing businesses are bought by private-equity-backed platforms rolling up the trades, national service brands and strategic consolidators, larger regional companies, and individual buyers or search funds. Platform buyers are among the most active acquirers of well-run plumbing companies today, and BizDepot brings that buyer universe to you.
Yes. Private-equity-backed platforms have been steadily acquiring plumbing companies for years, drawn by non-discretionary repair demand, membership revenue, and the scarcity of licensed crews. Many keep your team and brand in place, and BizDepot helps you find the buyer whose plans fit what you want.
A roll-up is when a private-equity-backed platform acquires many regional plumbing companies to build a larger, multi-market business. It is well established in the trades, and because platform buyers pay a premium for good companies to grow with, it often works in your favor. We know which platforms are buying and what they pay.
The best time is when buyer demand is high and your financials are strong. Buyer demand for plumbing companies has stayed strong through the rate cycle, driven by consolidation and the scarcity of licensed labor, and disciplined buyers are rewarding well-run businesses. A free BizDepot valuation tells you what your business would attract in this market.
No. We market your business as a blind profile and reveal its identity only to vetted buyers who have signed an NDA. Your crew, your customers, and your competitors never know unless and until a deal closes, and confidentiality is the number one guarantee of how BizDepot works.
In most plumbing sales the team is retained, because buyers are buying the business's ability to keep running. In a trade this short on skilled labor, your licensed plumbers and apprentices are among the most valuable things they are buying. How your people are treated is something we negotiate for you and weigh when choosing a buyer.
Not necessarily. Some owners leave after a short transition, others stay for a brief earnout, and because many plumbing companies run their license through the owner, buyers often want a defined transition so the license and qualifier role transfer cleanly. The length and terms are negotiable, and we work them around your goals.
Often, yes. Many buyers keep your name, brand, and team in place and run the company as a local platform. We help you find a buyer whose plans fit what matters to you.
Many deals let you roll over a portion of equity and take a second payout when the larger company sells again. We structure the deal around your goals.
The master plumber license is held by you personally, not by the company, so it does not automatically transfer with the sale. A buyer needs a plan to keep the business licensed: their own qualifier, one of your licensed plumbers stepping up, or you staying on as qualifier through a defined transition. The same goes for your surety bond, which a buyer generally replaces at close. BizDepot addresses license and qualifier transfer as one of the first items in every plumbing deal, and with 31 plumbing transactions closed we know how to structure the transition so it does not stall the sale.
The fee for selling a plumbing business through an M&A advisor is typically success-based, a percentage of the final sale price paid only at closing, with no upfront costs. Your BizDepot advisor confirms the exact terms before you engage.
How much you keep depends mostly on how the deal is structured, not on the headline price, and it is what you actually retire on. The biggest savings come from planning before you sell: asset versus stock sale, how the price is allocated across equipment and goodwill, depreciation recapture on your trucks, your tax basis, state taxes, and whether you roll over equity all change what you owe. Structuring the deal to maximize your net proceeds is a core part of what BizDepot does, and starting 12 to 24 months out gives you the most room. Talk to a tax professional for your situation.
In an asset sale the buyer purchases the assets of the business; in a stock sale they buy the company entity. The choice affects taxes and liability for both sides, and it is a key negotiation point we manage.
BizDepot is a national M&A advisory that has sold businesses since 2003, with more than $1B in transactions, 530+ successful exits firm-wide, and 31 plumbing businesses among them. We work sell-side only, on success fees only, so we're paid when you are. Meet the advisory team that runs these deals.
Yes. BizDepot is a national M&A advisory and represents plumbing owners across the United States. Wherever your business is, you get the same confidential, competitive process and the same national buyer network.
You can, and some owners do, usually to the one buyer who approached them. The trade-off is a single-buyer negotiation with no competition and no market check on price. In our experience, owners who run an advisor-led competitive process consistently achieve stronger prices and terms, and BizDepot runs that process for you, confidentially.
Buyer demand for plumbing companies is strong and membership revenue is commanding a premium. See your number before you decide anything. No one finds out you're exploring a sale.
ConfidentialNo upfront feesNo obligation
