Plumbing is one of the most consistently licensed trades in America — 43 states put statewide plumbing licenses in the U.S. Department of Labor’s database, nearly all built on the apprentice → journeyman → master ladder that electricians would recognize. The license is why plumbing holds a national median of $62,970 (90th percentile: $105,150) while unlicensed handyman work pays half that: legal permission to touch potable water and gas lines is a wage floor.
Below: every state’s key plumbing licenses, exam rules, median pay, and 10-year growth in one table, followed by how the ladder works, the states that do it differently, and the no-tuition path in.
TL;DR
- 43 states license plumbers statewide. The common shape: register as an apprentice, log ~4 years / 6,000–8,000 supervised hours, pass a journeyman exam on the plumbing code, then optionally test up to master after 1–2 more years.
- Top pay: Illinois ($96,200), Oregon ($93,110), Minnesota ($83,280) — all strict-licensing, high-union-density states. National median: $62,970 (BLS, May 2024).
- New York and Kansas license locally (NYC’s master plumber license is its own institution); Georgia, Arizona, Iowa, and Missouri tie plumbing regulation to contractor boards or other codes in the federal database.
- 3,725 registered apprenticeship sponsors offer paid plumbing training nationwide — the classic route in, covered in how apprenticeships work.
- Rules change — verify with the issuing agency in your state’s row before you commit to a program.
The Plumbing License Ladder
Apprentice
Registration (often mandatory before your first paid hour) puts you in the state’s system so your supervised hours count. Hours are everything: 6,000–8,000 of them stand between you and a journeyman card, and they only count if they’re logged under a licensed journeyman or master.
Journeyman plumber
The working license: unsupervised work, but usually no permits or contracting. Nearly every state pairs the hours requirement with a written exam on the state’s plumbing code (UPC or IPC, plus local amendments — this is why exams don’t transfer neatly between states). Several states let accredited trade-school hours substitute for up to ~1,000–2,000 field hours.
Master plumber / plumbing contractor
Master certifies advanced competence — typically 1–2 years as a journeyman plus a harder exam covering design, venting, and code interpretation. Contractor licensing (sometimes merged with master, sometimes separate) adds insurance, bonding, and business-law requirements and is the gateway to bidding your own jobs, where the trade’s six-figure earnings actually live.
Starting from zero? Read how to become a plumber for the full path and the best plumbing schools guide to compare programs.
Plumbing License Requirements by State
How to read this table: Key licenses are the license types tied to the plumber/pipefitter occupation (SOC 47-2152) in the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop database — top three per state (some states file specialty credentials like backflow-prevention testing under the same occupation). Exam condenses exam rules across those licenses. Median pay is BLS May 2024. 10-yr growth is the state workforce agency’s 2022–2032 projection. States without a statewide entry may still license at the city or contractor level — always check locally.
| State | Key licenses | Exam | Median pay (2024) | 10-yr growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Certified Master Plumber, Certified Master Gas Fitter, Certified Journeyman Plumber | — | $53,840 | +6.4% |
| Alaska | Plumber, Well Driller in Municipality of Anchorage, Underground Storage Tank Worker and Contractor | — | $83,090 | +12.6% |
| Arizona | No statewide license in this dataset — check local/contractor rules | — | $61,940 | +14.2% |
| Arkansas | Gas Fitter, Pump Installer, Master Plumber | State exam | $49,700 | +5.4% |
| California | Pipeline Contractor, Plumbing Contractor, Swimming Pool Contractor | — | $68,390 | +8.4% |
| Colorado | Master Plumber, Journeyman Plumber, Plumbing Contractor | Third-party exam | $63,610 | +11.8% |
| Connecticut | Plumbing Trainee, Well Casing Extension Contractor, Backflow Prevention Device Tester | — | $73,080 | +12.3% |
| Delaware | Master Plumber, Temporary Master Plumber or Hvacr, Master Plumber - License By Reciprocity | State exam | $64,300 | +7.7% |
| Florida | Septic Tank Contractor, Certified Pool/spa Contractor, Certified Plumbing Contractor | No exam / State exam | $50,540 | +13.3% |
| Georgia | No statewide license in this dataset — check local/contractor rules | — | $56,290 | +12.4% |
| Hawaii | Plumber | State exam | — | — |
| Idaho | Well Driller, Apprentice Plumber, Journeyman Plumber | State exam | $57,380 | +22.9% |
| Illinois | Plumber, Plumber, Apprentice, Water Well Contractor | State exam | $96,200 | +2.6% |
| Indiana | Journeyman Plumber, Plumbing Apprentice, Plumbing Contractor | State exam | $64,560 | +3.6% |
| Iowa | No statewide license in this dataset — check local/contractor rules | — | $61,230 | +8.8% |
| Kansas | No statewide license in this dataset — check local/contractor rules | — | $62,820 | +3.7% |
| Kentucky | Plumber, Master, Boiler Contractor, Sprinkler Inspector | State exam | $62,370 | +2.4% |
| Louisiana | Plumber, Master, Plumber, Journeyman, Medical (gas Piping Installer) | State exam | $64,720 | +10.0% |
| Maine | Plumber, Master, Plumber, Trainee, Sprinkler Inspector | No exam / State exam | $61,890 | -2.2% |
| Maryland | Master Inspector, Plumbing Inspector, Journeyman Inspector | — | $63,270 | +6.0% |
| Massachusetts | Pipefitter, Plumber (apprentice, Journeyman, Master) License, Gas Fitter (apprentice, Journeyman, Master) License | State exam | $83,260 | +6.9% |
| Michigan | Septage Hauler, Boiler Repairer, Plumber, Master | State exam | $77,030 | +0.9% |
| Minnesota | Certified Pipelayer, Plumbing Contractor, Master Plumber License | — | $83,280 | +5.6% |
| Mississippi | No statewide license in this dataset — check local/contractor rules | — | $57,960 | +19.0% |
| Missouri | No statewide license in this dataset — check local/contractor rules | — | $62,090 | +3.6% |
| Montana | Plumbers - Medical Gas, Plumbers - Master Plumber, Plumbers - Journeyman Plumber | State exam | $77,930 | +22.6% |
| Nebraska | Plumber, Underground Storage Tank Occupations | — | $62,880 | +7.9% |
| Nevada | Well Driller, Drilling Wells & Installing Pumps Contractor (c23) | State exam | $60,120 | +8.9% |
| New Hampshire | Plumber, Master, Plumber, Journeyman, Plumber, Apprentice | State exam | $62,030 | +8.5% |
| New Jersey | Plumber, Well Driller, Pump Installer | No exam / State exam | $77,160 | +4.8% |
| New Mexico | Plumber | — | $59,660 | +12.0% |
| New York | No statewide license in this dataset — check local/contractor rules | — | $78,460 | +4.1% |
| North Carolina | Plumbing Technician, Irrigation Contractor, Well Contractor Certification | State exam | $50,990 | +9.6% |
| North Dakota | Plumbers (master), Plumbers (apprentice), Plumbers (journeyman) | No exam / State exam | $62,670 | +10.5% |
| Ohio | Plumber and Pipefitter License | — | $62,530 | +1.9% |
| Oklahoma | Plumbing Inspector, Plumbing Contractor, Plumbing Journeyman | State exam | $54,840 | +5.2% |
| Oregon | Plumber Apprentice, Tank, Heating Oil, Supervisor, Monitoring Well Constructor License | — | $93,110 | +15.4% |
| Pennsylvania | Plumbing Inspector (ucc), Plumbing Plans Examiner (ucc), Residential Plumbing Inspector (ucc) | No exam | $66,650 | +2.8% |
| Rhode Island | Plumber, Irrigator, Pipefitter | State exam | $64,630 | +11.9% |
| South Carolina | Plumbing, Plumbing Inspector, Boiler Registration | — | $54,840 | +4.5% |
| South Dakota | Apprentice Plumber, Plumber, Journeyman, Plumbing Contractor | — | $50,790 | +12.2% |
| Tennessee | Limited Licensed Plumbers, Sprinkler Sys Contractor, Responsible Managing Employees | State exam / Third-party exam | $57,730 | +8.8% |
| Texas | Plumber, Water Well Driller/pump Installer, Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester | State exam | $58,560 | +13.3% |
| Utah | Plumbers | — | $61,680 | +35.5% |
| Vermont | Plumber, Fire Sprinkler Systems, Contractor, Residential | No exam / State exam | $60,550 | +7.1% |
| Virginia | Plumbers License | Third-party exam | $59,560 | +3.4% |
| Washington | Plumber | State + third-party exams | $79,070 | +10.1% |
| West Virginia | Plumber License | State exam | $49,630 | +4.0% |
| Wisconsin | Pipelayer, Master Plumber, Tank System Liner | State exam | $78,510 | +10.1% |
| Wyoming | Tank and Line Tester, Class a Storage Tank Operator, Class B Storage Tank Operator | No exam | $61,480 | +20.5% |
The States That Do It Differently
- New York — no statewide plumber license; New York City’s Licensed Master Plumber (LMP) is the famous local example, and most NY municipalities run their own boards. Moving your license across city lines inside the state can mean re-examining.
- Kansas — county and city licensing throughout.
- Georgia, Arizona, Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi — the federal database ties plumbing regulation in these states to contractor boards or files it under other codes; individual requirements are enforced through business licensing or local rules. (Iowa in practice runs a state Plumbing & Mechanical Systems Board — a reminder that the federal dataset lags; the agency links in the table are the ground truth.)
- Backflow specialties are everywhere. You’ll see backflow-prevention assembly tester licenses in many states’ rows — a short-course specialty credential a licensed plumber can add for recurring inspection income.
Moving Between States
Plumbing reciprocity is thinner than electrician reciprocity because exams are tied to state plumbing-code amendments. What transfers reliably is hours: documented apprenticeship and journeyman experience counts toward any state’s requirement. If a move is likely, keep certified copies of your apprenticeship completion and license history — the receiving board will want both, and processing runs 4–8 weeks.
The No-Tuition Path: Registered Apprenticeships
With 3,725 registered sponsors nationwide — including UA (United Association) joint programs in every region — plumbing is one of the easiest trades to enter without paying tuition. Apprentices earn from day one and finish with exactly the logged hours their state board requires. Union JATC programs are competitive; applications favor a solid aptitude-test score (prep guide) and any prior exposure — even a semester at a local trade school helps. Compare school options in your metro on our city hubs, for example San Antonio, Charlotte, or Columbus.
FAQ
How long does it take to get a plumbing license?
Four to five years to journeyman in most states — the 6,000–8,000-hour experience requirement at full-time pace. Trade school can compress the front end and substitute for some field hours, but no state waives the experience requirement outright.
Can I do plumbing work without a license?
Only as a registered apprentice under supervision (or on your own home, in states with homeowner exemptions). Unlicensed work on potable water or gas carries real fines and voids permits — and in gas work, criminal exposure.
Journeyman vs. master — is master worth it?
If you ever want to pull your own permits, hire helpers, or bid jobs: yes. The exam cost is trivial next to the earnings difference — contractor-tier plumbers populate the $105,150 90th percentile.
Sources
- License types, exam and experience requirements, and issuing agencies: CareerOneStop License Finder, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (occupational licenses dataset, 2024 edition).
- Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024, SOC 47-2152.
- Job growth: state workforce agency 2022–2032 projections via Projections Central.
- Apprenticeship sponsor counts: apprenticeship.gov Partner Finder, U.S. Department of Labor.
License requirements change. Always confirm current rules with your state’s issuing agency before enrolling in a program or scheduling an exam.
