How to Get a Plumbing License in Alabama (2026 Requirements)

To get a plumbing license in Alabama, you register as an apprentice with the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, log two years of current work experience to sit the journeyman exam, then one more year of current journeyman experience to sit the master exam. Alabama licenses plumbing at the state level only, through this single Board in Homewood, with three levels, apprentice, journeyman, master, and a separate parallel ladder for gas fitting.

At a glance

• Who issues it: the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board in Homewood
• Path: apprentice (no exam) to journeyman (2 years, exam) to master (1 more year, trade exam plus a new business law exam)
• Master fees: $160 trade exam, $100 business law exam, $50 processing, $175 initial certificate
• No state bond or insurance requirement: the old $2,000 master plumber bond was repealed in 2015
• Renewal: all certificates expire December 31; 4 hours of CE annually

If you want to run a plumbing company rather than hold your own certificate, one specific person inside that company has to hold a Master Plumber certificate and register with the Board as the company's principal master plumber. This guide covers plumbing specifically; for the rest of the state's licensing landscape, see our Alabama contractor license guide and the general contractor license overview.

Two things changed for 2026, and most competing guides have not caught up to either one. Continuing education became a hard prerequisite to renewal, and as of January 1, 2026 every master level applicant also has to pass a business law exam on top of the trade exam. This guide walks the ladder using the Board's own rules, Chapter 720-X of the Alabama Administrative Code, and the underlying statute, Code of Alabama 1975, Title 34, Chapter 37, then covers the part that trips up companies rather than individuals: the principal master requirement.

Who Needs a Plumbing License in Alabama

The Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board (APGFEB) certifies individuals and registers businesses statewide, under authority from Code of Alabama 1975, Title 34, Chapter 37. Its operating rules are Chapter 720-X of the Alabama Administrative Code.

Certification is required for anyone who contracts, engages in, or holds themselves out as certified in plumbing or gas fitting in Alabama, under Code of Ala. Section 34-37-6(a). There is no dollar threshold exemption like the one that applies to Alabama's general contractor license. A few narrow exceptions apply without a certificate, under Code of Ala. Section 34-37-15:

• a property owner doing plumbing work in or about a building they own or occupy
• a maintenance employee doing plumbing work incidental to their employer's business, on the employer's premises, who does not work as a plumber for the general public
• a railroad or utility company employee working on company premises or lines, not for the general public
• anyone solely testing backflow devices, or installing a washing machine to an existing line without tying into the waste or sewer line past the trap

All work performed under these exceptions is still subject to inspection and approval under state law and local ordinance. Everyone else needs Board certification before doing plumbing or gas fitting work in Alabama, regardless of job size.

A few structural points worth getting straight before anything else:

• Plumbing and gas fitting are separate trades with separate certificates. You can be a Journeyman Plumber, a Journeyman Gas Fitter, a Master Plumber, a Master Gas Fitter, or any combination.
• Individuals get certificates. Companies get registrations. Those are two different things and both are required before a company performs work, and under rule 720-X-5-.01 and 720-X-6-.01, a journeyman can only perform plumbing or gas work for a company that is properly registered with the Board.
• Certification is statewide. Under Code of Ala. Section 34-37-8(b), any certificate the Board issues is accepted by every city, town, and county in Alabama, and no local government may require a separate competency exam or certification for plumbers, gas fitters, or medical gas piping fitters.
• The Board also issues an endorsement, Medical Gas Piping Fitter, that layers on top of an existing certificate rather than standing alone.

The Alabama Plumbing License Types

Alabama does not require trade school or a formal classroom education credential at any level. What counts is registered, documented work experience, or a Board approved apprentice training program; there is no separate "education requirement" apart from that experience.

Apprentice Plumber / Apprentice Gas Fitter

The entry credential. There is no written exam for apprentice registration. Per rule 720-X-4-.01(2)(a), you submit the apprentice registration form, the executed "Declaration of U.S. Citizenship or Lawful Presence of an Alien," and pay the fee.

An apprentice works directly under the supervision of a journeyman or master and must carry a current annual certificate, sometimes called the apprentice card, available for inspection on request. Under rule 720-X-11-.01, a supervising journeyman or master can directly supervise up to five apprentices on a residential jobsite, or up to three on any other jobsite, and must stay on the jobsite the whole time the apprentice is working.

Registration is renewed annually.

Journeyman Plumber

To sit for the Journeyman Plumber exam under rule 720-X-4-.01(2)(b), you need verifiable proof of two years of current work experience as a registered apprentice plumber, or completion of a Board approved apprentice training program. The Board's own exams page puts it in one line: "you must have 2 years of CURRENT work experience to qualify for a journeyman examination."

There is a narrow exception for applicants whose experience does not fit the registered apprentice box. The Board's Board Appearance Request process lets you petition the Board to sit for the journeyman exam before completing the standard two year apprenticeship, with verifiable documentation attached. The request goes on the agenda for the next scheduled Board meeting, and you must appear in person to make your case; it is a scheduled hearing, not a paperwork shortcut.

Passing score is 70%.

Journeyman Gas Fitter

Same structure, same two year current experience threshold, but the experience must be as a registered apprentice gas fitter, and the exam is the gas fitting exam.

Master Plumber, And the Requirement Almost Every Competing Guide Gets Wrong

Here is the single biggest factual error in this vertical. Multiple page one results tell readers that a Master Plumber in Alabama must work two years as a journeyman and then document two additional years of journey level experience, four years past journeyman.

That is not what the rule says. Rule 720-X-4-.01(2)(d) requires "verifiable proof of one (1) year of current work experience as a journeyman plumber." Code of Ala. Section 34-37-6(f)(1) says the same thing in the statute itself. The Board's own exams page states it in plain language: "You must have 1 year of CURRENT work experience to qualify for a master examination."

One year. Not two, and not four. If you have been holding off on the master exam because a licensing blog told you that you were years away, check your own certification date.

New for 2026: master level applicants must now pass two exams, the trade exam and a business law exam. The Board's exams page states it in capital letters: "EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2026, MASTER LEVEL EXAMINATION APPLICANTS WILL NOW BE REQUIRED TO ALSO PASS AN ADDITIONAL BUSINESS LAW EXAM TO OBTAIN MASTER CERTIFICATION." Rule 720-X-4-.01(2)(d) now lists a passing score on the written examination and a passing score on the business law examination as separate requirements.

Practical consequence: the Board has posted a separate master exam application, and the Board's exams page marks the journeyman application "DO NOT SUBMIT THIS APPLICATION FOR MASTER LEVEL EXAMS AS OF JANUARY 1, 2026." Master candidates file the master application, which carries both the $160 trade exam and the $100 business law exam.

Master Gas Fitter

Identical structure, one year of current work experience as a journeyman gas fitter, the trade exam, and, as of January 1, 2026, the business law exam.

Medical Gas Piping Fitter

This is an endorsement, not a standalone license. To get it you must already hold a Board certification at any level in plumbing or gas fitting, and separately hold a current third party certification as a Medical Gas Installer/Brazer from the National Inspection Testing and Certification Corporation (NITC) or an equivalent Board approved entity, such as ASSE 6010 Installer certification.

Supervision rules follow the underlying certificate: an apprentice holding med gas certification must still be under the direct supervision of a master or journeyman who also holds a current med gas certificate.

Coming From Another State

Rule 720-X-4-.02 lets a person who holds a Journeyman Plumber, Journeyman Gas Fitter, Master Plumber, or Master Gas Fitter license in another state become certified at the corresponding level in Alabama. The applicant proves U.S. citizenship or lawful presence, has the other state's agency verify the license is current and in good standing with no pending discipline, and scores at least 70 on the Board's test for that level. These applications expire 90 days after initial submission if not completed.

True reciprocal certification under Code of Ala. Section 34-37-11 is narrower: rule 720-X-4-.01(2)(g) limits it to states with a valid and current reciprocity agreement with the Board, and since an October 13, 2025 amendment it also requires a passing score on the business law exam.

Separately, if the Governor or Legislature declares a state of emergency, the Board can issue a short term emergency certificate of endorsement to an out of state applicant with a current license in good standing, valid only for the duration of the emergency and never longer than 60 days, under Code of Ala. Section 34-37-6(i) and rule 720-X-4-.04.

Exam Format, Content, and the New Business Law Exam

Effective January 1, 2023, applicants are tested on the 2021 International Plumbing Code or the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code, depending on the trade. Note the code cycle: Alabama's plumbing exams are running the 2021 IPC and 2021 IFGC in 2026. Guides that reference the 2018 codes are stale.

The Board's exam vendor, Prov, administers every exam as a computerized, open book test with same day results, and every exam takes a 70% score to pass. Under Code of Ala. Section 34-37-6(g), the Board must offer at least four examination sittings a year. The current candidate bulletin (the December 15, 2025 edition attached to the Board's exam applications) sets the length of each exam.

Notes on the table:

• Vendor is Prov for all five exams; results are same day.
• Permitted references for the four trade exams: Code of Ala. Title 34 Ch. 37; Ch. 720 Administrative Rules; 2021 International Plumbing Code; 2021 International Fuel Gas Code; Mathematics for Plumbers and Pipefitters, 8th Ed.; Modern Plumbing, 8th Ed.
• Business law exam references: the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, 14th Ed.; the Alabama supplement; Title 34 Ch. 37; Ch. 720 rules. The exam draws from twelve topic areas, with Board Rules the largest single block at 7 questions.
• You may highlight, attach permanent tabs, and write notes in pen in the margins, but moveable tabs, Post-it notes, photocopied books, and separate study guides are not allowed in the testing room.

If you pass one master exam and fail the other, you reapply and retake only the one you failed. A journeyman who goes on to earn both Master Plumber and Master Gas Fitter takes the business law exam only once, with the first master certificate. If you already hold a Master Plumber certificate from before January 1, 2026 and want to add Master Gas Fitter now, or the reverse, you still have to pass the business law exam; it is not grandfathered by an earlier master certification in the other trade.

How to Apply for a Plumbing License in Alabama: Step by Step

1. Register as an apprentice. Submit the apprentice registration form, the executed Declaration of U.S. Citizenship or Lawful Presence of an Alien, and the $35 fee to the Board.
2. Work under supervision. Log at least two years of current, verifiable work experience as a registered apprentice, or complete a Board approved apprentice training program.
3. Apply for the journeyman exam. Submit the completed Application for Examination and the $110 exam fee.
4. Sit the exam. Take the computerized, open book journeyman exam through the Board's vendor, Prov. You need a 70% to pass, and you get same day results.
5. Certify within 90 days. Pay the $50 processing fee and the $75 initial certificate fee within 90 calendar days of passing, or you have to retest.
6. Work one more year. Log at least one year of current work experience as a certified journeyman before you are eligible for the master exam.
7. Apply for the master exam. Use the separate master application; as of January 1, 2026 this covers both the $160 trade exam and the $100 business law exam.
8. Pass both master exams. The trade exam and the business law exam are scored separately; if you fail one, you only retake that one.
9. Certify within 90 days of passing both. Pay the $50 processing fee and the $175 initial certificate fee.
10. Register the business, if you are forming a company. Pay the $25 business registration fee and register your certified master as the company's principal master plumber or gas fitter.

Want the Application Done for You?

Filing a journeyman or master application correctly, with the right experience documentation attached to the right form and the right fees, is where a lot of applicants lose time to resubmission. The Licensing Company's License Application Processing service prepares and submits the state contractor license application for you: an eligibility audit before anything is filed, a document checklist (we chase the pieces with you), every state form prepared and reviewed line by line, submission the way the board requires, and the board's paperwork questions answered and resubmitted until the board decides.

It is a flat $999 per state application, paid up front. State fees, exam fees, background checks, and fingerprinting are paid to the state, not to us. Call 615-219-2110 to get started.

We do not promise approval, and we do not take the exam for you. Only the Board decides, and things like a documentation gap or your exam performance are outside anyone's control.

The 90-Day Certification Cliff

This one costs people an entire exam. Effective September 1, 2015, once you pass an examination you have ninety calendar days to pay all prescribed fees and obtain your certification, under Code of Ala. Section 34-37-6(g). Miss the window and you have to retest. For a master certificate, the Board's master application counts the ninety days from the date you pass both the trade exam and the business law exam.

There is a second timing trap in the other direction: if you pass a Journeyman or Master Plumber exam and want to keep performing gas fitting work, you need at least an Apprentice certification in gas fitting. The reverse is also true, pass a gas fitter exam and want to keep plumbing, and you need at least an apprentice plumbing certification. Two ladders, and moving up one does not carry you across to the other.

Alabama Plumbing License Fees

The fee schedule below is taken directly from Board rule 720-X-4-.01(3), revised October 13, 2025, operative January 1, 2026 (the amendment that added the business law exam fee). Board fees are set by the Board and change. Verify current amounts with the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board before you send money.

Apprentice

• Initial registration: $35.00
• Annual renewal: $35.00
• Late annual registration penalty: $35.00

Journeyman level (plumber or gas fitter)

• Non-refundable examination fee: $110.00
• Initial application processing fee: $50.00
• Initial certificate fee: $75.00
• Annual certificate renewal: $75.00
• Inactive fee: $0.00
• Late annual renewal penalty: $75.00

Master level (plumber or gas fitter)

• Non-refundable written exam fee: $160.00
• Non-refundable business law exam fee: $100.00
• Initial application processing fee: $50.00
• Initial certificate fee: $175.00
• Annual certificate renewal: $175.00
• Inactive fee: $0.00
• Late annual renewal penalty: $175.00

Medical Gas Pipe Fitter

• Renewal fee: $25.00

Business registration

• Initial registration: $25.00
• Annual renewal: $25.00
• Late renewal penalty: $25.00

Miscellaneous

• Records request: $15.00 plus $0.25 per page
• License verification: $15.00
• Application for alternative assessment: $15.00
• Replacement of a lost or stolen certificate: regular fee schedule applies

Two observations. First, the master written exam and business law exam are billed separately; the 2026 change adds $100 to the cost of getting certified, not zero. Second, business registration is $25 a year. The company side cost in Alabama is trivial; the constraint is entirely about finding and keeping the person who can be the principal master.

Fines: rule 720-X-4-.01(4) sets a minimum fine of $500.00 for violations not related to gas work and a minimum fine of $1,000.00 for violations related to gas work. Separately, under Code of Ala. Sections 34-37-12 and 34-37-17, the Board's authority to fine any certificate holder or registered company is capped at $2,000 per violation, plus hearing costs.

Bond and Insurance Requirements

Several guides tell readers Alabama requires a bond or proof of insurance to get a plumbing license. That used to be true for master plumbers and master gas fitters: Code of Alabama Section 34-37-13 once required a $2,000 bond filed with the probate judge in the license holder's home county. The Alabama Legislature repealed that section outright, effective September 1, 2015, under Act 2015-496.

Neither the current statute (Title 34, Chapter 37) nor the Board's administrative rules (Chapter 720-X) require a surety bond, a net worth figure, or general liability insurance as a condition of individual certification or company registration. If a client, general contractor, or lender asks you for proof of insurance, that is a private contract requirement, not a state licensing requirement, and the amount is whatever that party negotiates with you.

The only money backed obligation left in the statute is the Board's own authority to fine a certificate holder or registered company for rule violations, covered above.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Plumbing License in Alabama?

The minimum path from zero to Master Plumber is about three years of qualifying work experience, not counting the time it takes to pass each exam and get certified. Apprentice registration itself is immediate once the Board processes your paperwork; there is no waiting period or exam at that level.

From there: two years of current apprentice experience before you can sit the journeyman exam, then one more year of current journeyman experience before you can sit the master exam. Add the 90 day certification window at each stage, and a realistic total from apprentice registration to Master Plumber certification runs three to three and a half years for someone working steadily in the trade.

There is no general shortcut written into the rules. The one narrow exception is the Board Appearance Request path described above, for applicants whose prior experience does not fit the registered apprentice box; it still requires an in person hearing and verifiable documentation, not a general way to skip time.

Renewal, Late Penalties, and Continuing Education

All certificates and registrations expire December 31. Renewal season runs October 1 through December 31.

Rule 720-X-9-.01 is unusually literal about the deadline: fees must be received in the Board office by close of business on December 31, or online by 11:59 p.m. that night. Anything after that is a late renewal, and the late penalty is equal to the full renewal rate for that certificate. A master plumber who renews on January 2 pays $175 plus another $175. Under Ala. Code Section 34-37-9, unpaid certificate and registration fees from previous years also come due at the time you pay the current year's fees and penalties.

Continuing Education, The 2025 Change That Bites in 2026

Beginning January 1, 2025, continuing education became mandatory for all journeyman and master certificate holders, under rule 720-X-21-.02. The Board is blunt on its continuing education page: "Continuing education requirements MUST be completed prior to renewing your 2026 certification and subsequent years."

• Four hours annually, regardless of how many certifications you hold.
• If you hold two certifications, the four hours split. A contractor holding both Master Plumber and Master Gas Fitter must obtain two hours of plumbing CE and two hours of gas fitting CE, not four hours of whichever is convenient. The rule gives this as a worked example. (HVAC work in Alabama runs under a different board with its own CE rules; see the Alabama HVAC license guide.)
• No carryover. Hours earned in excess of the requirement for a given year may not be used toward CE credit for the following year.
• First year is exempt. CE is not required for an individual acquiring or renewing their initial certification during the current calendar year, including through reciprocity.
• Age 65 exemption. Rule 720-X-21-.09 exempts certified contractors age 65 or older, starting the year after they turn 65, not the year they turn 65.
• One CE hour equals at least 50 minutes, awarded in one hour increments not to exceed four hours in a given course, and courses may not be repeated within the earning period for credit.
• Inactive status suspends CE, but an inactive contractor returning to active status must complete all CE requirements first.

The deadline mechanics matter. Rule 720-X-21-.02(6) and (12) require CE to be completed and proof submitted to the Board before November 1 each year; for the 2027 certificate cycle, that means before November 1, 2026, inside the October 1 to December 31, 2026 renewal window. In the first CE cycle, for 2026 certificates renewed at the end of 2025, the Board's deficiency form used a later cutoff, CE completed prior to December 15, 2025, a one cycle accommodation, not the standing rule. Miss the November 1 deadline and you are placed on a CE deficiency plan and owe a $100 deficiency fee, on top of the hours you still have to complete and the annual renewal you still have to pay by December 31 to avoid the separate late renewal penalty.

The Company Side: Registration and the Principal Master

This is the part that separates individual licensing from operating a plumbing business in Alabama, and it is where most out of state companies get stuck.

Every company must register with the Board before bidding on or performing work in Alabama. Not before starting work, before bidding: Code of Ala. Section 34-37-6(b) requires registration for any legal entity "engaging in, or offering to engage in" plumbing or gas fitting work, and rule 720-X-17-.01 requires every such legal entity to register with the Board annually. Journeyman and apprentice employees of the registered company must also individually be certified or registered, and the company's registered business name must be displayed, at least two inches tall, on two sides of each service or construction vehicle.

Every registered company must have a principal master designee. Code of Ala. Section 34-37-1(13) defines a "principal" as the individual responsible for the contracting, superintending, installation, maintenance, or repair of plumbing or gas fitting systems for a legal entity, who is actively and continuously connected with the conduct of the business, and is responsible to the board for those responsibilities.

Rule 720-X-12-.02 converts that phrase into three hard tests. To be registered as principal master plumber for a legal entity, an individual must:

1. be duly registered and certified by the State of Alabama as a master plumber;
2. be an active employee of the legal entity and not an independent contractor; and
3. provide verifiable documentation to substantiate the above as requested by the board or board staff.

And then the sentence that ends the conversation for anyone thinking about spreading a certificate across multiple companies:

"No individual shall be registered as the principal master plumber for more than one legal entity regulated by the board.", Rule 720-X-12-.02(2)

Rule 720-X-13-.02 imposes the identical one entity limit on the principal master gas fitter. Separately, Code of Ala. Section 34-37-16(b) makes the point even more plainly for the certificate itself: no certificate issued by the Board can be sold or transferred, and a certificate that is misused can be revoked.

Read those together and Alabama's position is unambiguous. The principal master must be an actual employee of the company, not a contractor, not a consultant, not a name on a form, and can hold that role for exactly one company at a time. That is a structural rule, not a paperwork preference, and it is why arrangements built around detached license holders do not survive contact with this Board. We cover the broader legal picture in our analysis of license portability arrangements.

What Happens When the Principal Master Leaves

Alabama has the most operationally severe qualifier departure rule we have documented anywhere, and it is worth reading before you ever need it. Rule 720-X-12-.03 governs.

On separation by termination, layoff, or resignation:

• Both the principal master and the legal entity must notify the Board within five days of the separation, each on the prescribed form.
• The entity must immediately cease entering all contracts, both verbal and written, for plumbing or gas fitting work.
• Every certificate holder employed by the entity who was operating under that principal's certification must immediately cease all installation, maintenance, servicing, and repair of plumbing or gas systems, until a new principal master has applied to and been approved by the Board.
• The departing principal may not act as principal master for himself or any other employer until he has been formally removed from the former employer and approved by the Board for the new one.

There is no grace period on the separation track. Work stops the day the principal walks, and it stays stopped through the Board's approval cycle for the replacement.

On death or incapacity, the rule is different and more forgiving:

• The entity must give the Board written notice within 45 days, with documentation such as a death certificate or a physician's attestation of incapacitation.
• Upon timely and complete notice, the entity may request a limited waiver so it and its certified employees can keep operating temporarily. A request filed later than 45 days may be denied after a show cause hearing.
• Any waiver granted expires on the 90th day following the qualifying event. The entity may continue entering new contracts and performing work while the waiver is active, but on expiration must immediately cease unless a new principal master has been approved.

The asymmetry is the point. Alabama gives a company a 90 day runway when the principal master dies, and zero runway when the principal master quits. Building a company where one person's resignation letter stops all revenue the same afternoon is a real and specific risk in this state. If your Alabama entity has exactly one certified master and no bench, that is worth planning around now rather than in the five days you would have to react; see Building a Contractor Qualifier Contingency Plan.

How Much Does It Cost to Get Licensed in Alabama?

For the individual, the Board fees above are the whole picture on the certification side: a master plumber going from journeyman to certified master pays the $160 written exam, the $100 business law exam, the $50 processing fee, and the $175 initial certificate, plus whatever the business registration costs at $25.

For a company, the honest answer is that Alabama's state fees are among the cheapest in the country and are not the real cost. The real cost is the qualifier.

What a company spends to have a properly certified principal master in place depends on the trade classification, whether you already employ a certified master, how many entities and states you are operating across, the exposure the role carries, and how quickly you need to be operational. Those variables are why we do not publish a single number for it; a figure that is right for one company is wrong for the next.

One thing that is not variable: when we place a qualifying agent, that person is placed as a full time W-2 employee of the client company. In Alabama specifically, that is not a preference, rule 720-X-12-.02(1)(b) requires the principal master to be an active employee and not an independent contractor, and there is no compliant way to structure it otherwise. If your company needs the licensed professional who qualifies its plumbing work, review our Hire a Qualifying Agent page and What Is a Qualifying Agent? for the structure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a state license to do plumbing work in Alabama? Yes. Plumbing is certified at the state level by the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, and any company performing plumbing or gas fitting work must be registered with the Board before it bids on or performs work. A narrow set of exceptions covers property owners working on their own buildings and a few other specific cases.

Does Alabama require a bond or insurance to get a plumbing license? No, not since 2015. The old $2,000 master plumber's bond under Code of Ala. Section 34-37-13 was repealed effective September 1, 2015. Neither the current statute nor the Board's rules require a bond, a net worth figure, or liability insurance as a condition of certification or company registration.

How long does it take to become a Master Plumber in Alabama? The minimum path is two years of current work experience as a registered apprentice to sit the journeyman exam, then one year of current work experience as a certified journeyman to sit the master exam, roughly three years of qualifying experience, plus the exam and certification steps at each stage.

Is there a fastest way to get a plumbing license in Alabama? Not really. There is no general shortcut. The one exception is the Board Appearance Request process, which lets an applicant whose prior experience does not fit the registered apprentice box petition the Board in person to sit for the journeyman exam early, with verifiable documentation.

How much continuing education do I need? Four hours a year for journeyman and master certificate holders, due before November 1 each year. If you hold two certifications, it splits two and two across the trades. Hours do not carry over, and CE must be complete before the Board will let you renew. Licensees age 65 or older, starting the year after they turn 65, are exempt.

Can one person be the principal master for two companies? No. Board rule 720-X-12-.02(2) states that no individual shall be registered as the principal master plumber for more than one legal entity regulated by the Board, and rule 720-X-13-.02(2) says the same for gas fitting.

What happens to my company if our master plumber quits? Both you and the departing principal must notify the Board within five days, and the company must immediately stop entering contracts and stop all plumbing and gas work until a replacement principal master is approved by the Board. There is no waiver on the resignation track; the 90 day waiver in rule 720-X-12-.03(2) applies only to death or incapacity.

Is the business law exam new? Yes. Effective January 1, 2026, master level applicants must pass a business law exam in addition to the trade exam, and the Board has issued a separate master exam application for it. The exam costs $100, runs 40 questions in 2 hours, and covers twelve topic areas from business organization and contracts to lien laws, board rules, and payroll taxes.

What happens if I miss the November 1 continuing education deadline? You are placed on a CE deficiency plan and owe a $100 deficiency fee. You still have to finish the hours and renew by December 31 to avoid the separate late renewal penalty on top of the deficiency fee.

How do I verify or look up a plumber's license in Alabama? The Board maintains a Licensee Search tool, linked from its website, that lets the public confirm whether an individual or a registered company holds a current, valid certificate.

Do I need a separate city or county plumbing license too? No. Under Code of Ala. Section 34-37-8(b), a certificate issued by the Board is accepted statewide by every city, town, and county, and no local government may require its own competency certification or exam for plumbers, gas fitters, or medical gas piping fitters.

Where to Go From Here

If you already hold an Alabama master certificate, the practical next steps are the business registration and getting yourself properly registered as the principal master for exactly one entity.

If you are a company, in state or expanding into Alabama, and you do not have a certified Alabama master plumber on payroll, that is the gate, and the state fees are not the hard part. Read What Is a Qualifying Agent? for the structure, look at the trade level view in the plumbing contractor qualifying agent guide, see the general framework at our contractor license pillar page, and review the rest of Alabama's licensing landscape in the Alabama contractor licensing state guide and the Alabama electrician license guide.

If you would rather not handle the paperwork yourself, see License Application Processing. When you are ready to put a qualifier in place, visit Hire a Qualifying Agent. If you are the master plumber and want to understand what the role is worth and what it obligates you to, start at Become a Qualifying Agent.

Sources

• Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, How Do I Become Licensed?, retrieved 2026-10-07
• Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, Exams, retrieved 2026-10-07
• Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, Continuing Education, retrieved 2026-10-07
• Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, homepage, renewal and CE notices, Licensee Search, retrieved 2026-10-07
• Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, Board Appearance Request, retrieved 2026-10-07
• Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, Complete Administrative Rules, Chapter 720-X, revised through 10/13/25, retrieved 2026-10-07
• Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, Code of Alabama 1975, Title 34, Chapter 37, as posted by the Board, retrieved 2026-10-07
• Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-37-13 (Master plumber's and gas fitter's bond, repealed by Act 2015-496, effective September 1, 2015), as posted by the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board (above), retrieved 2026-10-07

Fees, deadlines, code cycles, and exam requirements described here are set by the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board and are subject to change. Verify current requirements directly with the Board before applying. This guide reflects Board rules and published guidance as of October 2026.

Ready to put a compliant, full time principal master plumber in place, or need help filing your own application? Call 615-219-2110 or use Hire a Qualifying Agent to get started.