How to Get a Plumbing License in Colorado (Residential to Master)

To get a plumbing license in Colorado, you apply to the State Plumbing Board for one of three individual credentials, residential plumber, journeyworker plumber or master plumber, built on verified work-hour experience and a passing score on the required PSI examination. A plumbing company needs a separate contractor registration and a responsible master plumber on top of whatever individual license its workers hold.

At a glance

• Issued by: Colorado State Plumbing Board, DORA Division of Professions and Occupations
• License levels: Residential plumber, journeyworker plumber, master plumber
• Experience: 3,400 hours (about 2 years), 6,800 hours (about 4 years), 8,500 hours (about 5 years)
• Exam: PSI, multiple choice; 70% passes residential and journeyworker, 75% passes master
• Companies: Separate plumbing contractor registration with a named responsible master plumber

For the broader business picture, read our Colorado contractor license guide, and see how to get a contractor license for every other state. The requirements below are confirmed directly against the board's own rules and application pages, retrieved October 5, 2026.

Who Needs a Plumbing License in Colorado

Colorado does not gate plumbing licensure behind a dollar threshold the way some states do for general contracting. The trigger is the work itself: if you install, alter, repair or remove plumbing for someone else, the State Plumbing Board's licensing rules apply regardless of the job's price.

C.R.S. 12-155-118(2) exempts an individual working on their own property or residence, including hiring help for routine repair, maintenance and replacement of fixtures like sinks, faucets, drains, showers, tubs and toilets. That exemption does not extend to property built or remodeled for sale, rental property or commercial and industrial buildings.

The rules also exempt people who only inspect, test and repair backflow prevention devices from needing a plumbing license for that narrow work; installing or removing one still falls under the regular plumbing definition. Everyone else performing plumbing work needs to hold the matching license or work as a registered apprentice under one.

Colorado Plumbing License Types

Choose the level that matches the work and responsibility you intend to take on. The board's rules, 3 CCR 720-1, set the experience thresholds, and the applications page frames each as roughly 2, 4 or 5 years of full time qualifying work.

Notes:

• The term journeyworker replaced journeyman throughout the practice act on July 1, 2025, under HB24-1344. Older rules, forms or job postings may still read journeyman; it is the same credential.
• An hour threshold is an eligibility minimum, not an automatic credential. The hours need verified supporting evidence, and the examination and application stages still follow.
• Plumbing contractor registration is a separate business filing with no hour requirement of its own; it needs a responsible master plumber instead, and does not replace the individual license and supervision the work requires.

Experience, Apprentice Registration and Qualifying Records

Most applicants build their hours as a registered apprentice. The board's rules require employers to register a new apprentice within 30 days of hiring them, and failure to do so can lead to discipline against the contractor. Apply through the board's applications page.

The rules define direct supervision narrowly: the supervising residential, journeyworker or master plumber must be physically present at the same address listed on the permit, or within five minutes of the apprentice on the same job site. A residential plumber working on a commercial site must also hold active apprentice registration for that work, since a residential license alone does not cover commercial scope.

Employer records must document exact employment dates and hours, and the board does not let applicants verify their own experience, even if they already hold a license from another state. Keep your own organized copies alongside the employer's affidavits, and revisit them whenever you change employers so gaps are easy to close while the work history is still fresh.

Starting January 1, 2027, HB25-1284 requires plumbing apprentices to be enrolled in a United States Department of Labor recognized apprenticeship program to stay registered; apprentices in a non-qualifying program face deregistration if their eligibility cannot be verified. That requirement is not in force yet, so today's 30 day registration rule governs current apprentices.

The PSI Plumbing Examination

The board contracts its written exams to PSI, a private testing agency, administered in English in a multiple choice format based on the currently adopted International Plumbing Code, International Fuel Gas Code and Colorado's own plumbing rules. A score of 70% passes the residential and journeyworker exams; the master exam requires 75%.

Rule 1.4(A)(1) places passage of the examination before submission of the completed board license application for the examination route. In practice, you first submit an initial application establishing your experience and education eligibility; once the board approves it, it sends an acceptance letter with instructions for contacting PSI and obtaining the current candidate handbook, which lists the testing locations, scheduling process and the current exam fee. The board's own pages do not post that exam fee separately, since PSI sets and updates it in the handbook.

How to Apply for a Colorado Plumbing License

1. Choose the residential, journeyworker or master level that matches your intended scope and documented hours.
2. Assemble employer-verified experience records with exact dates, hours and contact information, since you cannot verify your own experience.
3. Submit your initial eligibility application through DPO Online Services.
4. Once approved, contact PSI using the board's acceptance letter to schedule your exam and review the current candidate handbook for its fee.
5. Pass the required written exam for your chosen level.
6. Submit the completed board license application with your exam results, experience and education evidence, and the applicable payment.
7. If you are forming a company, complete the separate plumbing contractor registration and name a responsible master plumber.

Want the Application Done for You?

An eligibility application, employer affidavits for every job, a PSI handbook to track down, then a second completed application after the exam: Colorado's sequence rewards applicants who keep every document straight the first time.

License Application Processing prepares and submits your state contractor license application: an eligibility audit before anything is filed, a document checklist so you are not chasing the affidavits alone, 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 it 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. This does not promise approval, does not promise a timeline, and does not replace sitting your own PSI exam. Call 615-219-2110 to talk through your Colorado application.

Colorado Plumbing License Fees

The board's application pages route every applicant to the DPO Online Services portal, where the dollar amount appears once you select your specific license type and route; it is not posted as a single static schedule on the board's own pages. Confirm the actual charge there rather than relying on a number from outside the board.

An incomplete application is retained for one year from the date the board first received it; after that, the applicant must start over, including paying the application fee again. Build a document checklist alongside your fee checklist so nothing stalls past that window.

Endorsement for Out-of-State Plumbers

Rule 1.4(B)(1)(a) lets an out-of-state plumber apply by endorsement if they completed a state or federally approved apprenticeship, or the required years and type of experience for the comparable Colorado license; passed a comparable state plumbing examination; and currently hold an active license from the endorsing state.

Endorsement is not an automatic reciprocity list. The board compares your actual qualifications to Colorado's own requirements, and, as with the examination route, you cannot verify your own experience even though you already hold a license elsewhere; your prior employers still need to affirm it. Prepare that active license evidence, examination information and employment history before applying through the applications page.

Bond, Insurance and the Plumbing Contractor Registration

The board's rules do not set a statewide surety bond or minimum insurance dollar amount tied to the individual plumbing license or the plumbing contractor registration. A plumbing contractor registration does require naming a licensed master plumber who is in charge of supervising all plumbing work the company performs, and the application asks for workers' compensation and unemployment insurance information once the company has employees.

If the named responsible master plumber leaves for any reason, the rules give the contractor 20 days to hire another one before the registration moves into a status that prevents the company from practicing. Review how to hire a qualifying agent while planning who fills that role, since a vacancy clock that short belongs in the company's continuity plan rather than something to research after the fact. Confirm separately whether a city or county permit office layers its own bond or insurance requirement on top of state registration before you pull permits there.

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

Most of the timeline is the experience requirement itself. The board frames its own hour thresholds as roughly 2 years for residential, 4 years for journeyworker or 5 years for master, assuming full time qualifying work without gaps.

Beyond that baseline, add time for the board to review your initial eligibility application, for PSI to schedule and administer your exam, and for the board to process your completed license application once you pass. None of those steps carries a published turnaround time, and an incomplete application sits for up to a year before you would have to restart and pay again, so build buffer into your plan rather than counting on a specific number of days.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Colorado plumbing licenses run on a two year cycle and expire on the final day of February in odd numbered years; the renewal window opens approximately four to five weeks before that date. Licenses issued within the specified 120 day window before expiration are typically carried to the following cycle, so check the actual expiration date assigned to your credential rather than assuming the standard cycle.

HB24-1344's signed act changes the license term for anything issued or renewed on or after March 1, 2027, to three years or a term the director otherwise sets; that provision is not in force yet, so the current two year, odd numbered year cycle above governs every renewal before that date. The division maintains a list of approved continuing education providers and audits compliance after each license period, and military personnel may qualify for an exemption from both the renewal fee and the continuing education requirement with board approval.

Plumbing Business Ownership and the Responsible Master

A Colorado plumbing company needs its own contractor registration separate from any individual's license, and that registration requires a licensed master plumber who is in charge of supervising all plumbing work the company performs. Keep the business registration, the responsible master's individual status and the company's day to day supervision consistent in your own records, since a registration payment alone does not prove the master's requirements are current.

Hire a qualifying agent if you need someone to fill that supervisory role while you or your team build toward an individual license; see what a qualifying agent is for the full definition. A qualifying agent qualifies the company as an owner or full time W-2 employee who supervises the work, not as a name on file with no operating role. Placement is never a guarantee of board approval.

For companies expanding into electrical work, our Colorado electrician license guide covers that separate trade and its own board. Keep the plumbing contractor registration, responsible master records and individual plumbing credentials in their own file even when the same company holds both.

Colorado Plumbing License FAQ

How do I get a plumbing license in Colorado? Choose the residential, journeyworker or master level matching your documented hours, submit an initial eligibility application to the State Plumbing Board, pass the PSI exam once approved, then submit the completed board license application with your exam results and evidence.

How long does it take to get a plumbing license in Colorado? Most of the time is the experience itself, roughly 2 years for residential, 4 for journeyworker or 5 for master at a full time pace, plus however long the board's eligibility review, PSI scheduling and final application processing take, none of which carries a published turnaround.

How long does it take to become a master plumber? The board frames the master threshold, 8,500 hours, as about 5 years of full time qualifying work, on top of whatever time the examination and application steps add once you reach that threshold.

What are the hour requirements for each Colorado plumbing license? Residential requires 3,400 hours, journeyworker 6,800 hours and master 8,500 hours, each needing employer verified supporting evidence rather than just elapsed calendar time.

Do I take the exam before the board license application? For the examination route, rule 1.4(A)(1) places passage of the exam before submission of the completed board license application, though an earlier eligibility application comes first to confirm your experience and education before PSI will test you.

Can an out-of-state plumber apply by endorsement? Yes. Rule 1.4(B)(1)(a) allows endorsement for applicants with comparable approved training or experience, a comparable passed examination and a currently active license from the endorsing state, verified through employer affidavits rather than self-certification.

How much continuing education does Colorado require each year? Eight hours each year of the two year license period, with at least four code hours within any 24 month period, and six years of record retention; initial licensees by examination are exempt until their first renewal.

Can I apply for a Colorado plumbing license online? Yes, both the initial eligibility application and the completed license application are filed through the board's DPO Online Services portal, which is also where the current application fee for your specific route is shown.

Get Your Colorado Plumbing Application Filed

Start with the level that matches your documented hours and the business structure you are building toward. If you want the eligibility and license applications handled for you, License Application Processing files them for a flat $999 per state application. If the gap is a qualified person on staff, call The Licensing Company at 615-219-2110 or start at hire a qualifying agent.

Sources

S1. Colorado Plumbing Board rules, 3 CCR 720-1, effective August 14, 2026. Retrieved October 5, 2026.

S2. Colorado Plumbing Board applications and renewal instructions. Retrieved October 5, 2026.

S3. Colorado Plumbing Board continuing education requirements. Retrieved October 5, 2026.

S4. HB24-1344 enacted bill summary. Retrieved October 5, 2026.

S5. HB24-1344 signed act. Retrieved October 5, 2026.

S6. C.R.S. 12-155-118, plumbing licensing exemptions. Colorado's own code site did not load; confirmed current through Justia. Retrieved October 5, 2026.

S7. HB25-1284, apprentice registration in licensed trades. Retrieved October 5, 2026.

S8. License Application Processing. Retrieved October 5, 2026.