Find local businesses across Texas

Every city page carries the same fourteen services, so you can compare like with like from El Paso to Beaumont. Cities are grouped into eleven regions by county, and the full set is on the all cities page.

Each city and service page has three parts: the ranked list, the copy around it that explains the local license and permit picture, and links to nearby cities for the same service. The services run from trades a state agency licenses, such as plumbing and electrical work, to ones it does not: a 2025 Texas House bill analysis says the state doesn't currently require a license for reroofing contractors.

Each list starts from a Google Maps search for the service in that city, pulled through DataForSEO. The search returns up to 20 businesses, and the list keeps the top 10 after scoring. When a city search returns fewer than 5, it widens to the surrounding area.

The score is a weighted rating that treats every business as if it started with 20 reviews averaging 4.3 stars, so a 5.0 from 3 reviews doesn't outrank a 4.8 from 400. On some real estate agent lists, one agent appears first in a spot labeled Featured, which is paid advertising and sits outside the ranking. The data was last collected between June and September 2026, and each list shows when it was updated. Readers and businesses can report a wrong phone number, address or closed business. Our terms of service also cover how rankings and featured spots work.

A high rating says customers were happy. It does not say a business holds the license Texas requires, so each guide names the agency and the lookup.

• Plumbers are licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, and you can check one on its Public License Search. See the plumbing guide.
• Electrical and AC work needs a TDLR license, searchable on TDLR's License Data Search. See the electrician guide and the AC and HVAC guide.
• Structural pest control for hire is licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture. See the pest control guide.
• Any company that moves household goods for pay must register with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, whatever the size of its truck. See the movers guide.
• A person must hold a TREC license to act as a real estate broker or sales agent in Texas. See the real estate guide.

Each guide is the statewide home for one service: what it tends to cost, which license or registration applies, and a hiring checklist. The categories page has them all in one place.

• Pest Control
• Pool Service
• AC Repair & HVAC
• Plumbers
• Electricians
• Roofers
• Tree Service
• Pressure Washing
• House Cleaning
• Moving Companies
• Attorneys
• Dentists
• Real Estate Agents
• Gyms

Appraisal districts, windstorm rules, drought stages and county permits are set county by county, so each region page groups its cities under their county and points out what neighbors share.

• Dallas-Fort Worth: Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, Rockwall, Parker and Johnson counties
• Houston and the Gulf Coast: Harris, Galveston, Brazoria, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties
• Austin and the Hill Country corridor: Travis, Williamson, Hays and Caldwell counties
• San Antonio and the Hill Country: Bexar, Comal and Kendall counties
• Central Texas: Bell and McLennan counties
• North Texas and Texoma: Grayson, Cooke and Wichita counties
• East Texas: Smith and Gregg counties
• Southeast Texas: Jefferson County
• South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley: Nueces, Webb, Hidalgo and Cameron counties
• West Texas: El Paso, Midland, Ector, Taylor and Tom Green counties
• Panhandle and South Plains: Potter and Lubbock counties

Ten of the biggest cities on the site by Census Bureau count are Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, El Paso, Arlington, Corpus Christi, Plano and Lubbock. Each city page links to all fourteen service lists for that city along with its local permit and utility notes.