Rhode Island Plumbing License Requirements: 8,000 In State Hours, the Exam, Fees and CE

Rhode Island licenses plumbers through the Department of Labor and Training, not through the contractor board. The individual ladder has three rungs, registered apprentice, journeyperson and master, and the 8,000 apprentice hours behind a journeyperson license have to be worked inside Rhode Island. Every license you earn then expires on your birthday, in odd or even years depending on the year you were born.

At a glance

• Issuer: RI Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulation, advised by the State Board of Plumbing Examiners
• Journeyperson: a registered apprenticeship of at least 5 years, with 8,000 hours worked in Rhode Island and 576 hours of instruction
• Master: 1 year as a licensed journeyperson employed by a Rhode Island master plumber
• Exam: 50 multiple choice questions on the 2018 IPC; 70 passes; given at least 3 times a year
• Fees: $75 to apply; $72 journeyperson and $240 master for each two year term

This guide works from the statute (R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 5-20), the regulation (260-RICR-30-15-9, Licensing of Plumbers, Irrigators and Water System Installers) and the department's own packet, forms and notices, all checked on September 28, 2026. Every fee is set by the state and can change, so confirm it with the DLT before you pay. For general contractors and the other trades, start with our Rhode Island contractor license guide, and for every other state see how to get a contractor license in each state.

Who Licenses Plumbers in Rhode Island

Not the Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board. That trips people up, because the CRLB, an agency inside the Department of Business Regulation, is the office most Rhode Island contractors deal with.

Plumbing is licensed by the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training through its Division of Workforce Regulation and Safety, Professional Regulations Unit. The nine member State Board of Plumbing Examiners, created by R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-6, advises the division. The unit sits at 1511 Pontiac Avenue, Building 70, in Cranston, takes mail at PO Box 20247, Cranston, RI 02920-0943, and publishes (401) 462-8580 as its phone line.

The CRLB confirms the split in its contractor FAQ. Asked whether plumbers and electricians have to register, it answers: "No, unless plumbers and electricians are contracting work outside the scope of their license, issued by the Rhode Island Department of Labor & Training." A plumbing company doing plumbing works on its DLT licenses; once it starts framing, roofing or general remodeling, CRLB registration applies.

What Counts as Plumbing, and Who Is Exempt

Section 5-20-2 covers the fittings, fixtures and connections inside a building, or within five feet of its outer walls, that tie it to a water supply, the drainage and vent piping inside it, and air piping plus medical and laboratory gas systems such as oxygen and nitrous oxide. Section 5-20-35 leaves out automatic sprinkler and fire protection installations, public utility employees, farms, golf courses and nurseries irrigating their own premises, and water meter replacement by cities, towns and water districts.

Apprentice, Journeyperson and Master: What Each One Permits

Registered apprentice plumber. An apprentice registers with the DLT under § 28-45-13, works under the direct supervision of a licensed journeyperson or master (Rule 9.3(A)(5)(a)), and must carry the registration certificate while working (§ 5-20-10).

Journeyperson plumber. Section 5-20-4 defines a journeyperson plumber as "any employee, except an apprentice plumber," whose principal occupation is the installation, maintenance or repair of plumbing. Section 5-20-9 goes further: the certificate specifies the holder as "employed by the properly licensed master-permit holder." By law, a Rhode Island journeyperson works for a master.

Master plumber. Section 5-20-3 defines a master plumber as a person who, as an independent contractor, engages in the business of installing, maintaining or repairing plumbing, or who employs journeypersons, apprentices or other helpers to do it. The same section says a master plumber license also covers master irrigation and master water filtration and treatment system work.

Section 5-20-8 is the section with teeth. No person may engage in the business of plumbing as a master, employ a journeyperson or apprentice, enter into plumbing contracts, or advertise or represent in any form or manner that they are a master plumber without a current master certificate. Advertising alone, with no work performed, is the violation, and the license number goes on every contract, bid and permit.

Contractor master plumber. Section 5-20-12.1 creates a license that does not, by itself, let its holder do plumbing; it exists only to qualify a company holding a plumbing contractor's license, as the company section below explains. For a side by side on the two trade licenses, see journeyman vs master plumber.

Related Licenses Under the Same Chapter

Water filtration licensing here covers commercial systems only, meaning piping larger than one and one half inches or a flow above 80 gallons per minute (Rule 9.2(A)(7); § 5-20-17.3). Under Rule 9.2(A)(18)(d), a person holding a valid master plumber's license needs no additional license for master irrigation or water filtration work, and § 5-20-4(b) does the same for a journeyperson plumber doing journeyperson irrigation. Three license types, one credential.

The 8,000 Hours Have to Be Worked in Rhode Island

R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-17 sets the journeyperson requirements:

• At least five years as a registered apprentice. The apprenticeship agreement must cover 8,000 hours over not less than five years (§ 5-20-25(a)), and the DLT packet asks journeyperson applicants to verify at least five years of experience in the trade.
• 8,000 hours of on the job training during a five year period, worked as an apprentice in Rhode Island and backed by employer affidavits.
• 576 hours of related instruction at a program the DLT recognizes; registered programs deliver 144 hours alongside each 2,000 hours of on the job learning (§ 5-20-25.2(b)(4)).
• Classroom credit. Section 5-20-17 allows a 144 hour credit against the 576 for vocational school training authorized by the council on elementary and secondary education and approved by the DLT state apprenticeship council. Section 5-20-25.2(a), in force since June 25, 2024, allows up to 288 hours for two academic years at a fully accredited trade school approved by the office of the postsecondary commissioner and the apprenticeship council.
• A $75 nonrefundable application fee, filed at least fifteen days before the examination date (§ 5-20-17(1), (7)).

The in state condition is written into the statute itself: the affidavits must show the applicant "has been actually engaged in plumbing work as an apprentice plumber in the state of Rhode Island" for the 8,000 hours. The regulation repeats it at 260-RICR-30-15-9.3(B)(2)(a)(1): "During the whole of the eight thousand (8,000) hours of on the job training required by R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-17(a)(2), the registered apprentice plumber must be employed as an apprentice plumber in the State of Rhode Island."

The whole of the hours, not most of them. Hours logged as an apprentice in a neighboring state do not count, so an apprentice who moves to Rhode Island three years into a program elsewhere starts the 8,000 hour count on arrival. Apprentices registered before 1999 are held only to the version of § 5-20-17 in force when they registered (Rule 9.3(B)(2)(b)).

Two 2024 additions tighten the front end. Section 5-20-25.1 makes completing a registered apprenticeship program in Rhode Island a condition of sitting the licensing exam, and § 5-20-25.2(a) requires the board's written approval before a sponsor's credit for prior learning counts. Section 5-20-17(6) asks the master and apprentice to keep the hour records together.

There are alternate routes in § 5-20-17: two academic years of plumbing or sanitary engineering at a recognized college, university or trade school; an associate degree in plumbing or sanitary engineering plus two years registered and employed as an apprentice by a licensed Rhode Island master; or a journeyperson license from a state with the same requirements. For the degree route, § 5-20-25.2(b)(1) sets the program minimum at the degree plus 4,000 hours of on the job learning. These are exceptions to the ordinary path, not shortcuts around it.

The Master License: One Year as a Journeyperson Under a Master

Under 260-RICR-30-15-9.3(B)(1), a master applicant must have completed one year of experience as a licensed journeyperson, employed by a master plumber licensed in this state, and must pass a written examination the Director approves. Section 5-20-16 adds a $75 nonrefundable application fee, United States citizenship or legal residency, an affidavit that the applicant worked for a licensed master during that journeyperson year, and a completed application filed at least thirty days before the examination date.

The DLT's plumbers and irrigators packet states the practical version: a master application must document at least five years of trade experience, which the apprenticeship already covers, and the journeyperson license must be valid for at least one year before the master's test. The qualifying year has to be spent working for a Rhode Island licensed master, and the same employment thread runs through the company rules below.

One safety valve sits in § 5-20-16(b): the department may waive those prerequisites when an applicant shows, to its reasonable satisfaction, the skill, education, experience and training to take the master exam. It is a discretionary door rather than a published route, so plan on the one year rule unless the DLT confirms otherwise in writing.

The Exam: 50 Questions on the 2018 IPC

Rhode Island does not send plumbing candidates to a national testing vendor. The DLT runs the exams with the aid of the State Board of Plumbing Examiners (§ 5-20-20), and the packet states the format: "The examination to be administered consists of 50 multiple choice questions based on 2018 IPC (International Plumbing Code)."

Exams run at least three times a year at places the department designates (§ 5-20-20; Rule 9.3(D)(2)). The DLT's exam page says seats go first come, first served and space is limited. Each applicant gets a confidential identification number, so the board does not see names until scores are recorded (Rule 9.3(D)(1)(c)).

Candidates who score 70 or greater are invoiced for the license fee, per the DLT packet, and apprentices learn their exam date by US Mail. A candidate who fails may retest on paying the fee again (§ 5-20-22(a)), or appeal in writing within thirty days after notice of the failure; the board then reviews the exam papers with the applicant (§ 5-20-22(b)).

With those deadlines and a three times a year calendar, a missed filing window can push a sitting back by months, so file early.

What Goes in the Application

The DLT returns incomplete applications unprocessed. The packet and Rule 9.3(C)(1) call for:

• a government issued photo ID and the packet's last two pages, signed and notarized;
• the $75 fee by check or money order payable to the RI Department of Labor and Training, with credit cards accepted in person only;
• a notarized statement on company letterhead from a present or past employer detailing your work experience;
• proof of citizenship or legal residency, a photo of about 2 by 3 inches, a chronological resume, and certified transcripts of related instruction;
• a copy of every license held in another state, and for out of state applicants, a letter of good standing; and
• for indentured apprentices, the Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship from the DLT Apprenticeship Office.

Apprentices finishing a registered program can use the shorter Apprentice Completion & Application for Examination form, which the sponsor signs and the apprentice mails with a photo ID copy and a $75 check or money order. The form warns that you cannot work on an expired apprentice card; the Apprenticeship Office issues a testing card if yours will expire before the test.

Fees From the DLT Schedule

These come from the DLT's Plumbers and Irrigators application packet and from R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 5-20-16, 5-20-17 and 5-20-23. The application fee is nonrefundable in every case, and the license fee is invoiced after you pass rather than paid up front.

• Journeyperson plumber: the packet prints this line under out of state applicants; apprentice route applicants pay the same $75 under § 5-20-17, and § 5-20-23(c) sets the journeyperson renewal at $72 every two years.
• Plumbing contractor's license for the company: the fee equals the master plumber's license fee (§ 5-20-12(b)).
• Late reinstatement: see the lapse section below.

Renewal: Your Birthday, in Odd or Even Years

Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-23(a) and 260-RICR-30-15-9.3(E)(1), a license expires on the birthday of the individual. People born in odd years renew in odd years, and people born in even years renew in even years, so the cycle is two years with no common statewide renewal date.

Before the birthday in the expiring year, the division mails a renewal application, and the licensee files it with the fee, payable to the General Treasurer, before the birthday (Rule 9.3(E)(2)). That notice goes to the address on file, and § 5-20-19 gives licensees thirty days to report a move.

Two masters at the same company, hired the same week, can sit on opposite cycles because one was born in 1984 and the other in 1985. If you run a company with several licensed people, keep the renewal calendar yourself; our guide to renewal requirements by state compares other states.

Lapse: Two Years to Reinstate, Then the Exam Again

R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-23, carried into the regulation at 9.3(E)(2), sets a two tier recovery:

• Within two years of the renewal date, a lapsed master plumber, master irrigator or master water filtration installer may be reinstated on payment of the current biennial fee of $240, plus outstanding license fees, plus a $12 per month administrative assessment for the delinquent period. Journeypersons follow the same structure at the $72 biennial fee.
• Beyond two years, a license not renewed within two years of its expiration is deemed forfeited and may only be reinstated by the person taking a test for a new license.

Two years and one day after expiry, a master plumber license is not delinquent. It is gone, and the route back is the exam.

Continuing Education: Enforcement Begins January 2027

R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-23(f) requires licensed master and journeyperson plumbers to complete board set continuing education, capped at fifteen hours, before renewing or reinstating. The board set seven hours of approved courses every two year license cycle (Rule 9.3(F)(1)(a)).

The DLT's notice to licensed master and journeyman plumbers, revised August 2025, adds the date: the board approved a seven hour program for each two year cycle, and "This continuing education requirement will be enforced beginning January 2027." The DLT will post approved providers on its website as they become available.

Providers must have held a Rhode Island master plumbing license for at least five years, carry general liability coverage of at least $500,000 per policy and workers' compensation coverage under R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-29-1 et seq., pay a $250 fee to the International Code Council, and appear before the board for approval. Instructors qualify through five years as a Rhode Island master or service as a plumbing inspector, building official or approved designee, and every instructor completes the International Code Council's Train the Trainer program.

Besides the age rule, current Rhode Island plumbing inspectors, assistant inspectors and municipal building officials, state inspector investigators, and approved instructors for the cycle they teach are exempt (Rule 9.3(F)(2)). The board may waive the hours for good cause such as illness, disability or military service on a written request filed before the cycle ends. The practical read: the obligation is real, the provider network is being built now, and the enforcement date is January 2027; for other states see continuing education requirements by state.

Penalties, Revocation and the Posting Rules

Section 5-20-33 and Rule 9.4(A)(1) apply to any person, firm or corporation, licensed or unlicensed: a fine of $1,500 for a first offense and not less than $2,000 for a second or later violation. The statute adds that each individual person acting in violation counts as a separate offense.

Combine that with the advertising language in § 5-20-8 and the exposure is broad. You do not have to install anything; representing in any form or manner that you are a master plumber without the certificate is the offense. Section 5-20-27 also directs the director to revoke a license, after a hearing, for fraud in obtaining it, willful violation of plumbing law, knowingly helping an unlicensed person do licensed work, or a felony conviction.

Every place of business must display the certificate of license, and every sign, listing, advertisement and truck of a master plumber must show the name, address and license number (§ 5-20-24). To check a plumber, use the license search and violations search linked from the DLT's Professional Regulation page.

Local Permits and Inspections

The license is statewide, but permits and inspections are local: § 5-20-26 lets any city or town employ a plumbing inspector, require permits and collect permit fees. A licensed plumbing company pulls permits through its authorized officer, its contractor master, or its continuously employed master (§ 5-20-12(b)). For how the two layers fit, see state vs local contractor licensing.

Does Rhode Island Accept an Out of State Plumbing License?

The DLT documents checked for this guide publish no list of reciprocal states. Instead, Rule 9.3(D)(4) and § 5-20-17(5) let the DLT license a plumber licensed by examination in another state whose requirements are the same, on a copy of the current license, a status statement from each state board, and an affidavit of passing a written exam in the same classification. The packet adds a letter of good standing and prints a separate out of state journeyperson line at $75 to apply and $72 for the license.

How Long It Takes

Add those up and the ordinary path runs at least six years from apprentice registration to a master exam: five years as a registered apprentice, then one year licensed as a journeyperson and employed by a master. The DLT packet points the same way: five years of verified experience for a journeyperson application, and a journeyperson license valid for at least one year before the master's test. Filing deadlines and the exam calendar add months on top.

The Licensing Steps in Order

1. Register as an apprentice under a DLT approved agreement for at least 8,000 hours over not less than five years under a master or journeyperson (§ 5-20-25(a)), and carry the card whenever you work.
2. Log 8,000 hours in Rhode Island and 576 hours of instruction, keeping the hour records jointly with your master.
3. Complete the registered apprenticeship, with your sponsor certifying it on the Apprentice Completion & Application for Examination form (§ 5-20-25.1).
4. File for the journeyperson exam with the $75 fee and photo ID at least 15 days before the exam date.
5. Pass the 50 question exam with a 70 or better and pay the invoiced license fee.
6. Work one year as a licensed journeyperson for a Rhode Island master, keeping proof for the affidavit.
7. File for the master exam with the $75 fee and the employer affidavit at least 30 days before the exam date.
8. Pass the master exam and pay the invoiced $240 license fee.
9. Qualify the company under § 5-20-12; the Secretary of State will not register it until that office receives the DLT's written confirmation (§ 5-20-12(f)).
10. Renew on your birthday every two years and complete seven hours of continuing education each cycle, enforced beginning January 2027.

The Company License and the Qualifier Rule

This is the part of Rhode Island's system that decides whether a plumbing company can legally operate. R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-12 says no corporation, firm, association, partnership or other entity may engage in business, advertise, apply for or take out permits, bid for work, or represent itself as a master plumber unless one of two things is true:

1. A licensed master plumber is continuously engaged in the supervision of the entity's plumbing work, and that master is an officer of the corporation, a partner, or a similarly authorized principal; or
2. The entity holds its own plumbing contractor's license issued by the DLT.

The second route does not remove the person requirement; it relocates it. Under § 5-20-12(b), the company license must state that the company either has a licensed contractor master plumber (§ 5-20-12.1) who supervises continuously and is an officer, partner or authorized principal, or that it will "continuously employ at all times, while holding the license, a duly licensed master plumber" who is continuously engaged in the supervision of its plumbing work.

The regulation defines that phrase. Under Rule 9.2(A)(8), continuously engaged in the supervision means supervision by a master or journeyperson that involves monitoring at the job site throughout the duration of the work. The company may take on only the kind of work its master is licensed to perform (§ 5-20-12(c)).

The DLT's Plumbing Corporation form puts the arrangement on paper. The master signs, before a notary, that the company will be able to pull permits under the master's license numbers, and acknowledges that from a stated date the master can no longer pull permits in the master's own name.

One company, and only one. Subsection (d): the master "shall represent the interests of one such entity and only one such entity at any given time." A Rhode Island master plumber cannot stand behind two companies, not even a parent and its subsidiary.

Fourteen days, then forty five. Subsection (e): if the master stops being an officer or principal, or stops being continuously employed, the company must give written notice of the cessation within fourteen days and written notice naming the replacement master within forty five days. As written, the cessation notice goes to "the department of health" while the replacement notice goes to the DLT; the parallel mechanical trades statute, § 28-27-6(e), sends both notices to the DLT, so send both there and confirm with the division.

The Secretary of State waits on the DLT. Subsection (f): no entity that does, offers or claims to do plumbing work in Rhode Island may incorporate, form, qualify to do business or register with the Secretary of State until that office has written confirmation from the DLT that all required licenses are issued and in good standing. The licensing agency holds the door on company formation itself.

Willful violation costs the license. Subsection (g) makes any willful violation of § 5-20-12 grounds for revocation under § 5-20-27. The mechanical trades statute, § 28-27-6, uses the same structure for pipefitting, refrigeration, sprinkler and sheet metal contractors.

The Contractor Master Track

The contractor master plumber license under 260-RICR-30-15-9.3(C)(2) is built for the executive who runs a plumbing company without climbing the trade ladder. It requires a Bachelor of Science in plumbing or engineering, or in business administration, plus at least four years of relevant plumbing experience acceptable to the board, two affidavits from authorized officers of the applicant's employer, two character references, the entity's EIN, and copies of the entity's current workers' compensation and general liability policies.

The board may call any applicant in for an interview (Rule 9.3(C)(2)(f)), and the application is due at least fifteen days before the exam (§ 5-20-12.1(d)). The license works only alongside a company license and does not, by itself, let its holder install anything.

Why This Is a W-2 Question in Rhode Island

Read § 5-20-12(b)(2) and § 5-20-12(d) together and the shape is plain. The company must continuously employ the master, at all times, and that master may represent one entity and only one entity. A part time arrangement, a name on a letterhead, or a master who consults for three companies does not match that language.

Rhode Island makes the employment point a second time, through a different agency. The CRLB's FAQ draws the line by tax form: "employees do not need to register. An employee is any person permitted to work by an employer, receives wages, and has taxes withheld. However, if a 1099 is filed, one is considered a subcontractor and must be registered with the CRLB."

The Licensing Company's founders, Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski, built its placement model on that line: qualifying agents are placed only as full time W-2 employees who actually supervise the work. A 1099 arrangement or a per project engagement does not read as continuously employed at all times, and the tax form a company files for the person behind its license is a fact anyone reviewing the arrangement can check.

To understand the role first, start with what a qualifying agent is. If your company needs a Rhode Island master plumber on the license, how we place qualifying agents explains the model, plumbing contractor qualifying agents covers the trade side, and whether a qualifying agent can be a 1099 contractor covers the tax form question. Other states write the employment rule in their own words; compare our guides to Delaware master plumbers, New Hampshire's responsible managing employee and Maine qualifiers.

Bills Held in 2026 That Would Change the Degree Route

House Bill 8277, introduced March 11, 2026 by Representatives Fellela, Shallcross Smith, Edwards and Azzinaro and referred to House Labor, and its Senate companion S 2738, introduced February 27, 2026, carry the same summary. As drafted, H 8277 would:

• write the 288 hour classroom credit for an accredited trade school into § 5-20-17, matching what § 5-20-25.2(a) has allowed since 2024;
• change the associate degree route in § 5-20-17(4) from two years to four years of registration and employment under a licensed master plumber, and add an explicit 8,000 hour requirement to that route; and
• on the mechanical side, change the academic route in § 28-27-11 from three years to five years of registration as an apprentice.

The House committee recommended H 8277 be held for further study on March 30, 2026, and the Senate committee did the same with S 2738 on May 6, 2026. Section 5-20-17 as published on September 28, 2026 still reads two years for the degree route; anyone planning around the associate degree should watch for the idea to return.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to get a plumbing license in Rhode Island? A journeyperson license takes a registered apprenticeship of at least five years, with 8,000 hours worked in Rhode Island and 576 hours of instruction. A master license needs one more year as a licensed journeyperson employed by a Rhode Island master, so the ordinary path runs at least six years.

How much does a Rhode Island plumbing license cost? The application fee is $75 for each exam. The license fee, invoiced after you pass, is $72 for a journeyperson and $240 for a master, each for a two year term, and a late renewal within two years adds $12 for every delinquent month.

Can I count apprentice hours from another state? Not toward the 8,000. Section 5-20-17 and the regulation both require the hours to be worked as an apprentice in Rhode Island. A plumber already licensed by examination in another state uses the separate out of state track instead.

How many continuing education hours do Rhode Island plumbers need? Seven hours of approved courses every two year cycle under Rule 9.3(F)(1)(a), within the fifteen hour cap the statute allows. The DLT will enforce the requirement beginning January 2027.

Does Rhode Island have an HVAC license? Not under that name. Heating and cooling work falls under the mechanical trades in Chapter 28-27, with separate licenses for pipefitters, refrigeration and air conditioning technicians, sheet metal workers and sprinkler fitters. Our Rhode Island HVAC licensing guide has the breakdown, and the Rhode Island electrician license guide covers the electrical side.

Do I need a CRLB registration if I already hold a DLT plumbing license? Per the CRLB's own FAQ, no, unless you contract for work outside the scope of your DLT license. A plumbing company that also frames, roofs or general contracts needs CRLB registration, which requires a $500,000 certificate of liability insurance and lasts one year.

What happens to my company if my master plumber quits? Section 5-20-12(e) gives the company fourteen days to file written notice of the cessation and forty five days to name the replacement. Meanwhile, subsections (a) and (b) mean that while no qualifying master is continuously engaged in supervision, the company is not in a position to lawfully advertise, bid, pull permits or represent itself as a master plumber. The forty five days is a filing window, not a grace period; a qualifier contingency plan helps.

Is there a way to hold a plumbing contractor license without being a working plumber? Yes, narrowly. The contractor master plumber license takes a bachelor's degree in plumbing, engineering or business administration plus four years of relevant plumbing experience, and it qualifies a licensed company without, by itself, letting its holder do the work.

What does a Rhode Island plumbing company need to be staffed correctly? Either a licensed master who is an officer or principal and supervises the work, or a company license with a master continuously employed at all times and representing only that company. What it takes to fill the role depends on your scope of work, the license class and how fast you need someone, so we scope it against your actual work through our placement service.

Talk to Us About a Rhode Island Master Plumber

Rhode Island's individual ladder is long, and its hours must be worked in the state. Its company rule is short and explicit: continuously employ a master at all times, one company only, fourteen days and forty five days when it breaks, and no Secretary of State filing until the DLT signs off.

If your company needs a Rhode Island master plumber and does not have one, that is the problem we solve. Call us at 615-219-2110 or start with our qualifying agent placement service. If you hold a Rhode Island master license and want to understand what it means to a company that needs one, becoming a qualifying agent explains that side, and licensing requirements by state covers the rest of the country.

Last reviewed September 28, 2026. Fees, hours and deadlines are set by the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training and the General Assembly and can change; confirm with the Professional Regulations Unit before relying on any figure here.

Sources

Every source below was retrieved on 2026-09-28.

• R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 5-20, retrieved 2026-09-28: index, § 5-20-2, § 5-20-3, § 5-20-4, § 5-20-6, § 5-20-8, § 5-20-9, § 5-20-10, § 5-20-12, § 5-20-12.1, § 5-20-16, § 5-20-17, § 5-20-17.3, § 5-20-19, § 5-20-20, § 5-20-22, § 5-20-23, § 5-20-24, § 5-20-25, § 5-20-25.1, § 5-20-25.2, § 5-20-26, § 5-20-27, § 5-20-33, § 5-20-35
• R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-27-6, mechanical trades corporations and firms, retrieved 2026-09-28
• R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-45-13, apprenticeship agreements, retrieved 2026-09-28
• 260-RICR-30-15-9, Licensing of Plumbers, Irrigators and Water System Installers, retrieved 2026-09-28
• RI DLT Plumbers and Irrigators Application Packet, retrieved 2026-09-28
• RI DLT Apprentice Completion and Application for Examination, retrieved 2026-09-28
• RI DLT Plumbing Corporation form, retrieved 2026-09-28
• RI DLT Mandatory Continuing Education notice to plumbers, retrieved 2026-09-28
• RI DLT Plumbing CE Provider Application, retrieved 2026-09-28
• RI DLT Professional Regulation, retrieved 2026-09-28
• RI DLT Trade License Exam Information, retrieved 2026-09-28
• RI DLT Board of Examiners of Plumbers, retrieved 2026-09-28
• RI Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board FAQ, retrieved 2026-09-28
• 2026 H 8277 bill text, RI General Assembly, retrieved 2026-09-28
• RI General Assembly status report for H 8277 and S 2738, retrieved 2026-09-28