Construction Leads for Plumbers in the United States: Where the Projects Are and Who Awards Them
The best construction leads for plumbers are permitted projects at the stage when plumbing work is still being awarded, with the name of the person who awards it. On October 1, 2026, Builtie's permit data held 35,898 projects in the plumbing award window across six US metros (New York, Austin, Miami-Dade, Nashville, Chicago and Seattle), 23,590 of them permitted in the last 90 days. Most of that work is awarded by builders and general contractors, not homeowners, and it is awarded once: underground plumbing goes in before the slab and rough-in follows framing, so plumbing is usually awarded between about 20% and 55% of the way through the build, earlier still on slab-on-grade work. Reach the owner of a small builder, or the project manager or estimator at a commercial GC, before that point and you are pricing against two or three firms instead of the whole bid list.
The same four steps, whether the buyer is a builder, a designer, an owner or a company you want to acquire.
Plumbing projects in the award window, by US metro
| Metro | Projects in the plumbing award window | Permitted in the last 90 days | Median project value (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 20,956 | 14,212 | 635,000 |
| Austin | 7,091 | 4,757 | not published |
| Miami-Dade | 4,564 | 2,489 | 1,000,000 |
| Nashville | 1,482 | 1,066 | 410,000 |
| Chicago | 1,075 | 553 | 1,000,000 |
| Seattle | 730 | 513 | 450,000 |
| Six US metros | 35,898 | 23,590 | – |
Read October 1, 2026 from Builtie's permit data. A project counts when its permit was issued in the last four years, its stage sits inside the trade's award window, and the trade's share of the project clears the smallest contract the trade usually takes. Miami-Dade is the county feed (unincorporated Miami-Dade plus many of its cities). New York's feed starts in February 2026. Austin states a construction cost on 7% of permits, so its counts are the least filtered by job size and its median is not published.
City guides for this trade: Plumbing leads in New York, Plumbing leads in Austin, Plumbing leads in Miami-Dade, Plumbing leads in Nashville, Plumbing leads in Chicago, Plumbing leads in Seattle. Canada: Toronto.
Who awards plumbing work
| Customer | Who usually picks the plumbing contractor | What they weigh |
|---|---|---|
| Custom home builder or remodeler | The owner or the project lead | Price, underground and rough-in timing, fixture knowledge |
| Production home builder | Purchasing, on a per-plan price | Unit price, crew capacity, inspection pass rate |
| Multifamily or commercial GC | Project manager or estimator at buyout | A complete number, coordination with mechanical, schedule |
| Restaurant and tenant fit-out | The fit-out GC or the tenant's construction manager | Grease, gas and short schedules |
The decision maker changes with the size of the builder. At a small builder it is the owner; at a commercial GC it is whoever runs buyout on that project. A list of companies is not enough; you need the person, and their current employer checked against the record. See How contact data is verified.
When plumbing is awarded, in months after the permit
As a share of the build, plumbing is usually awarded between 20% and 55% of the way through. In months, that depends on the size of the project:
| Project size | Typical build | When plumbing is usually awarded |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | 7 months | month 1 to 4 |
| $2 million | 13 months | month 3 to 7 |
| $10 million | 20 months | month 4 to 11 |
| $50 million | 30 months | month 6 to 17 |
Build lengths are Builtie's duration tiers by declared project value. Projects whose plumbing share is under 5,000 US dollars, the smallest contract the trade usually quotes, are left out of the counts above. For every trade side by side, see When to contact each trade.
On slab jobs, ask for the underground scope separately. It is the first plumbing work on site and the GC needs it priced before the pour, which is your earliest opening on the project.
Who is pulling the permits
The busiest firms in a metro are both your competitors and, for some trades, your customers. Rankings built from the permit record: Most active plumbing contractors in Austin, Most active plumbing contractors in Miami-Dade, Most active plumbing contractors in New York. For home builders: Austin, Nashville and Miami-Dade.
Where plumbers find construction leads, compared
| Source | What you get | When you hear about the job | Who else sees it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeowner lead marketplaces | A homeowner's request | When they are ready to hire | Several contractors who paid for the same lead |
| Bid networks and GC invitations | Plans and a bid date from a GC | At bid time | Every sub on that GC's list |
| Public bid portals | Public projects with formal bids | At bid time | Anyone who registers |
| Building permits, raw | A permit number and an address | Early, before trades are bought out | Few, because few do the research |
| Builtie | Permitted projects in your trade's window, with the builder and a verified decision maker | Early, inside your award window | Few |
For the case against shared homeowner leads, see Project leads vs residential lead marketplaces; for why fewer, better-timed projects beat a big list, see Construction lead quality vs quantity.
Plans and coverage
Builtie's Starter plan is $79 per seat per month (CAD) for 20 projects; Growth is $99 for 50 projects and adds the LinkedIn and email outreach you run yourself. Opening a project spends one credit, and the decision makers, emails, phones and AI call script inside it are included. Your monthly credits reset at each renewal, and extra credit packs are valid for 30 days. The free trial runs 7 days with 10 projects. Custom, where Builtie's team runs the outreach for you, starts from CAD $1,500 a month on top of a Growth seat.
Builtie covers North America, with its deepest permit and contact data in the Greater Toronto Area, where it started. How much a city yields depends on what that municipality publishes, so ask for live sample projects in your own city before you buy.
See also: Best lead generation software for plumbing contractors, ServiceTitan vs Builtie for new construction, How to get on a general contractor's bid list.
Frequently asked questions
Where can plumbers find construction leads in the US?
From building permits, bid invitations from general contractors, public bid portals and homeowner lead marketplaces. Permits are the earliest and least shared. On October 1, 2026 Builtie held 35,898 projects in the plumbing award window across New York, Austin, Miami-Dade, Nashville, Chicago and Seattle.
When is plumbing work awarded on a new construction project?
Usually between 20% and 55% of the way through the build: underground plumbing goes in before the slab and rough-in follows framing, so plumbing is usually awarded between about 20% and 55% of the way through the build, earlier still on slab-on-grade work.
Who should plumbers contact at a general contractor?
At a small builder, the owner. At a mid-size or large commercial GC, the project manager, preconstruction manager or chief estimator running buyout on that project.
How do plumbing contractors get commercial construction jobs?
By getting on the bid list of the general contractors building in their area before buyout, then pricing complete. The earliest signal is the building permit; Builtie lists permitted projects in the plumbing award window with the GC or builder and a verified decision maker.
Does Builtie cover my city?
Builtie covers North America, with permit-level depth in New York, Austin, Miami-Dade, Nashville, Chicago and Seattle in the US and deepest coverage in the Greater Toronto Area. Ask for live sample projects in your own city before you buy.
How much does Builtie cost?
Starter is $79 per seat per month (CAD) for 20 projects; Growth is $99 for 50 projects and adds LinkedIn and email outreach. The free trial runs 7 days with 10 projects.