Service Call Fees: What 126 HVAC and Plumbing Companies Charge
The diagnostic, dispatch and trip fees that 126 HVAC and plumbing companies in 45 US cities publish on their own websites, read in November 2026. Check a quote against them and see how often the fee comes off the repair bill.
Updated
Before a plumber or an HVAC technician tells you what is wrong, most charge a flat fee to come to your home and find out. Companies call it a service call, a diagnostic fee, a dispatch fee or a trip charge. We read the websites of the companies listed on FixRoster and found 126 that publish theirs. Half charge $89 or less. The middle half charge between $69 and $99, and the most common price is $89, which 18 companies charge.
Is the fee you were quoted high?
Type the fee a company quoted you to see where it falls among the fees other companies publish. Each dot is one company.
Standard fee for a home visit in business hours, one per company. Companies that do both heating and plumbing count under both.
Show the numbers as a table
Furnace technician or plumber, the trip fee is close
The bar covers the middle half of the companies. The line marks the price that splits them in two.
Credited toward the repair, or on top of it?
Often, and it is the first thing to ask. On November 12, 2026 we read again every page where a company publishes its fee. On 112 of them the fee was still there.
The wording is not always simple. One company credits half of its fee. One waives it only when the repair costs more than $300. Several waive it only if you approve the work during the same visit. If you want a second opinion before you decide, expect to pay the fee.
What pushes the trip fee up
The after-hours surcharge
Four companies publish both their daytime fee and their fee for a night, weekend or emergency call.
- CompanyDaytimeOut of hours
- Indianapolis, HVAC$85$150
- Dallas, HVAC$119$179
- Raleigh, HVAC and plumbing$149$200
- Milwaukee, plumbing$150$299
What plan members pay
Many companies sell a yearly plan that includes a tune-up and a lower fee when something breaks. 24 of them publish the fee their members pay. Half charge members about $50 or less, against $89 for everyone else.
A call to a shop or an office
A call to a shop or an office costs more. Four companies publish both prices: $89 and $129 in Tucson, $89 and $150 in San Antonio, $95 and $145 in Seattle, $179 and $249 in Baltimore.
Tune-up ads: what the advertised price covers
A tune-up is a yearly check of the air conditioner or the furnace before the season starts. 82 HVAC companies publish a price for one system. Half charge $79 or less and the middle half charge between $61 and $89. The prices they use most are $89, $79 and $49.
Most of these are seasonal offers, so read the small print: the price is usually for one system, and some offers are for new customers only. A tune-up at this price is a check and a cleaning. Parts and refrigerant are extra.
City by city, where enough companies post a fee
With this few companies per city, read the typical fee as a guide and not as an average for the whole city.
| City | Companies | Typical fee | Lowest to highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas | 11 | $75 | $25 to $99 |
| Jacksonville | 9 | $75 | $39 to $175 |
| Fresno | 7 | $69 | $49 to $99 |
| San Antonio | 7 | $89 | $29 to $149 |
| Phoenix | 5 | $79 | $49 to $89 |
| San Jose | 5 | $69 | $59 to $195 |
| Seattle | 5 | $67.50 | $49 to $95 |
What to ask the dispatcher
- What is the fee to come out, and what does it cover? Some fees cover the trip only. Most cover the trip and the time to find the fault.
- Does it come off the bill if I approve the repair? Ask whether you have to approve it the same day.
- Is it the same price tonight or on Sunday? In the four examples above, the out-of-hours fee runs from a third more to twice the daytime fee.
- Will you give me the repair price in writing before you start? A flat written price protects you more than a low fee does.
- Is there a charge for a second unit? Homes with two air conditioners or two furnaces sometimes pay an extra fee for the second one.
Ready to call someone? See the HVAC companies and the plumbers we list in each city.
Where each fee was read
Why a posted fee is not your quote
- Only companies that publish a price are counted, and those may not charge the same as the ones that keep it private.
- A published price is not a quote. Companies change their prices, and a low fee to come out says nothing about the price of the repair.
Every price on this page was published by the company on its own website and read by us in November 2026. We kept one fee per company: the standard fee for a visit to a home in business hours. We left out member prices, coupons, first-visit offers, after-hours and holiday fees and fees for business premises, and counted those separately where the page says so. Roofers, window companies and foundation contractors are not here because they normally inspect and quote for free.