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How to become a plumber in Florida

To work as a plumber in Florida, you may need a license from the city or county where you work. Florida doesn't issue a statewide license to individual plumbers, and only some cities and counties license them.

See your steps Find an apprenticeship

Your license

I'll work in

To work as a plumber, the Hillsborough County Development Services issues the Journeyman Plumber Certificate of Competency license.

Exam
Hillsborough County doesn't list one
License
$70
Go to the Hillsborough County office

To run a business, the business needs its own license. What the business needs

Each city or county sets its own rules.

Your steps

  1. Step 1, Start here

    Start as an apprentice

    An apprenticeship is a paid job with training. You work for an employer and you learn the trade on the job. A registered plumbing apprenticeship pays you from day one. At 19 programs, pay at completion runs from $13.50 to $42.13 an hour.

    The programs that pay the most at completion

    See all 19 programs

  2. Step 2,

    Find the office that licenses plumbers where you will work

    Only some cities and counties license plumbers, and each one sets its own rules. Ask the building department in the city or county where you will work.

  3. Step 3,

    Check what that license requires

    Each office sets the experience you need and the exam you must pass.

    Journeyman Plumber Certificate of Competency

    Hillsborough County Development Services issues the Journeyman Plumber Certificate of Competency.

    You must have completed a registered and state-approved apprenticeship program, or have at least 12,000 hours of on-the-job training in your trade.

    The application fee is $150. The Journeyman Plumber Certificate of Competency costs $70.

    The $150 is 2 fees: $50 when you start your application and $100 when Hillsborough County accepts it. The $70 registration fee is separate.

    The $70 is a one-time registration fee that you pay after you qualify. With the $150 application fee, the certificate costs $220.

  4. Step 4,

    Apply to that office

    Apply to the office that issues the license, and pay its fees when you apply.

To run a plumbing business

These are the licenses for running a plumbing business.

Certified Plumbing Contractor

Hours on the job
8,000
Exam
$335

The Certified Plumbing Contractor license requires 8,000 hours on the job.

You need at least 4 years of active experience as a worker who learned the trade as an apprentice or a skilled worker, or as a foreman. At least 1 of the 4 years must be as a foreman.

The Certified Plumbing Contractor license costs $200.

You must pass the Certification Examination for Plumbing Contractors. The exam costs $335.

You renew the Certified Plumbing Contractor license every 2 years. The renewal costs $200. You need 14 hours of continuing education for each renewal.

The 8,000 hours equal 4 years, because Florida law counts 2,000 hours as 1 year. At least 1 of the 4 years must be as a foreman, and college credit can count for part of the experience.

The $200 covers a full 2-year license period. If you apply in the second year of the period, you pay $100.

The $335 is one payment that covers your application and both exams. There is no separate application fee.

Registered Plumbing Contractor

To register, you must pay the fee and show that you meet the local exam and licensing requirements in the area where you want to register.

The application fee is $100. The Registered Plumbing Contractor license costs $200.

You don't need to take an exam for the Registered Plumbing Contractor license.

You renew the Registered Plumbing Contractor license every 2 years. The renewal costs $200. You need 14 hours of continuing education for each renewal.

The $200 covers a full 2-year license period. If you apply in the second year of the period, you pay $100.

Take the exam

LicenseExam
Certified Plumbing ContractorCertification Examination for Plumbing ContractorsProfessional Testing, Inc. gives the exam.

You take this exam for the Certified Plumbing Contractor license.

What plumbers earn in Florida

$25.44an hour

$52,910 a year, full time

Half of the plumbers on a payroll in Florida earn more than $25.44 an hour, and half earn less. The federal wage survey puts the yearly figure at $52,910.

These figures cover everyone on a payroll as a plumber in Florida, from apprentices to people with decades in the trade, so they aren't a starting wage. The survey counts 29,260 jobs. The figures don't include self-employed plumbers.

The yearly figure is for full-time work all year, which is 2,080 hours.

Use a license from another state

If you hold a license from another state, ask the office that issues the license where you will work whether it recognizes your license.

Questions

Can you become a plumber with no experience?

Yes. You can start as an apprentice and learn the trade on the job.

Florida plumber apprenticeships

How much do most plumbers earn in Florida?

Half of the plumbers on a payroll in Florida earn between $22.70 and $30.20 an hour. These figures don't include overtime pay.

Can a plumber earn $100,000 a year in Florida?

The highest-paid 10% of plumbers on a payroll in Florida earn more than $73,610 a year before overtime, so most plumbers earn less than $100,000 a year from regular hours.

Contact the licensing office

Check a licenseLook up a license

Words to know

Apprentice
Someone who learns the trade on the job, working under a licensed worker.
Journeyman
The license level after apprentice. Some states write journeyperson, journeyworker or journey level.
JATC
A Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, an apprenticeship program run together by a union and contractors.
Continuing education
Classes you take to keep your license.
Median
The middle figure. Half of the workers earn more, and half earn less.

Sources

13
  1. Florida Senate, Fla. Stat. 489.105(1) and (2), "Definitions"
  2. Construction Industry Licensing Board, plumber licensing, who needs a license, the licensing office and license names
  3. Construction Industry Licensing Board, plumber licensing, the licensing office and license names
  4. Construction Industry Licensing Board, plumber licensing, license search
  5. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  6. Florida Senate, Fla. Stat. 489.111(2)(c)2., "Licensure by examination"
  7. Florida Administrative Code, Fla. Admin. Code R. 61G4-16.001(12), "Written Certification Examination Requirements"
  8. Professional Testing, Inc., Certified Plumbing Contractor, exam
  9. Florida Administrative Code, Fla. Admin. Code R. 61G4-12.009(1)(a), "Fees"
  10. Florida Senate, Fla. Stat. 489.115(1), "Certification and registration; endorsement; reciprocity; renewals; continuing education"
  11. Construction Industry Licensing Board, plumber licensing, the licensing office and license names (second page)
  12. Florida Senate, Fla. Stat. 489.117(4)(a)1., "Registration; specialty contractors"
  13. Hillsborough County Development Services, Journeyman Plumber Certificate of Competency, experience and fees

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