Steps to become a plumber
- Finish high school or a GED, the typical entry education for plumbers.[ooh_plumb]
- Register as an apprentice if your state requires it. Texas, for example, registers plumber’s apprentices from age 16 for a $15 fee.[tsbpe_app]
- Train for 4 or 5 years in an apprenticeship with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training a year and technical classes, or work under a licensed plumber while you log hours.[ooh_plumb]
- Pass the license exam. Most states and some localities license plumbers.[ooh_plumb]
- Move up to master or contractor after more years of licensed work, if you want to pull permits or run jobs.
Plumbing license requirements in Texas
Texas licenses plumbers through the State Board of Plumbing Examiners at four levels, each with an hours rule and a required course; completing a Department of Labor apprenticeship can replace the course routes.[tsbpe_trad][tsbpe_jour]
| License | Experience and training | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Plumber’s apprentice | Age 16 or older[tsbpe_app] | $15 registration |
| Tradesman plumber-limited | 4,000 hours plus a 24-hour TSBPE course, or a DOL apprenticeship[tsbpe_trad] | $36 exam application, $35 license |
| Journeyman plumber | 8,000 hours plus a 48-hour TSBPE course, or a DOL apprenticeship[tsbpe_jour] | $40 exam, $40 license |
| Master plumber | Journeyman license held at least 2 years (or 1 year after a DOL apprenticeship)[tsbpe_master] | $25 processing, $128.50 exam, $75 license |
At 2,000 hours a year, the journeyman requirement is 4 years of full-time work and the tradesman-limited license 2 years. Texas plumbers earn a median of $59,840 ($28.77).[onet_plumb]
Journeyman plumber license in Florida and California
Florida does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license. State law lets counties and cities issue journeyman licenses in the plumbing, pipe-fitting, mechanical and HVAC trades, and the statewide step is a certified contractor license, which requires at least 4 years of active experience among other conditions.[fl1455][fl111] The same statute sets the local journeyman standard: a completed state-approved apprenticeship, or 12,000 hours of on-the-job training in the trade plus Florida Building Commission code coursework.[fl1455]
California’s Contractors State License Board licenses plumbing contractors (the C-36 class), and the exam requires at least four years of journey-level experience in the class, where a completed apprenticeship counts as journey-level; the application fee is $450.[cslb_exp][cslb_fees] Florida plumbers earn a median of $52,910 and California plumbers $72,830.[onet_plumb]
How long does it take to become a plumber?
It takes about 4 to 5 years to become a journey-level plumber, the length of a typical apprenticeship; Texas’s 8,000-hour journeyman rule works out to the same 4 years at full time.[ooh_plumb][tsbpe_jour] Use the calculator at the top to count down your own hours. While you train you earn a rising apprentice wage (see plumbing apprenticeship), or a helper’s wage, which has a U.S. median of $42,360.[onet_helpP]
BLS projects 7% job growth for plumbers from 2025 to 2035, against 3% for all jobs.[ooh_plumb] Pay by state is on plumber salary; for the electrical license path see how to become an electrician in Texas.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to become a plumber?
About 4 to 5 years, the usual length of a plumbing apprenticeship with roughly 2,000 paid hours a year. Texas requires 8,000 hours of experience for a journeyman license.
What are the plumbing license requirements in Texas?
Apprentice registration ($15, age 16+); tradesman-limited at 4,000 hours plus a 24-hour course; journeyman at 8,000 hours plus a 48-hour course; master after 2 years as a journeyman.
Does Florida have a state journeyman plumber license?
No. Florida law lets counties and cities issue journeyman plumbing licenses; the state licenses certified plumbing contractors.
How much does a journeyman plumber make?
BLS does not split plumbers by license level; the middle half earn $50,190 to $85,110, and the median is $63,800 (May 2025).
Sources
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
- Plumber’s Apprentice registration (age 16 or older; $15 fee)
- Tradesman Plumber-Limited license (4,000 hours and 24-hour course)
- Journeyman Plumber license (8,000 hours and 48-hour course; $40 exam, $40 license)
- Master Plumber license (journeyman 2 years; $128.50 exam, $75 license)
- Florida Statutes s. 489.1455, Journeyman licenses in plumbing, pipe fitting, mechanical or HVAC trades
- Florida Statutes s. 489.111, Licensure by examination (4 years of active experience for certified contractors)
- Experience requirements for the contractor exam (4 years journey-level experience in the class)
- CSLB fees (original application $450; initial license $200 sole owner)
- Local Wages: 47-2152.00 Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (state and metro percentiles)
- Local Wages: 47-3015.00 Helpers, pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (state and metro percentiles)