Top 4 Plumbers in Tucson, AZ - Plumbing Index US

Quick Comparison

Firm	Founded / Tenure & Credentials	Services & Specialties	Geographic Focus
Cal's Plumbing	1948 (founder Cal); three generations (Cal → four sons → grandson Daniel)	AZ ROC #116649, #146650, #146651, BBB Accredited (Torch Awards), Tucson Metro Chamber member	S Irving Avenue base in Tucson (85714); Tucson Metro and surrounding areas
Tucson Plumbing	1952 (Jack and June Owens founders); two generations (Owens → nephew Chris McGinnis acquired 1982)	AZ ROC Plumbing Contractor License, BBB Accredited	Tucson, AZ; 70+ years serving Tucson
Curtis Plumbing	1973 (Bill Curtis, founder, June 21); two generations (Bill Curtis → son Ken Curtis, Co Vice President since 1998)	AZ ROC Plumbing Contractor License (Bill Curtis licensed September 1977), BBB Accredited	E Tennessee Street base in Tucson; Tucson, Catalina Foothills, Marana, Oro Valley, East Tucson
Al Coronado Plumbing	1981 (Coronado family); 43+ years family-owned operating tenure; Andrew Coronado as Sales and Service Manager continuing family involvement	AZ ROC Plumbing Contractor License (active), BBB Accredited	N Travel Center Drive base in Tucson (85741); Tucson and Pima County

1. Cal’s Plumbing

Address: 4749 South Irving Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85714
Phone: (520) 888-7676
Founder: Cal (founded 1948); Cal’s four sons all joined the family business; current third-generation owner Daniel (Cal’s grandson)
Operating Since: 1948. 78 years; Tucson’s longest-tenured plumbing operation
License: Arizona ROC License Numbers #116649, #146650, #146651
Service area: Tucson (Downtown, Sam Hughes, El Encanto, El Presidio, Barrio Viejo, Armory Park, Catalina Foothills, Casas Adobes, Tucson Estates, Tucson Mountain, Sahuarita Foothills), Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita, Vail, Pima County
Website: calsplumbing.com

Three-Generation Cal Family Plumbing Lineage Spanning 78 Years

Cal’s Plumbing traces its origins to 1948, when Cal founded the operation in Tucson, establishing what would become the longest-tenured plumbing operation in the city. Across the 78-year operating history, the Cal family has retained continuous ownership through three generations: founder Cal (1948), Cal’s four sons (all of whom joined the family business as second generation Cal family plumbers), and current owner Daniel, Cal’s grandson, who serves as third-generation owner operator. The 78-year operating tenure substantially predates most of the post-war Tucson population growth that transformed the city from a small Sonoran Desert railroad and military town into a metropolitan area with over 1 million metro area residents. The four son second generation produced an exceptionally deep family trade knowledge transmission across the Cal family plumbing lineage, with each generation contributing institutional plumbing knowledge that has accumulated across the firm’s three quarter century history.

South Tucson Operating Base and Service Area

The 4749 South Irving Avenue headquarters in Tucson (zip 85714) sits in the south Tucson corridor, providing dispatch positioning that supports service across the full Tucson Metro residential and small commercial market. Tucson’s geographic structure (with the metro area concentrated in the Sonoran Desert valley bounded by the Catalina, Rincon, Santa Rita, and Tucson Mountains) means central and south Tucson positioning provides efficient access to the broader Pima County working radius including Marana to the northwest, Oro Valley to the north, the Catalina Foothills to the northeast, and Sahuarita and the Green Valley corridor to the south.

Triple Arizona ROC License Portfolio (#116649, #146650, #146651)

Cal’s Plumbing holds three Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) licenses (#116649, #146650, #146651), reflecting credentialing across multiple ROC license classifications. Arizona regulates contractors through the AZ ROC under ARS Title 32, Chapter 10, with classification based contractor licensing across general engineering (A), general building (B), and specialty trades (C, including C-37 Plumbing for plumbing contractor work). The triple license portfolio supports residential plumbing service, small commercial plumbing, and the broader plumbing and mechanical scope that Tucson Metro residential customers commonly require. The ROC public licensee database (azroc.my.site.com) is the standard pre-engagement diligence verification step Arizona residential customers use, and Cal’s continuous ROC licensure across the firm’s 78-year operating history provides a verifiable multi-decade compliance track record.

Sonoran Desert Climate and Tucson Plumbing Service Mix

Tucson’s Sonoran Desert climate (2,400 foot elevation, hot summers with daytime temperatures regularly exceeding 105Â°F, monsoon season rainfall concentrated in July-August, mild winters with occasional freezes) generates a plumbing service mix profile distinct from most other major American cities. Hard water supply chemistry produces scale buildup affecting water heaters, fixtures, and supply lines (Tucson Water sources groundwater from the Tucson basin aquifer plus Central Arizona Project Colorado River water, both with substantial hardness levels). The seasonal monsoon rainfall pattern (intense thunderstorms producing flash flood conditions in dry desert washes) creates plumbing service demands around foundation drainage, exterior gutter and downspout integration with sub-grade plumbing, and the post-monsoon cleanup and repair cycle. Cal’s 78-year accumulated experience working under these climate and water chemistry conditions provides depth of trade context for the Tucson environment that newer market entrants cannot match.

Family Operating Continuity Outside the National Rollup Pattern

Cal’s Plumbing has remained completely family-owned and family-operated under continuous Cal family ownership across the entire 78-year operating history, without sale to a private equity rollup or national home services aggregator. The firm’s positioning as “one of the oldest companies in Tucson completely family-owned and family-operated” aligns with the verifiable three-generation Cal family ownership lineage, and the BBB Torch Awards recognition reflects sustained reputation continuity across multiple decades of operating presence. The Tucson Metro Chamber membership provides an additional independent business affiliation layer.

2. Tucson Plumbing

Address: Tucson, AZ
Phone: (520) 881-6000
Founder: Jack Owens and June Owens (founded 1952); current owner Chris McGinnis (nephew of the founders, acquired the company in 1982)
Operating Since: 1952 (74 years); two generations of family ownership across the Owens to McGinnis family transition
License: AZ ROC Plumbing Contractor License; BBB Accredited
Service area: Tucson and surrounding Pima County. downtown Tucson, Catalina Foothills, East Tucson, Northwest Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Sahuarita
Website: tucsonplumbing.com

74-Year Operating Tenure Under Two Family Generations

Tucson Plumbing was founded in 1952 by Jack and June Owens, and the firm has operated continuously across 74 years of Tucson Metro presence. In 1982, Chris McGinnis (nephew of founders Jack and June Owens) acquired the company, transitioning ownership to the second generation McGinnis family branch while retaining the family-owned operating structure. The Owens to McGinnis transition through nephew acquisition represents a within family ownership pathway that preserves the family business operating continuity even where a direct father to son transition is not the relevant lineage. Tucson Plumbing’s 74-year tenure substantially predates the post 1970 Tucson population growth that transformed the metro area, and the firm’s accumulated trade knowledge depth across nearly three quarters of a century provides operating context depth that newer market entrants cannot replicate.

Multi Decade Tucson Operating Presence and Database Continuity

Tucson Plumbing’s “70+ years serving Tucson” positioning is supported by a database of homes where the firm has installed plumbing across multiple decades, which the firm maintains for warranty tracking purposes. This database represents an unusual operational artifact reflecting the firm’s multi-decade installation history: residential plumbing installations from the 1950s through 1980s remain in service across substantial portions of Tucson’s housing stock today, and the warranty tracking database lets Tucson Plumbing identify customers whose homes were originally plumbed by the firm decades ago and provide service and repair work with operating history context that other operators do not have access to.

AZ ROC Plumbing Contractor Compliance and Service Mix

Tucson Plumbing operates under Arizona ROC Plumbing Contractor licensing, satisfying the regulatory authority required for Arizona residential and commercial plumbing work. The firm’s service mix breadth includes residential plumbing repair and installation, water heater service, drain cleaning, fixture installation, sewer service, and the broader plumbing trade work that Tucson Metro residential customers commonly require. BBB Accreditation through the Better Business Bureau provides the third-party reputation verification layer that Tucson residential customers typically check before authorizing residential plumbing work.

3. Curtis Plumbing

Address: 4281 East Tennessee Street, Tucson, AZ
Phone: (520) 323-7697
Founder: Bill Curtis (founded June 21, 1973; licensed as Arizona plumbing contractor September 1977); current Co Vice President Ken Curtis (Bill’s son, joined 1998); Cheryl Curtis also active in the operation
Operating Since: 1973 (53 years); two Curtis generations (founder Bill Curtis plus son Ken Curtis as Co-Vice President)
License: AZ ROC Plumbing Contractor License (Bill Curtis licensed September 1977); BBB Accredited
Service area: Tucson, Catalina Foothills, Marana, Oro Valley, East Tucson, Sahuarita, Vail, Pima County
Website: curtisplumbing.net

Two-Generation Curtis Family Operating Lineage

Curtis Plumbing was founded on June 21, 1973, by Bill Curtis, and the firm has continued as a family-owned operation across 53 years of continuous Tucson presence. Bill Curtis earned his Arizona plumbing contractor license in September 1977 (reflecting the Arizona ROC licensure progression from initial trade practice through formal contractor credentialing that the AZ ROC framework requires). Ken Curtis (also known as Fes Kenneth Curtis), Bill’s son, joined the operation and rose to Co Vice President in 1998, formally extending the firm’s operating leadership into a second generation Curtis family structure. Cheryl Curtis (Bill’s wife and Ken’s mother) remains active in the operation, providing the family team day-to-day setup that distinguishes Curtis Plumbing from larger multi-truck dispatch operators.

East Tucson Operating Base and Service Geography

The 4281 East Tennessee Street headquarters. current facility purchased summer 1999. sits in East Tucson, providing dispatch positioning that supports service across the eastern and northeastern arc of the Tucson Metro market: East Tucson proper, Catalina Foothills (north of central Tucson, encompassing some of Tucson’s most affluent residential neighborhoods), Marana (northwestern Pima County, expanding rapidly through 2000s-2020s suburban development cycles), Oro Valley (north of Tucson. With substantial 1990s and newer master-planned residential housing), and Vail (eastern Pima County, with rural residential and newer suburban housing). The firm’s stated emphasis on “quality workmanship” over rapid expansion reflects deliberate operating pace positioning at small firm scale.

AZ ROC Compliance and Plumbing Contractor Authority

Curtis Plumbing operates under Arizona ROC Plumbing Contractor licensing, with Bill Curtis holding the active credential under which the firm performs plumbing work. The September 1977 ROC license issuance reflects continuous Arizona contractor credentialing across approximately five decades of Curtis family operating practice. BBB Accreditation through the Better Business Bureau Serving Southern Arizona provides the third-party reputation verification layer that Tucson residential customers typically check before authorizing residential plumbing work.

4. Al Coronado Plumbing

Address: 6149 North Travel Center Drive, Tucson, AZ 85741
Phone: (520) 200-0245
Founder: Al Coronado (founded 1981); current operating team includes Andrew Coronado as Sales and Service Manager. continuing family involvement
Operating Since: 1981 (45 years); family-owned operating continuity. not a franchise or national chain
License: AZ ROC Plumbing Contractor License (active, with renewal cycle through 9/30/2026); BBB Accredited
Service area: Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley, Catalina Foothills, Sahuarita, Vail, Pima County
Website: alcoronadoplumbing.com

45-Year Coronado Family Operating Tenure

Al Coronado Plumbing has operated as a family-owned plumbing firm in Tucson for 43+ years (with 45 years of operating history as of 2026), founded by Al Coronado in 1981 and continuing under family ownership and operation. Andrew Coronado serves as Sales and Service Manager, reflecting continuing Coronado family operational involvement at the firm. The family-owned operating structure has remained intact across the 45-year operating history without sale to a regional consolidator or national home services aggregator, and the firm’s positioning explicitly marks off from “franchise or national chain” operators in the Tucson market.

N Travel Center Drive Operating Base and Northwest Tucson Geography

The 6149 North Travel Center Drive headquarters sits in northwest Tucson (zip 85741), providing dispatch positioning that supports service across the rapidly growing northwest arc of the Tucson Metro market. The northwest Tucson corridor extends through Marana (one of the fastest growing communities in Pima County), Oro Valley (north of Tucson, substantial 1990s and newer residential housing), the Catalina Foothills (north of central Tucson), and into the inner Tucson neighborhoods. The northwest Tucson operating base differs in service geography from south Tucson headquartered operators (like Cal’s Plumbing’s S Irving Avenue base) and east Tucson headquartered operators (like Curtis Plumbing’s E Tennessee Street base), supporting alternative dispatch coverage of the northwest Pima County housing stock.

AZ ROC Compliance and Family-Owned Service Mix

Al Coronado Plumbing operates under Arizona ROC Plumbing Contractor licensing with active renewal status through the 9/30/2026 cycle. The service mix breadth includes residential plumbing service, water heater service, drain cleaning, fixture installation, repipe work, and the broader plumbing trade work that Tucson Metro residential customers commonly require. The 45-year operating tenure plus the explicit non franchise non national chain positioning distinguishes the firm from acquired and rebranded operators in the Tucson market.

Reference Notes

Tucson’s residential plumbing market reflects three Tucson-specific operating realities that distinguish firms from each other. The first is Sonoran Desert climate and Tucson-specific plumbing service mix: Tucson’s elevation (2,400 feet, lower than Albuquerque’s 5,300 feet but still high desert by national standards), arid climate (low humidity, hot summers with regular triple digit afternoon temperatures, monsoon season rainfall concentrated in July-August, mild winters with occasional freezes), and Sonoran Desert ecology generate a plumbing service mix profile distinct from most other major American cities. Hard water supply chemistry produces scale buildup affecting water heaters, fixtures, and supply lines (Tucson Water sources groundwater from the Tucson basin aquifer plus Central Arizona Project Colorado River water, both with substantial hardness levels). The seasonal monsoon rainfall pattern (intense thunderstorms producing flash flood conditions in dry desert washes) creates plumbing service demands around foundation drainage, exterior gutter and downspout integration with sub-grade plumbing, and post-monsoon cleanup and repair work. Pool plumbing service is recurring residential demand because in-ground swimming pools are common across Tucson Metro single-family housing as a heat management amenity. The second structural condition is licensing depth: Arizona regulates contractors through the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC) under ARS Title 32, Chapter 10, with classification based contractor licensing across general engineering (A), general building (B), and specialty trades (C, including C-37 Plumbing for plumbing contractor work); ROC licensing requires bonding, insurance, examination passage, and continuing education renewal cycles, and the AZ ROC public licensee database (azroc.my.site.com) is the standard pre-engagement diligence verification step Arizona residential customers use. The third structural condition is national rollup activity: the Tucson plumbing trade has experienced consolidation pressure from regional and national aggregators (Authority Brands’ Benjamin Franklin Plumbing franchise system operates in the Tucson market; Mr. Rooter Plumbing operates as a Neighborly franchise system across the region; and various private equity rollups have acquired Southwestern home services brands across recent decades), and the four Tucson firms profiled here all operate as locally owned independent shops outside the rollup pattern, with multigeneration family ownership (Cal’s Plumbing 1948 across three Cal family generations; Tucson Plumbing 1952 across the two-generation Owens to McGinnis family lineage; Curtis Plumbing 1973 across two Curtis generations; Al Coronado Plumbing 1981 with continuing Coronado family operational involvement).

Tenure profiles across the four firms vary across approximately a 33-year span, and the ranking aligns with both formal corporate founding dates and family trade lineage continuity. Cal’s Plumbing leads on the longest tenure dimension by a substantial margin, with a 1948 founding date and three continuous Cal family generations spanning founder Cal, Cal’s four sons (all of whom joined the family business as second generation Cal family plumbers), and current grandson owner Daniel; the 78-year operating tenure ranks Cal’s among the longest-tenured plumbing operations in Tucson, supported by a triple license AZ ROC portfolio (#116649, #146650, #146651), BBB Torch Awards recognition, and Tucson Metro Chamber membership. Tucson Plumbing follows on the second longest tenure dimension, with a 1952 founding under Jack and June Owens and two-generation Owens to McGinnis family ownership lineage extending to current owner Chris McGinnis (nephew of founders, acquired 1982), supported by 70+ years of continuous Tucson presence and a multi-decade installation database that lets the firm provide service and repair work with operating history context for homes the firm originally plumbed decades ago. Curtis Plumbing’s two-generation Curtis family lineage since June 21, 1973 (founder Bill Curtis, plus son Ken Curtis as Co Vice President since 1998, plus mother Cheryl Curtis active in operations) and AZ ROC Plumbing Contractor licensing under Bill Curtis’s September 1977 credential support a 53-year operating tenure with East Tennessee Street base in East Tucson supporting the eastern and northeastern Pima County service map. Al Coronado Plumbing’s 45-year Coronado family operating tenure since 1981 (continuing under Andrew Coronado as Sales and Service Manager and the firm’s explicit non franchise non national chain positioning) supports a northwest Tucson operating base on N Travel Center Drive covering the Marana Oro Valley Catalina Foothills service arc. The credential portfolios scale with operating depth: Cal’s triple license AZ ROC portfolio, Tucson Plumbing’s multi-decade installation database operating artifact, Curtis’s nearly 50-year continuous AZ ROC licensure, and Al Coronado’s active AZ ROC Plumbing Contractor credentialing together provide the four firm comparison framework that Tucson Metro residential customers use to select between long tenured independent local operators outside the has acquired several Pima County operators across recent years..

Selection Methodology

Selection follows four criteria. First, continuous family ownership or founder-operator continuity outside the national rollup pattern. Second, verifiable AZ ROC C-37 or CR 37 Plumbing license cross-checked via the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) public lookup. Third, BBB Accreditation or equivalent third-party rating. Fourth, minimum 10-year continuous operating tenure with documented Tucson, AZ 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 Tucson, AZ plumber’s license?

Use the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) public licensee database at roc.az.gov. Search by license number or business name. Confirm active status, classification, bonding, and insurance before authorizing work.

What credentials should a Tucson, AZ plumber hold?

At minimum: AZ ROC C-37 or CR 37 Plumbing 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 Tucson, AZ 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 Tucson?

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 Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) public lookup before authorizing work. Information current as of the date below; firm details may change without notice. Last updated: 2026-05-10.