The path to an Arkansas plumbing license, from ADH apprentice and master credentials to the exam, application steps, fees and the contractor license step.
To get a plumbing license in Arkansas, you register as an apprentice under a licensed master plumber, document four years of experience in plumbing and natural gas, and pass a four hour exam given by the Arkansas Department of Health to become a journeyman. A master plumber needs five years of experience plus one full year holding a journeyman license. Arkansas bundles plumbing and gas work into one license, so the path below covers both.
At a glance
- Who issues it: the Arkansas State Board of Health, through the Plumbing and Natural Gas Section of the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH)
- Journeyman: four years of experience or its equivalent, then a four hour, four section exam
- Master: five years of experience plus one full year holding a journeyman license, then a separate four hour exam
- Fees: journeyman $75 application plus $75 annual license; master $125 application plus $200 annual license
- Contracting: a commercial project of $50,000 or more also needs a license from the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board
This guide walks through who needs which Arkansas plumbing license, the license ladder, the experience and exam requirements, the application steps, what it costs, the timeline, renewal, and what changes once you are running a business rather than working under someone else's license. For the broader licensing framework, see the Arkansas contractor license requirements and how to get a contractor license in each state.
Who needs an Arkansas plumbing license?
Arkansas does not set a dollar floor below which plumbing work goes unlicensed. Anyone who installs, alters or repairs plumbing or natural gas piping in the state does that work under an ADH apprentice, journeyman, master or restricted license, full stop. The dollar thresholds only apply one step later, to the separate Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board (ACLB) credential a business needs to contract for the job.
| Activity | License needed | Dollar trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Performing plumbing or gas work as a tradesperson | ADH apprentice, journeyman, master or restricted license | None, any paid work |
| Contracting residential work | ACLB residential license | $2,000 or more, labor and materials |
| Contracting commercial work | ACLB commercial license (Restricted or Unrestricted) | $50,000 or more |
In practice that means a plumber works toward the ADH trade license first, and a company that wants to bid and sign commercial contracts above $50,000 separately qualifies for the ACLB's Mechanical classification or Plumbing specialty, covered later in this guide.
Is there an Arkansas State Plumbing Board or plumbers commission?
Not by either name. Online guides and search results sometimes refer to an "Arkansas State Plumbing Board," a "state board of plumbing examiners," or a "plumbers commission." None of those agencies exist.
Arkansas plumber licensing runs through the Arkansas State Board of Health, administered day to day by the Plumbing and Natural Gas Section of the Arkansas Department of Health (the office signs its current forms Protective Health Codes), with eligibility decisions made by the State Committee of Plumbing Examiners. That committee is the closest thing Arkansas has to a licensing board or commission for this trade, and it only decides eligibility and discipline; it does not operate under a separate board name.
The operating office is:
- Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (Protective Health Codes)
- 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 24, Little Rock, AR 72205
- Phone (501) 661-2642, fax (501) 661-2671
Mail an application to an agency called the "Arkansas Plumbing Board" and it will not get slower, because no such mailing address exists; it simply will not reach anyone with authority to act on it.
The Arkansas plumber license ladder
Arkansas licenses plumbers at four tiers: apprentice, journeyman, master, and a family of restricted licenses for narrower scopes of work.
| License | Experience to qualify | Application fee | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice (registration) | Registered under an Arkansas master plumber | None | $25 |
| Journeyman | 4 years or its equivalent | $75 | $75 |
| Master | 5 years, plus 1 year holding a journeyman license | $125 | $200 |
| Restricted Gas Fitter | Competency in that phase | $75 | $75 |
| Restricted Supervisor Gas Fitter | Competency in that phase | $125 | $200 |
| Restricted Water and Sewer Service Line | Competency, plus exam | $125 | $200 |
Apprentice. Registered under a named Arkansas master plumber and enrolled in the apprenticeship program under Ark. Code Ann. § 17-38-409. An apprentice may not work unsupervised; one master or journeyman may supervise up to three apprentices on a single job, and a final year apprentice may work under indirect supervision, reachable by phone, text, email or in person, while carrying identification showing final year status.
Journeyman. Any person other than a master plumber who is engaged in the practical installation of plumbing, qualified by four years of experience or its equivalent. An apprentice who completes Arkansas apprenticeship training is considered for the journeyman exam on that basis.
Master. Defined by planning, superintending and practical installation work, not installation alone. That supervisory definition is why a master plumber, rather than a journeyman, is the credential a business needs behind it. Eligibility requires five years of experience and one full year already holding a journeyman license, though the Committee may waive the one year holding period for extreme hardship.
Restricted licenses. A narrower set limited to gas fitter, governmental maintenance, service line installation, solar mechanic and hospital maintenance work. Experience earned under a Restricted Hospital Maintenance or Restricted Water and Sewer Service Line license does not count toward a journeyman or master card, and a restricted license cannot move to another phase without a new application.
Lifetime Master Plumber. ADH issues a lifetime master license to a plumber at least 65 years old who has held an Arkansas master license for at least twelve years. It is restricted: the holder may not perform or contract plumbing on supermarkets, shopping centers, housing projects, apartment complexes, industrial buildings, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, or any job with more than twenty three fixture units, and may not register an apprentice.
Experience and education requirements
Arkansas runs on documented work experience, not classroom hours. There is no mandatory trade school or community college requirement to sit the journeyman or master exam. What the Committee of Plumbing Examiners looks for instead:
- An Arkansas apprenticeship, which satisfies the journeyman experience requirement on its own once completed, backed by an Arkansas Apprenticeship Committee Release form; or
- Notarized affidavits on company letterhead from current or former employers, documenting years of work "in all phases of plumbing and natural gas" for applicants outside the apprenticeship program.
Only legal work history counts, and the Committee applies the least restrictive standard it can, accepting records, affidavits or other bona fide evidence of an applicant's background as a plumber. A professional engineer with plumbing engineering expertise may also be considered for the master exam without the standard experience path.
The Arkansas plumbing exam
ADH gives its own exam; there is no national testing vendor for the plumber license itself (the separate business license uses PSI, covered below). Both the journeyman and master exams are four sections taken one at a time in random order, with four hours total to finish all four; you are not timed section by section.
| Section | Journeyman exam | Master exam |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Drawings | DWV riser diagram, water sizing, a 45 degree offset | DWV riser diagram, water sizing, fixture spacing |
| 2. Questions | 50 random questions on the codes and state law | 50 random questions on the codes and state law |
| 3. Gas | Flue venting, combustion air, gas pipe sizing | Flue venting and combustion and ventilation air |
| 4. Final section | Identify fittings and drain and vent components | Gas pipe sizing by the longest length method |
The code books are the 2018 Arkansas Plumbing Code and the 2018 Arkansas Fuel Gas Code, plus the Arkansas State Plumbing Law. Water sizing uses Appendix E201 of the plumbing code, gas pipe sizing uses the longest length method in Appendix A of the fuel gas code, and combustion air uses sections 304.5.3 to 304.7.3.
Exams run on a published monthly calendar at the ADH auditorium in Little Rock, with no exam in November. The remaining 2026 dates are October 30 and December 4. Once the Committee approves your application, ADH mails a Notification of Examination. Fail a section, or miss a scheduled exam without proper notice, and the re-examination fee is $50; a non-scheduled or oral exam costs an additional $50 per exam.
How to apply for an Arkansas plumbing license, step by step
- Pick the right license. Most new entrants start as an apprentice; a plumber with four documented years applies for journeyman; a journeyman with one year on the card and five years of experience applies for master.
- Register as an apprentice if you are starting out, naming the Arkansas master plumber you will work under, for a $25 annual fee.
- Gather your experience proof, either an Arkansas Apprenticeship Committee Release form or notarized employer affidavits documenting plumbing and gas fitting work.
- Complete the application and have it notarized, including your Social Security number, date of birth and a copy of a photo ID.
- Send the application with the fee in the same envelope. Applications without the fee are discarded without review, and documentation sent separately gets the application denied.
- Wait for the Committee, which reviews applications at its monthly meeting and mails a Notification of Examination, an approval letter, or a letter of explanation.
- Sit the four hour exam on your scheduled date.
- Pay the license fee once you pass; it is due before the license is issued.
- Add the ACLB contractor license if you will contract for jobs at or above the thresholds covered above.
Want the application done for you?
Gathering notarized employer affidavits, assembling the ADH forms correctly, and tracking an application through a monthly committee meeting while you are also working jobs is where most delays happen. The Licensing Company's License Application Processing service handles the application itself: an eligibility audit before anything is filed, so you know every state fee up front; a document checklist, with our team chasing the pieces alongside you; every ADH or ACLB form prepared and reviewed line by line by a senior team member; and submission the way the board requires, with the board's paperwork questions answered and the application 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. We do not promise approval, only the board decides, and we do not promise a timeline or sit the exam for you.
Call 615-219-2110 or visit License Application Processing to get started.
Arkansas plumbing license fees
ADH application fees, paid with the application; applications without fees are not reviewed:
| License | Application fee | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|
| Master | $125.00 | $200.00 |
| Journeyman | $75.00 | $75.00 |
| Apprentice | None | $25.00 |
| Restricted Gas Fitter | $75.00 | $75.00 |
| Restricted Supervisor Gas Fitter | $125.00 | $200.00 |
| Restricted Supervisor Hospital Maintenance | $125.00 | $200.00 |
| Restricted Hospital Maintenance | $75.00 | $37.50 |
| Restricted Governmental Maintenance | $125.00 | $100.00 |
| Restricted Water and Sewer Service Line | $125.00 | $200.00 |
Additional examination after a failure or a missed exam is $50.00; a non-scheduled or oral exam adds $50.00 per exam. Fee waiver: under Act 725 of 2021, an applicant can have the initial license fee waived while receiving Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, TEA or Lifeline assistance, within twelve months of an unemployment approval, or at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, with documentation attached.
ACLB commercial contractor fees, once you are ready to contract for work:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Filing fee | $100.00, non-refundable |
| Contractor's bond | $10,000.00 |
| Business and Law exam (PSI) | $84.00 |
| On-time renewal | $50.00 |
| Renewal within 30 days late | $100.00 |
| Renewal more than 30 days late | $100.00, board review required |
ACLB licenses expire if not renewed within two years, at which point a new application is required instead of a late renewal.
Bond, insurance and net worth
A commercial ACLB license needs a fully executed $10,000 Contractor's Bond in the company's principal name and EIN as registered with the Secretary of State, filed before the license releases. Applicants with one or more employees must carry Workers' Compensation insurance and provide a current certificate.
Alongside the bond, ACLB requires a financial statement showing a minimum business-related net worth by classification, with half of that figure in cash for new applicants:
| Classification | Minimum net worth | Statement type |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical (Plumbing and HVACR) | $20,000 | Compiled (Restricted) or reviewed/audited (Unrestricted) |
| Specialty (Plumbing alone) | $5,000 | Compiled (Restricted) or reviewed/audited (Unrestricted) |
A Restricted license, capped at projects under $1,500,000, accepts a compiled statement from an independent CPA. An Unrestricted license, with no project ceiling, needs a reviewed or audited statement with full footnote disclosures.
Timeline: how long does it take?
There is no single published processing time, because the ADH and ACLB steps run on different calendars. A realistic sequence looks like this:
- ADH committee review: monthly meetings; the Committee notifies applicants by mail after each meeting.
- ADH exam: given on a published monthly calendar, with no exam in November.
- ADH temporary permit: a 90 day temporary revocable permit is available on request once the Committee approves eligibility, extendable for hardship.
- ACLB application: must be complete in the ACLB office three weeks before a board meeting, and the application itself expires if not completed within 90 days of filing.
Between the apprenticeship years, the journeyman exam, the one year holding period, and the master exam, becoming a master plumber from a standing start takes a minimum of six years by design, not a processing delay. A journeyman who already has five years of qualifying experience and one year on a journeyman card can apply for the master exam as soon as both conditions are met.
Renewal and continuing education
Arkansas runs two separate renewal calendars, six months apart, and master or journeyman plumbers have no annual continuing education hour requirement; only plumbing inspectors do, at eight hours a year.
| License | Expires | Renew by | Late penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master, Journeyman, Apprentice | December 31 | February 1 | $5.00 per month after |
| All Restricted licenses | June 30 | August 1 | $5.00 per month after |
| Plumbing and Gas Inspector certificates | June 30 | August 1 | $5.00 per month after |
Deferment is available to master and journeyman holders for $20.00 a year, due by December 31, rather than letting a license lapse. Reinstatement after a lapse costs $325.00 for a master license or $150.00 for a journeyman license, plus back fees; reinstating a deferred license costs the current license fee plus $20.00. That gap is the entire case for deferring instead of lapsing. A license revoked for cause can only be replaced one year after revocation, and the new license requires passing the exam again.
Reciprocity for out of state plumbers
Arkansas recognizes a plumber licensed elsewhere through three routes. Reciprocity lets the Committee waive testing and apprenticeship for an applicant with a substantially similar license in good standing, where Arkansas has a reciprocal agreement. Substantially similar licensure lets an out of state master, journeyman or restricted plumber sit the Arkansas exam without first serving an apprenticeship, if the home state has adopted a national model plumbing or gas code and uses a comprehensive exam from a national examination agency. Automatic occupational licensure under Act 457 of 2023 lets a new Arkansas resident qualify with one year on a similar license in good standing, or three years of unlicensed work in the trade, no disqualifying offense, no pending complaint, and a passing score on a state law exam the Department may waive.
Going the other direction, Oklahoma's Construction Industries Board runs a reciprocal journeyman application for Arkansas plumbers who have held the Arkansas license at least one year, hold at least an unlimited journeyman license, and passed an Arkansas sponsored exam. Oklahoma's reciprocal fee is $75 ($50 license fee plus a $25 processing fee).
Uniformed service members stationed in Arkansas, veterans who live here, and their spouses qualify for automatic licensure with a similar license in good standing, and a deployed member's expiration date extends 180 days after return.
Arkansas plumbing license lookup
To verify whether a plumber is licensed, use the ADH public license search for plumbing and HVACR licensees, linked in Sources below; it covers master, journeyman, apprentice and restricted licenses. For a formal verification to send another state, ADH publishes a Request for Verification of License form; applicants coming the other direction file the destination state's equivalent form with their Arkansas application.
What changes when you are opening a plumbing business
An ADH plumbing license lets a person perform plumbing work. It does not, by itself, let a company contract for jobs above Arkansas's dollar thresholds; that is the separate ACLB credential covered above. ACLB's own rule defines who can stand behind that license:
"Full-time employee" means a person who is an actual employee of the business, not an independent contractor, who works on average thirty or more hours a week (1,500 hours a year), is paid on a W-2 rather than a 1099, and is not hired job to job.
A qualifying party for the Mechanical classification or the Plumbing specialty must be a sole owner, a partner, an officer or LLC member actively engaged in day to day operations, or that full-time employee. If your qualifying master plumber leaves, ACLB rules require written notice within 15 days and a fully qualified replacement within 30 days, so the role has to stay filled on an ongoing basis, not as a one time formality.
That is why every qualifying agent The Licensing Company places is placed as a full time W-2 employee of the client's business who actually supervises the work, never a 1099 arrangement; it is the standard our founders, industry authorities Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski, hold every placement to, and it matches what Arkansas's own rule requires. A qualifying agent qualifies the company as an owner or full time W-2 employee who supervises the work; see what a qualifying agent is, or go straight to hiring a qualifying agent. A company whose owner is still working toward five years of experience can hold the Mechanical classification or Plumbing specialty today with a licensed master plumber on payroll who qualifies the company. We have also covered the employment question across state lines in Does a Contractor License Qualifier Have to Be an Owner or an Employee? and Can a Qualifying Agent Be a 1099 Contractor?.
The full Arkansas picture, including the three boxes on the ACLB application, the tenure question, the 10% ownership disclosure, and how trade licenses feed the classification, is broken down in Arkansas Contractor License Qualifier: The Three Boxes on the Form.
Scope discipline: using the license for work it does not cover
The rules are blunt. Using a master, journeyman or restricted license to do plumbing other than what the license permits is grounds for automatic suspension and/or revocation, and the same language applies separately to hospital maintenance and water and sewer service line licenses. Restricted Water and Sewer Service Line holders get an especially tight fence: that license may not touch any portion of the water distribution or building drain system, and it does not include any natural gas work at all. These holders must also pull their own permits, inspections and plan reviews.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an Arkansas State Plumbing Board or plumbers commission? No. Licensing runs through the Arkansas State Board of Health, administered by the Plumbing and Natural Gas Section of the Arkansas Department of Health, with eligibility decided by the State Committee of Plumbing Examiners. Neither a "State Plumbing Board" nor a "plumbers commission" exists as a separate agency.
What are the education requirements for an Arkansas plumbing license? None in the classroom sense. ADH requires documented years of experience, either through the Arkansas apprenticeship program or notarized employer affidavits, rather than a diploma or trade school certificate. The one exam you cannot waive with experience is the ADH journeyman or master exam itself.
How long does it take to become a master plumber in Arkansas? The journeyman step requires four years of experience or its equivalent, and the master exam requires five years plus one full year already holding a journeyman license. Built sequentially, the fastest realistic path from a standing start runs about six years, not counting the Committee's monthly review cycle.
What is on the Arkansas plumbing exam? Both the journeyman and master exams run four sections in four hours total: a DWV riser drawing and water sizing problem, 50 questions on the plumbing and gas codes and state law, gas venting and combustion air work, and a gas pipe sizing or fitting identification section.
Do I need a separate license for natural gas work in Arkansas? Not for ordinary plumbing and gas work under a master or journeyman license, since Arkansas bundles them and the journeyman requirement covers "all phases of plumbing and natural gas." Separate Restricted Gas Fitter, Gas Utility Serviceperson and related licenses exist for narrower roles.
How much does an Arkansas plumbing license cost? A journeyman license is $75 application plus $75 annual; a master license is $125 application plus $200 annual. Re-examination is $50, and reinstatement after a lapse runs $150 to $325 plus back fees.
How do I look up an Arkansas plumbing license? Use the ADH public license search linked in Sources below; for a formal verification to send another state, use the ADH Request for Verification of License form.
Does an Arkansas plumbing license transfer to other states? Not automatically. Oklahoma accepts Arkansas journeyman plumbers who have held the license at least one year and passed an Arkansas exam, for a $75 reciprocal fee. Every other state decides under its own rules.
Can I use my plumbing license to bid a $60,000 commercial job? No. An ADH plumbing license authorizes plumbing work, not contracting. A commercial project of $50,000 or more needs an ACLB commercial license, Restricted up to $1,500,000 per project or Unrestricted with no ceiling, and residential work of $2,000 or more needs a residential license.
Can a company hold the Mechanical classification without an owner who is a master plumber? Yes, if a licensed master plumber is a full time W-2 employee of the company under ACLB's own definition, thirty or more hours a week and not hired job to job. That is the role a qualifying agent fills for a growing company.
The short version
Arkansas is straightforward once you accept that two agencies are involved. The Department of Health licenses the person who does plumbing and gas work, built entirely on documented experience rather than classroom hours. The Contractors Licensing Board licenses the business that contracts for that work, and it will not issue the Mechanical classification or Plumbing specialty unless someone connected to that business, as an owner or a full-time W-2 employee, holds the trade license. Related Arkansas and regional coverage: Electrician License Arkansas, HVAC License Arkansas, Plumbing License Mississippi, Plumbing License Kansas, and our state licensing guides.
Talk to The Licensing Company
If your company needs the Mechanical classification or the Plumbing specialty before your own five years are up, or you want the application itself handled for you, call 615-219-2110 or start at Hire a Qualifying Agent. We can also take on the paperwork directly through License Application Processing. The Licensing Company was founded by Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski, and the first conversation is about your scope, your state and your timeline.
Sources
All sources retrieved October 5, 2026. Government and testing vendor fees are set by the board or vendor and can change; confirm current figures with each agency before relying on them.
- Arkansas State Board of Health, Rules Pertaining to Master, Journeyman, and Restricted Plumber Licenses (effective September 5, 2024)
- Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas program page
- ADH, Application Instructions and License Fee Table for Arkansas Plumber Licenses (1/15/2026)
- ADH, Arkansas Journeyman Plumber Examination Study Guide
- ADH, Arkansas Master Plumber Examination Information Guide
- ADH, 2026 Plumbing Exam Dates
- ADH, Plumbing and HVACR public license search
- Arkansas Code 17-38-409, Supervision of apprentice plumbers (Justia)
- Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board, Commercial New Application (effective 1/2025)
- Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board, proposed rulemaking markup with attached Senate Bill 186 (Act 235 of 2025, approved 3/4/2025), filed with the Bureau of Legislative Research
- Oklahoma Construction Industries Board, Arkansas Plumbing Reciprocal License Application
- The Licensing Company, License Application Processing
Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, licensing guidance, or an offer of services. Licensing requirements vary by jurisdiction. For specific compliance questions, contact The Licensing Company for a confidential consultation.