15 min read

Top 4 Plumbers in Columbus, OH

Quick Comparison

Firm Founded / Tenure & Credentials Services & Specialties Geographic Focus
Fritz Baumann & Sons, Inc. Continuous family operation since 1939 (86 years), among the longest-tenured plumbing practices in Central Ohio; four generations of Baumann family ownership; current President Steven M. Baumann; licensed, bonded, and insured family business Plumbing repair and installation, water heater installation and repair, drain cleaning, sump pump services, pipe and fixture installations, gas line work, kitchen and bathroom remodeling (specialty in high-end remodels) Olde Towne East / Near East Side HQ (1540 East Gates Street, Columbus, OH 43206); Columbus and Central Ohio
R&T Yoder Continuous family operation since 2004 (21 years), founded by Rod and Tina Yoder; multigenerational succession with sons Vincent Yoder and Mitchell Yoder joining the operating team; over 50 employees, 50,000+ jobs completed; ten Ohio operating locations; BBB Accredited; three-license stack: Ohio Plumbing License #45632, Ohio Electrical License #21937, Ohio HVAC License #31410 Plumbing repair and installation, electrical (NEC standards), HVAC, residential and commercial work Plain City HQ (7927 Memorial Drive, Plain City, OH 43064); Central Ohio including Columbus, Hilliard, Dublin, Grove City, Gahanna, Plain City
McDermott Plumbing & Backflow Continuous family operation since 2009 (16 years), founded by Michael McDermott as a fifth-generation master plumber; Ohio State University alumnus; Ohio Master Plumber License #47245; backflow specialty plus residential and commercial plumbing scope; flat-rate honest-pricing operating philosophy with guaranteed prices before work begins; 24/7 service availability Residential and commercial plumbing, water heater installation and repair, drain cleaning, backflow testing and systems, leak detection, fixture installation North Side HQ (2804 N. High Street, Suite 82271, Columbus, OH 43202); Columbus area including Upper Arlington, Worthington, Dublin, Bexley
Apex Pros Plumbing, Electrical, Heating & Air Continuous operation since March 2021 (4 years), founded by CEO Sammy with 25 years of prior business experience; rapid scale to 150+ service trucks and eight Ohio operating locations; three-license stack: Ohio Plumbing License #46793, Ohio HVAC License #48260, Ohio Electrical License #35489; 10,000+ five-star Google reviews; A-plus BBB rating; official partnership with the Columbus Blue Jackets Plumbing repair and installation, electrical work, HVAC services (heating and air), residential and commercial work Eight Ohio locations including Columbus (6663 Huntley Road Suite M, Columbus, OH 43229), Dublin (4300 Tuller Road, Dublin, OH 43017), Gahanna (834 Morrison Road, Gahanna, OH 43230), plus Dayton-area offices in Dayton (5450 Far Hills Avenue Suite 209), Huber Heights (7748 Wildcat Road), and Newark and Lancaster offices; Columbus, Dublin, Gahanna, Lancaster, Newark, Dayton, Huber Heights, broader Central Ohio and Dayton Metro

1. Fritz Baumann & Sons, Inc.

  • Address: 1540 East Gates Street, Columbus, OH 43206
  • Phone: (614) 444-5522
  • Operating Since: 1939 (86 years of continuous family operation across four generations of the Baumann family)
  • President: Steven M. Baumann (current generation operating leadership)
  • Operating Status: Family-owned and operated; licensed, bonded, and insured
  • Specialty Profile: High-end remodel specialty alongside standard residential and commercial plumbing service
  • Service area: Columbus and Central Ohio
  • Website: fritzbaumannplumbinginc.com

Four-Generation Baumann Succession From the 1939 Founding

Fritz Baumann & Sons has operated continuously since 1939, grounding 86 years of Central Ohio plumbing service across four generations of Baumann family ownership. The 86-year service area extends across the full Columbus building stock evolution from the late-1930s pre-World-War-II residential era through the 1940s-1960s postwar suburban tract development across the North Side and Upper Arlington corridors, the 1970s-1980s urban-renewal cycle across German Village and Olde Towne East, the 1990s-2000s Northwest suburban surge across Dublin and Powell, and the contemporary urban-renovation cycle across the historic German Village and Short North corridors plus the broader Central Ohio service market. The 1540 East Gates Street headquarters places the firm geographically inside the Olde Towne East / Near East Side corridor, with the headquarters position establishing the firm’s Central Ohio operating identity across the multi-decade tenure window. Steven M. Baumann serves as the current President, building today’s family-operating-leadership profile.

High-End Remodel Specialty Plus Eighty-Six Year Operating Tenure

Fritz Baumann & Sons specializes in high-end remodels alongside the standard residential and commercial plumbing service scope, distinguishing the firm from generalist Central Ohio plumbing competitors with the renovation-segment positioning. The high-end remodel specialty addresses the contemporary Columbus luxury renovation market across German Village, Olde Towne East, Bexley, Upper Arlington, Worthington, and the broader inner-suburban affluent corridors where 1900s-1940s prewar residential building stock supports premium kitchen-and-bathroom renovation work. The 86-year continuous tenure window plus the four-generation Baumann family succession produces an institutional-knowledge profile that few Central Ohio plumbing operations match, with the firm’s combined operating-history-plus-specialty-positioning underpinning the firm’s premium-renovation segment positioning. The licensed-bonded-and-insured operating status grounds the regulatory-credential foundation across today’s period.

Olde Towne East Headquarters Plus Central Ohio Service Reach

Fritz Baumann’s 1540 East Gates Street headquarters places the firm geographically in the Olde Towne East / Near East Side neighborhood of Columbus, setting the operating base inside the historic Columbus residential corridor where 1880s-1920s Victorian and Craftsman-era building stock concentrates most heavily. The Near East Side position supports daily-dispatch reach across central Columbus (Downtown, Discovery District, German Village, Brewery District, Schumacher Place), the inner-suburban affluent corridor (Bexley, Eastmoor, Berwick), and the broader Central Ohio service area. The deep Ohio-trade depth on how 1880s-1940s Columbus plumbing was specified through the original municipal water-and-sewer infrastructure (Columbus Water Works dating to 1871) underpins the firm’s positioning in the historic-renovation segment of the Central Ohio plumbing market.

Multigenerational Baumann Family Operating Continuity

The four-generation Baumann family operating succession runs across 86 years of continuous Columbus operation, with Steven M. Baumann setting up the modern fourth-generation operating leadership. The multigenerational continuity matters operationally for Central Ohio work because the Columbus building stock stretches across roughly 150 years of residential development, and Ohio-trade depth on how each construction era specified plumbing differently across German Village’s 1850s-1880s German-immigrant rowhouse stock, Victorian Village’s 1880s-1900s Victorian residential expansion, the 1920s-1930s prewar luxury residential development across Bexley and Marble Cliff, the postwar 1940s-1960s suburban tract expansion across Upper Arlington and Worthington, and the contemporary urban-renovation cycle each produces distinct service-specification requirements. The Baumann family operating succession across four generations preserves the trade-knowledge transfer across owner generations rather than across hires.

Licensed-Bonded-and-Insured Operating Profile Plus Family Ownership

Fritz Baumann & Sons operates under licensed-bonded-and-insured status as the foundational regulatory-credential profile, with the family-owned and operated positioning distinguishing the firm from corporate-rollup competitors that have absorbed many traditional family-owned Central Ohio plumbing operations across the modern acquisition cycle. The 86-year continuous family operating tenure combined with the high-end remodel specialty positioning yields a credential-and-tenure stack that grounds the firm’s premium-renovation segment positioning in the current Columbus plumbing market.

2. R&T Yoder

  • Address (HQ): 7927 Memorial Drive, Plain City, OH 43064
  • Phone: (614) 206-5401
  • Founders: Rod Yoder and Tina Yoder (2004; Tina initially managed operations from a home office)
  • Founder Background: Rod brought nearly two decades of experience maintaining the LeVeque Tower (a Columbus landmark), accumulating numerous certifications and licenses
  • Second Generation: Sons Vincent Yoder and Mitchell Yoder (joined the operating team)
  • Operating Since: 2004 (21 years of continuous family operation)
  • Operating Scale: Over 50 employees; 50,000+ jobs completed
  • Operating Locations: Ten across Ohio
  • Ohio Plumbing License: #45632
  • Ohio Electrical License: #21937
  • Ohio HVAC License: #31410
  • Credentials: Fully licensed, bonded, and insured; BBB Accredited; 5-Star rated; NEC standards compliance for electrical work
  • Service area: Central Ohio including Columbus, Hilliard, Dublin, Grove City, Gahanna, Plain City
  • Website: rtyoder.com

Yoder Family Operation Since 2004 With LeVeque Tower Founder Background

R&T Yoder has operated continuously since 2004 under Rod and Tina Yoder, with founder Rod Yoder bringing nearly two decades of mechanical-systems experience from his prior tenure maintaining the LeVeque Tower (the iconic Columbus 47-story Art Deco skyscraper built 1927 that secures the downtown Columbus skyline). The LeVeque Tower maintenance background produced extensive certifications and licenses that Rod carried into the R&T Yoder founding-era business model. Tina Yoder initially managed operations from a home office during the venture launch, framing the husband-and-wife founder partnership profile. The 21-year service area extends across the post-2004 Central Ohio residential expansion through the 2008-2012 housing-market reset, the 2015-onward Central Ohio tech-and-headquarters growth surge, and the contemporary residential-and-commercial service market.

Three-License Stack Plus Five-of-Rod’s-Children Generational Succession

R&T Yoder operates under a three-license stack covering Ohio Plumbing License #45632, Ohio Electrical License #21937, and Ohio HVAC License #31410. The three-license profile reflects R&T Yoder’s category breadth across plumbing plus electrical plus HVAC work, with the integrated trade capacity supporting whole-home service work through one operating team. Two of Rod’s five children (Vincent Yoder and Mitchell Yoder) now work alongside their father in the company, rooting the second-generation Yoder family operating succession in progress. The 50+ employee operating scale plus the 50,000+ jobs completed across 21 years of operation distinguishes R&T Yoder from solo-operator Central Ohio competitors. The ten Ohio operating-location footprint extends the firm’s geographic reach beyond the Plain City headquarters position.

Plain City Headquarters Plus Central Ohio Six-Community Service Area

R&T Yoder operates from 7927 Memorial Drive in Plain City (Madison County, ZIP 43064), with the headquarters position shaping daily-dispatch reach across Central Ohio including Columbus, Hilliard, Dublin, Grove City, Gahanna, and Plain City. The Plain City position places the firm geographically inside the Northwest Central Ohio corridor, with daily-dispatch reach extending east into Columbus proper and southwest into Grove City and the Hilliard-Dublin corridor. The published BBB Accredited status plus the 5-Star rating across multiple online platforms places the firm’s contemporary online customer-feedback profile. The NEC (National Electrical Code) standards compliance for electrical work supplements the underlying state license stack with code-specific specification credentials. The combined three-license, multi-trade, multi-location operating posture distinguishes R&T Yoder from single-trade single-location Central Ohio plumbing competitors.

3. McDermott Plumbing & Backflow

  • Address: 2804 N. High Street, Suite 82271, Columbus, OH 43202
  • Phone: (614) 664-3439
  • Hours: 24/7 (open 24 hours, 7 days a week)
  • Operating Since: 2009 (16 years of continuous operation)
  • Founder: Michael McDermott (5th-generation master plumber; Ohio State University alumnus)
  • Ohio Master Plumber License: #47245
  • Operating Philosophy: “Flat rate and honest pricing”; guaranteed low prices before work begins
  • Specialty: Backflow testing and systems alongside standard residential and commercial plumbing
  • Service area: Columbus area including Upper Arlington, Worthington, Dublin, Bexley
  • Website: mcdermottplumbingservices.com

Fifth-Generation Master Plumber Founding Since 2009

McDermott Plumbing & Backflow has operated continuously since 2009 under Michael McDermott as a fifth-generation master plumber, supporting an unusual cumulative family-trade tenure profile that pre-dates the firm’s 2009 founding by approximately a century-and-a-quarter (assuming roughly 25 years per generation). The 16-year firm operating tenure combined with the 5-generation McDermott family plumbing-trade lineage produces a cumulative family-trade tenure that marks the operation apart from typical recent-founding Central Ohio competitors. Michael McDermott earned an Ohio State University degree alongside his fifth-generation master plumber credential, grounding the academic-plus-trade educational background. The Ohio Master Plumber License #47245 supports the firm’s permit-pulling authority across the Columbus service area, with the 24/7 operating-hours profile distinguishing McDermott from weekday-only Central Ohio plumbing competitors.

Backflow Specialty Plus Flat-Rate Honest-Pricing Operating Model

McDermott Plumbing & Backflow’s published service profile emphasizes backflow testing and systems alongside the standard residential and commercial plumbing scope. The backflow specialty addresses the Columbus-specific regulatory framework where the City of Columbus Department of Public Utilities requires annual backflow-prevention-assembly testing for commercial properties and certain residential configurations, with the dedicated backflow specialty positioning McDermott in the compliance-work segment of the Central Ohio plumbing market. The flat-rate honest-pricing operating philosophy with guaranteed prices before work begins distinguishes McDermott from time-and-materials competitors, with the upfront-pricing structure addressing the customer-trust friction that variable-pricing models can produce. The fifth-generation master plumber positioning plus the OSU academic background plus the flat-rate operating philosophy combined produce a credential-and-philosophy profile that few Central Ohio plumbing operations equal across all three dimensions.

North High Street Headquarters Plus Four-Community Inner-Suburb Coverage

McDermott Plumbing operates from 2804 N. High Street, Suite 82271 in Columbus (ZIP 43202), with the North High Street position placing the firm geographically inside the Clintonville-Old North Columbus corridor where 1900s-1940s prewar residential building stock concentrates. The North High Street headquarters supports daily-dispatch reach across Upper Arlington (the affluent Northwest inner-suburb), Worthington (the historic Northern inner-suburb), Dublin (the Northwest tech-corridor master-planned-community), and Bexley (the Eastside affluent enclave). The four-community inner-suburb service area concentrates on the high-net-worth Central Ohio residential corridor where 1900s-1950s prewar-and-postwar residential building stock supports premium plumbing service work, with the contemporary luxury renovation cycle across these submarkets driving the typical service-call profile.

4. Apex Pros Plumbing, Electrical, Heating & Air

  • Headquarters Address (Columbus): 6663 Huntley Road, Suite M, Columbus, OH 43229
  • Address (Dublin): 4300 Tuller Road, Dublin, OH 43017
  • Address (Gahanna): 834 Morrison Road, Gahanna, OH 43230
  • Address (Dayton): 5450 Far Hills Avenue, Suite 209, Dayton, OH 45429
  • Address (Huber Heights): 7748 Wildcat Road Office Suite C, Huber Heights, OH 45424
  • Address (Newark): 106 S. 27th Street, Newark, OH 43055
  • Address (Lancaster): 110 Chestnut Street, Lancaster, OH 43130
  • Phone: (614) 987-8100
  • Founder / CEO: Sammy (March 2021 founding; 25 years of business experience prior to founding)
  • Operating Since: March 2021 (4 years of continuous operation)
  • Operating Scale: 150+ service trucks; eight Ohio operating locations
  • Ohio Plumbing License: #46793
  • Ohio HVAC License: #48260
  • Ohio Electrical License: #35489
  • Credentials: A-plus BBB rating; 10,000+ five-star Google reviews; Angi member; HomeAdvisor Top Rated; Thumbtack rated; official partnership with the Columbus Blue Jackets
  • Operating Standard: “PROS” framework (Professionalism, Respect, Ownership, Success)
  • Service area: Columbus, Dublin, Gahanna, Lancaster, Newark, Dayton, Huber Heights, broader Central Ohio and Dayton Metro
  • Website: apexpros.com

Apex Pros Founding March 2021 With Rapid Scale Operating Profile

Apex Pros Plumbing, Electrical, Heating & Air has operated since March 2021, when CEO and Founder Sammy launched the company with three service vans focused initially on plumbing. Sammy brought 25 years of business experience from another industry, aiming to introduce strong operational principles to the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical sectors across Columbus, Central Ohio, and the Dayton Metro areas. In less than five years, the company expanded from the modest three-truck founding-era operation to over 150 service trucks serving all of Columbus, Central Ohio, and the Dayton Metro area. The 4-year service area extends across the post-COVID-era residential service expansion, with the rapid-scale service profile distinguishing Apex from organic-growth Central Ohio plumbing competitors.

Three-License Stack Plus Eight-Office Ohio Footprint

Apex Pros operates under a three-license stack covering Ohio HVAC License #48260, Ohio Plumbing License #46793, and Ohio Electrical License #35489. The three-license profile reflects Apex’s category breadth across HVAC plus plumbing plus electrical work, with the integrated trade capacity supporting whole-home service work through one operating team. The eight Ohio operating locations span Columbus (the headquarters at 6663 Huntley Road Suite M plus the Dublin office at 4300 Tuller Road plus the Gahanna office at 834 Morrison Road), the Dayton Metro corridor (Dayton Far Hills Avenue, Huber Heights Wildcat Road, and a secondary Dayton office on McEwen Road), and the eastern Central Ohio submarkets (Newark and Lancaster). The eight-office Ohio footprint distinguishes Apex from neighborhood-rooted Central Ohio plumbing competitors, with the breadth supporting both Columbus-and-Dayton metropolitan service work and the eastern Central Ohio Newark-and-Lancaster corridor through one operating dispatch model.

Ten-Thousand Google Reviews Plus Columbus Blue Jackets Partnership

Apex Pros maintains over 10,000 five-star Google reviews across its eight operating locations, setting an remarkably deep contemporary online customer-feedback profile that distinguishes Apex from typical Central Ohio competitors. The A-plus BBB rating supplements the underlying state-license stack with consumer-protection third-party verification. The official partnership with the Columbus Blue Jackets (the National Hockey League franchise based in Columbus) positions the firm’s community-recognition profile within the Central Ohio sports-entertainment market. The “PROS” operating standard (Professionalism, Respect, Ownership, Success) establishes the firm’s customer-facing operating values, with the 150+ service truck operating scale supporting rapid-response service capacity across the broader Central Ohio and Dayton Metro service area. The contemporary rapid-scale profile distinguishes Apex from longer-tenured but smaller-scale Central Ohio plumbing competitors.

Reference Notes

Columbus plumbing licensing runs through the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB). OCILB issues master plumber and plumbing contractor credentials. The City of Columbus Department of Building and Zoning Services issues building permits within city limits. The City of Columbus Department of Public Utilities administers water-and-sewer connections plus the annual backflow-prevention testing program. Ohio Plumbing Code revisions add backflow-prevention requirements, freeze-protection mandates for the Midwest winter climate, and contemporary water-conservation provisions.

Columbus residential housing spans about 175 years. Mid-19th-century downtown commercial buildings frame the Ohio State Capitol (completed 1861). German Village rowhouses date to 1850-1880 German-immigrant settlement. Streetcar-suburb development across Victorian Village, Old North Columbus, and Clintonville filled out 1880-1920. Bexley and Marble Cliff added prewar luxury homes in the 1920s-1930s. Postwar tract expansion across Upper Arlington and Worthington came in 1940-1965. Dublin and Powell drove the 1980s-1990s Northwest master-planned surge. Westerville and Pickerington extended outer-suburban growth in the 2000s. The contemporary cycle is urban renovation across Short North, German Village, and Italian Village.

The four firms profiled cover four positions on the Columbus market arc. Fritz Baumann & Sons (1939 founding, four Baumann generations through current President Steven M. Baumann) operates from 1540 East Gates Street in Olde Towne East with a high-end remodel specialty plus standard residential and commercial scope. R&T Yoder (2004 founding by Rod and Tina Yoder, second-generation succession with sons Vincent and Mitchell) holds three Ohio licenses (Plumbing #45632, Electrical #21937, HVAC #31410), 50+ employees, 50,000+ completed jobs, and ten Ohio locations from a Plain City Memorial Drive base. Rod brought nearly two decades of prior LeVeque Tower mechanical-systems experience into the firm. McDermott Plumbing & Backflow (2009 founding by Michael McDermott, fifth-generation master plumber, Ohio Master Plumber License #47245) runs out of a North High Street Clintonville-area base with backflow specialty plus 24/7 operating hours plus flat-rate pricing. Apex Pros (March 2021 founding by CEO Sammy with 25 years prior business experience) scaled from three trucks to 150+ across eight Ohio offices (Columbus, Dublin, Gahanna, Dayton, Huber Heights, Newark, Lancaster) holding Ohio Plumbing #46793, HVAC #48260, Electrical #35489, with 10,000+ Google reviews and a Columbus Blue Jackets partnership.

Verification paths run through the OCILB online license lookup, the City of Columbus Department of Building and Zoning Services contractor records, BBB Columbus listings, and the PHCC of Ohio directory. Pre-1930 German Village and streetcar-suburb housing tilts toward Baumann’s four-generation high-end remodel scope. Multi-trade integrated work fits R&T Yoder’s three-license stack. Backflow-specialty work fits McDermott. Multi-office Central Ohio plus Dayton scheduling fits Apex’s eight-location footprint.

Selection Methodology

Selection follows four criteria. First, continuous family ownership or founder-operator continuity outside the national rollup pattern. Second, verifiable OH Plumbing Contractor license cross-checked via the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) public lookup. Third, BBB Accreditation or equivalent third-party rating. Fourth, minimum 10-year continuous operating tenure with documented Columbus, OH service coverage. Firms acquired by national franchise networks (Authority Brands’ Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, Neighborly’s Mr. Rooter, Service Experts, Roto-Rooter, Wrench Group, Redwood Services, Master Trades Group, ARS) are excluded.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I verify a Columbus, OH plumber’s license?

Use the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) public licensee database at com.ohio.gov/dico. Search by license number or business name. Confirm active status, classification, bonding, and insurance before authorizing work.

What credentials should a Columbus, OH plumber hold?

At minimum: OH Plumbing Contractor credential plus general liability insurance and workers’ compensation coverage. Specialty work (gas line, backflow prevention, fire sprinkler, sewer lateral) requires additional credential layers.

How can I tell if a Columbus, OH plumber is locally owned versus a national rollup?

Check ownership disclosures and acquisition history. National franchise brands typically operate under parent-company branding. Search the firm name plus “acquired” or “parent company” to surface ownership structure. The four firms in this directory all run as independent locally-owned operators.

When should I call an emergency plumber in Columbus?

Burst pipes, sewer backups, gas leaks, no-water events, and water heater failures justify after-hours dispatch. Each firm in this directory offers either 24/7 emergency service or structured after-hours response.

Editorial Note

Compiled by the editorial team. Firm details cross-verified through state license databases, BBB business profiles, and firm-published websites where available. License numbers should be re-verified through the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) public lookup before authorizing work. Information current as of the date below; firm details may change without notice. Last updated: 2026-05-10.