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Becoming a plumber depends on your state

Each state sets its own rules for plumbers, starting with who issues the license. SkilledLadder has guides for 26 states so far.

Other trades: Electrician · Sprinkler fitter

Who issues your license

19

The state

5

Cities and counties

2

Not settled by the state

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The state licenses you

19 states

You need a state license in your own name to do this work, whoever you work for.

Cities and counties license you

5 states

There's no statewide license for plumbers. You still need one: the rules are the ones where you'll work, and they change across a city line.

Not settled by the state

2 states

The state's licensing pages don't settle whether individual plumbers need a license. That doesn't mean no license is needed. The city or county where you'll work answers it.

Your state isn't here? 24 states and the District of Columbia have no plumber guide yet.

Sources

  1. Each state's licensing board or agency, as listed in that state's guide: who issues the license and its name
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median pay for plumbers in each state
  3. Florida Department of Education, annual apprenticeship report: the programs in Florida with published pay
  4. Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, apprenticeship registry: the registered programs in Oregon
  5. Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, apprenticeship registry: the registered programs in Washington
  6. U.S. Department of Labor, national apprenticeship data, extract of August 17, 2026: the registered programs in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin

Pay: median pay counts every plumber on a payroll in the state, from first-year apprentices to masters: half earn more and half earn less. It isn't what an apprentice earns.

Programs: Florida's count is the programs whose pay its yearly report publishes, so it isn't a count of every registered program. California and New York have no apprenticeship guide yet. Every other count is the registered programs.

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