How Do I Become a Licensed Plumber? What Six States Require

You become a licensed plumber by climbing a ladder: you register as an apprentice or trainee, log supervised hours under a licensed plumber, pass a journeyman exam, and then, if you want to run your own jobs, earn a master license and the contractor license that lets a company sell plumbing. Every state names the rungs a little differently and counts the hours differently, and in some places, such as Miami-Dade County in Florida, the journeyman card comes from the county rather than the state.

This page walks through the individual path in six states where we opened the official source: Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Washington and Minnesota. Our founders, Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski, are master plumbers as well as licensed general contractors, so we explain both sides: the card in your wallet and the company license behind it. If you are looking for how a business gets licensed in your state, start with our contractor license guide.

At a glance

• Texas: register as an apprentice at 16, log 8,000 hours for the journeyman exam, and hold a Responsible Master Plumber designation to run a plumbing company (Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners).
• Florida: the state licenses plumbing contractors, and one route to certification is 4 years of experience with 1 as a foreman (Fla. Stat. 489.111); Miami-Dade County licenses journeymen locally.
• Georgia: a journeyman needs a minimum of one year of experience and a score of 70 on the exam (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02).
• North Carolina: the Board lists a plumbing contractor license that needs 2 years (4,000 hours) of on-site full-time experience, and up to half of the experience may be academic or technical courses (G.S. 87-21).
• Minnesota: the journeyworker exam opens after four years of recorded experience as a registered unlicensed plumber or a registered apprenticeship, and a plumbing contractor's responsible individual must be a master plumber (DLI; Minn. Stat. 326B.46).
• Washington: trainees start at 16, and the journey level exam opens after 8,000 hours and at least four years (L&I; WAC 296-400A-121).

The ladder, in plain words

Most plumbing licensing follows the same four steps, even where the names change.

1. Entry level. You register as an apprentice, trainee or unlicensed plumber so you can work under supervision. In Texas the Board says hours worked before registration do not count.
2. Journeyman. After the required hours, and sometimes classroom training, you pass an exam. A journeyman installs plumbing as an employee of a licensed contractor or master and can usually supervise apprentices.
3. Master. After more time as a licensed journeyman, you pass a master exam. The master license is what most states look at when they ask who is responsible for a plumbing company's work.
4. Contractor or company license. To sell plumbing work to the public, the business needs its own license or registration, and that license names a master or certified plumber behind it. That step is covered in our guide to the plumbing contractor license by state.

For a state by state comparison of what a journeyman may do compared with a master, see journeyman vs master plumber.

State by state: hours, exams and the company step

The table gives the short version. The notes below it carry the citations, and every figure is the one the official source gave when we read it on October 12, 2026. Boards change hours and fees, so confirm with the board before you apply.

Texas

Texas is a good model of the full ladder because the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners licenses every rung. To register as a plumber's apprentice you must be at least 16, be a citizen or national of the United States or an alien eligible for licensure, submit an application with a $15 fee, and give fingerprints once. The Board says an apprentice works under direct supervision, with a licensed plumber on the job site whenever plumbing work is being done, and that hours worked before registration do not count toward the journeyman or Tradesman Plumber-Limited exams.

For the journeyman exam you need a current apprentice registration, a current Tradesman Plumber-Limited license, or a journeyman or master license from another state, plus at least 8,000 hours in the plumbing trade. You also need a 48 hour course approved by the Board, or enrollment in or completion of a program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship.

For the master exam you must hold a journeyman license for at least 2 years, or for at least 1 year with a completed Department of Labor approved training program. The Board lists a $25 processing fee, a $128.50 exam fee paid to Pearson VUE, and a $75 initial license fee. Our Texas plumbing license guide has more.

Florida

Florida licenses plumbing contractors at the state level through the Construction Industry Licensing Board, as the Department of Business and Professional Regulation explains on its construction industry page. The sources we opened for the journeyman rung are local: Miami-Dade County, for example, defines a journeyman as someone with three years of proven experience in the trade or craft who has passed an examination in that trade.

For the state contractor certification, Fla. Stat. 489.111 requires the applicant to be 18. One route is at least 4 years of active experience as a worker who learned the trade by serving an apprenticeship, with at least 1 year as a foreman; the section has other routes that combine foreman time with college credits or a degree, so read it before you count your years. Florida also exempts an employee of a certificateholder from the contractor license when acting within the scope of the license and with the knowledge and permission of the licenseholder (Fla. Stat. 489.103(2)). The exemption does not cover an employee of someone who is not a certificateholder in that type of contracting if the employee holds themselves or the employer out as licensed, implies an ownership or management interest, or performs acts of contracting.

Because Florida journeyman rules are local, start with the licensing office of the county or city where you work and then look at our Florida plumbing license guide.

Georgia

Georgia states its rule plainly. Rule 121-3-.02 of the State Construction Industry Licensing Board says a statewide journeyman plumber applicant must document a minimum of one year of experience in plumbing work covered by the Georgia State Plumbing Code, and must score at least 70 on the exam.

The master plumber license needs a minimum of five years of experience, with at least two of those years licensed as a journeyman. Class I master licenses are limited to single family dwellings, one level dwellings designed for not more than two families, and commercial structures not exceeding 10,000 square feet. Class II master licenses are unrestricted, and Class II applicants must also document commercial or industrial experience. The rule we read did not address apprentices, so ask the Division about any entry registration. See our Georgia plumbing license guide for the rest of the process.

North Carolina

North Carolina is the state where the individual path and the company license are closest together. The State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors lists a plumbing contractor license that requires 2 years (4,000 hours) of on-site full-time experience installing, maintaining, servicing or repairing plumbing or heating systems. G.S. 87-21 provides Class I and Class II licenses. The applicant page does not list an apprentice or journeyman license.

G.S. 87-21 sets the frame. The Board may require the applicant to be at least 18 and of good moral character, the experience it requires may not exceed two years, and up to one half of the experience may be academic or technical coursework.

The Board also lists plumbing, heating and fuel piping technician licenses, with 3,000 hours required for Class I and 2,500 hours for Class II. Ask the Board what each class allows. Our North Carolina plumbing license guide walks through the Board's process.

Washington

Washington certifies the plumber and licenses the company separately. A plumber trainee must be 16 or older, work under the direct supervision of a journey level or certified plumber, and pay $60 for the trainee certificate. Trainees report their supervised hours at least once a year by filing affidavits of experience.

The Department of Labor and Industries says the journey level path takes four years or more, at least 8,000 hours as a trainee, with at least 4,000 hours in commercial or industrial installations. WAC 296-400A-121 states the exam threshold the same way: 8,000 hours and not less than four years of documented training, including 4,000 hours of commercial plumbing experience under direct supervision of a certified journey level plumber. The residential specialty certificate takes 6,000 hours and at least three years.

To contract for plumbing work, the business needs L&I's plumbing contractor license, with a continuous plumbing contractor surety bond of $6,000 and a certified plumber designated as the dedicated plumber, who may be an owner or partner or a full time employee. See our Washington plumbing license guide.

Minnesota

Minnesota has the clearest hour breakdown. The Department of Labor and Industry counts one year of practical plumbing experience as at least 1,750 hours, with no more than 1,750 hours credited for a calendar year. For the journeyworker exam you need one of four routes: at least four years of recorded experience as a DLI registered unlicensed plumber, a DLI registered apprenticeship program, a current Minnesota restricted license plus two years of experience gained while holding it, or an out-of-state plumber's license from a state that requires at least four years of experience and an exam.

On the registered unlicensed plumber route, those four years must include 2,000 hours of water distribution system installation, 2,000 hours of drain, waste and vent installation and 1,000 hours of fixture installation. The restricted license route uses smaller figures, so check which route you are on. For the master exam you need at least one year of practical experience as a licensed journeyworker plumber, or one of two other routes.

The company side is in Minn. Stat. 326B.46, which says a plumbing contractor's responsible individual must be a master plumber, and a restricted plumbing contractor's responsible individual may be a master or a restricted master plumber. It also requires a plumbing contractor to maintain a bond of at least $25,000. See our Minnesota plumbing license guide.

How the pattern fits together

Three things repeat across these six states. First, the board wants your hours documented: Washington trainees file affidavits of experience each year, and in Minnesota a licensed master plumber certifies the experience. Second, in Texas the hours count only from the day you register, so register before you start logging time. Third, the master license is where the company step begins, because the contractor license names a master or certified plumber behind the business.

Practical steps if you are starting today

1. Find your state board and the right rung. Look up the board's license types page and find the name of the first step. In Florida, call the county or city licensing office.
2. Register first. In Texas, hours before registration do not count. In Washington, trainees report hours on affidavits each year.
3. Get the supervision right. Texas and Washington both describe direct supervision for the entry rung. Work for a licensed plumber who can document your hours.
4. Decide early if you want your own company. A journeyman can usually work for a contractor without more. Running jobs under your own name usually means a master license or a contractor license.

Questions people ask

How long does it take to become a licensed plumber? It depends on the state. Texas requires 8,000 hours before the journeyman exam, Washington requires 8,000 hours and at least four years, Minnesota requires four years of recorded experience, and Georgia requires a minimum of one year for a journeyman. The master rung adds more time on top.

Do I need to go to trade school? Not always, but some states require training. Texas requires a 48 hour course approved by the Board or a Department of Labor approved apprenticeship program. Washington's RCW 18.106.070 says training to become a certified plumber must include not less than sixteen hours of classroom training. Georgia's rule asks for experience and an exam score rather than a school.

Can I use a license from another state? Sometimes. Texas allows a journeyman or master license from another state to count toward the exam requirement, and the 48 hour course is waived for those holders. Minnesota accepts an out-of-state plumber's license from a state that requires at least four years of experience and an exam, as a route to the journeyworker exam. Ask your board about reciprocity before you assume anything.

Can a journeyman start a plumbing company? Usually not on the journeyman card alone. Texas needs a master with the Responsible Master Plumber designation, Minnesota needs a master plumber as the responsible individual (a restricted contractor may use a restricted master), Washington needs a plumbing contractor license with a designated certified plumber, and Florida's contractor certification under Fla. Stat. 489.111 is the state route.

If you want to run a plumbing company without being the master

Some plumbers buy, inherit or start a business without the master or contractor credential the state wants behind it. A qualifying agent solves that: this person qualifies the company as an owner or a full time W-2 employee who supervises the work, and the company then holds the license that permits and contracts attach to. In Texas that is the Responsible Master Plumber, who acts as RMP of record for only one company at a time. In Washington it is the dedicated plumber, an owner or a full time employee. Read what a qualifying agent is, see how to hire a qualifying agent, and review our contractor qualifier services for how it works.

Next step

If you are a plumber ready to run your own jobs, or a company that needs a qualifier behind a plumbing license, call 615-219-2110 or start at Hire a Qualifying Agent. Tell us the state and the work you do, and we will tell you plainly what the board expects.

Sources

Retrieved October 12, 2026.

• Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, Plumber's Apprentice
• Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, Journeyman Plumber
• Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, Master Plumber
• Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, Responsible Master Plumber
• Florida DBPR, Construction Industry
• Florida DBPR, What Services Require a DBPR License
• Florida Statutes, Section 489.111, Licensure by examination
• Florida Statutes, Section 489.103, Exemptions
• Miami-Dade County, Plumbing License
• Georgia Rules and Regulations, Department 121, State Construction Industry Licensing Board, Rule 121-3-.02
• North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors, Applicant Information
• North Carolina General Statutes, Chapter 87, Article 2
• Washington L&I, Plumber Certification
• Washington L&I, Plumber Trainee
• Washington L&I, Plumbing Contractor Licensing Requirements
• Washington Administrative Code, WAC 296-400A-121
• Revised Code of Washington, RCW 18.106.070
• Minnesota DLI, Plumbing license experience requirements
• Minnesota DLI, Plumbing license types and credentials
• Minnesota Statutes, Section 326B.46