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How to become a plumber in Iowa

The Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board licenses plumbers in Iowa.

See your steps Find an apprenticeship

Your ladder

  1. Apprentice LicenseStart here
  2. Journeyperson PlumbingThe next license up
  3. Master PlumbingThe next license up
  4. Contractor LicenseRun your own business

First: start as an apprentice.

Find an apprenticeship

Your steps

Steps for: New to the trade. Change where you are at the top of the page.

  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. Iowa has 254 registered plumber apprenticeship programs. The median wage is $19.00 an hour at the start and $30.00 an hour at the end.

    The programs with the most active apprentices

    See all 254 programs

  2. Step 2,

    Get your Apprentice License

    Apply to the Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board for the Apprentice License.

    What this license lets you do: “An apprentice may only perform work covered under Iowa Code Chapter 105 under the supervision of a master or journeyperson. An apprentice shall not knowingly perform work for an unlicensed contractor.”

    The Apprentice License costs $50.

    You renew the Apprentice License every 3 years. The renewal costs $50. You don't need continuing education to renew.

    The official wording of the requirement
    Apprentice License“Must be enrolled in an applicable apprentice program which is registered with the United States Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship and provide the department with the United States Department of Labor sponsorship agreement information found in the indenture agreement.”

  3. Step 3,

    Get the experience you need

    The Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board sets the experience you need for the Journeyperson Plumbing license.

    Journeyperson Plumbing

    Exam
    $119
    Fee
    $35

    About the exam: “Open Book, 75 questions, 3 hours”

    The application fee is $35. The Journeyperson Plumbing license costs $180.

    You must pass the exam named "Journeyperson Plumber with Gas". The exam costs $119.

    You renew the Journeyperson Plumbing license every 3 years. The renewal costs $180. You need 8 hours of continuing education for each renewal.

    The $35 fee is the Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board's exam approval fee, and you pay it for each exam. Kirkwood Community College charges its own exam fee on top.

    You pay Kirkwood Community College $119 each time you take the exam. Your exam approval from the Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board lasts 1 year, and you can take the exam as many times as you need in that year.

    If you had an apprentice license and then passed the exam for the journeyperson license, you don't need the 8 hours of classes the first time you renew it, as long as your renewal date stays the same as your apprentice license's.

    You can apply to take the Journeyperson Plumbing exam when you are 36 months into your 4-year apprenticeship, which is 12 months before you finish.

    The official wording of the requirement
    Journeyperson Plumbing“Provide the board with evidence of having completed at least four years of practical experience as an apprentice AND proof of successfully passing the Iowa journeyperson examination for each trade discipline requested.”

  4. Step 4,

    Apply for your Journeyperson Plumbing license

    Apply to the Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board for the Journeyperson Plumbing license. You must pass the exam named "Journeyperson Plumber with Gas". Kirkwood Community College gives the exam.

  5. Step 5,

    Renew your license

    You renew the Journeyperson Plumbing license every 3 years.

Other plumber licenses

Master Plumbing

Exam
$119
Fee
$35

About the exam: “Open Book, 125 questions, 6 hours”

The application fee is $35. The Master Plumbing license costs $240.

You must pass the exam named "Master Plumber with Gas". The exam costs $119.

You renew the Master Plumbing license every 3 years. The renewal costs $240. You need 8 hours of continuing education for each renewal.

The $35 fee is the Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board's exam approval fee, and you pay it for each exam. Kirkwood Community College charges its own exam fee on top.

You pay Kirkwood Community College $119 each time you take the exam. Your exam approval from the Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board lasts 1 year, and you can take the exam as many times as you need in that year.

The official wording of the requirement
Master Plumbing“To be eligible to sit for the exam, you must have either 1) a master license in another jurisdiction; or 2) a journeyperson license with two years of work experience.”

To run a plumbing business

This is the license for running a plumbing business.

Contractor License

The Contractor License costs $250.

You renew the Contractor License every 3 years. The renewal costs $250. You don't need continuing education to renew.

The $250 fee is the Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board's fee for the full 3-year license. The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing also charges $150 for contractor registration on the same application.

The official wording of the requirement
Contractor License“An applicant must provide the board with evidence that the applicant holds an active master license or employs at least one person who holds an active master license issued under Iowa Code chapter 105 for each discipline in which the applicant performs chapter 105-covered work.”

Take the exam

LicenseExam
Journeyperson PlumbingJourneyperson Plumber with GasKirkwood Community College gives the exam.
Master PlumbingMaster Plumber with GasKirkwood Community College gives the exam.

You take the exam for the license you apply for.

What plumbers earn in Iowa

$30.72an hour

$63,890 a year, full time

Half of the plumbers on a payroll in Iowa earn more than $30.72 an hour, and half earn less. The federal wage survey puts the yearly figure at $63,890.

These figures cover everyone on a payroll as a plumber in Iowa, from apprentices to people with decades in the trade, so they aren't a starting wage. The survey counts 5,730 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 one of the states listed for a license, you may be able to use your license to qualify in Iowa.

Iowa licenseRecognized from
Journeyperson Plumbing license and Master Plumbing licenseSouth Dakota

South Dakota is the only state with a reciprocity agreement with Iowa for plumbers. If you got your South Dakota plumbing license by passing an exam, you can apply for the Iowa license at the same level, Journeyperson or Master, without passing the Iowa exam.

These states recognize a license from Iowa.

Iowa licenseRecognized by
Journeyperson Plumbing license and Master Plumbing licenseSouth Dakota

Questions

Can you become a plumber with no experience?

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

Iowa plumber apprenticeships

How much do most plumbers earn in Iowa?

Half of the plumbers on a payroll in Iowa earn between $24.95 and $41.02 an hour. These figures don't include overtime pay.

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

The highest-paid 10% of plumbers on a payroll in Iowa earn more than $97,500 a year before overtime, so most plumbers earn less than $100,000 a year from regular hours.

Contact the licensing office

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.
Master
A higher license level, for a worker with more years in the trade. It often lets you supervise others.
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.
Reciprocity
An agreement that lets you use a license from one state to get a license in another.
Median
The middle figure. Half of the workers earn more, and half earn less.

Sources

15
  1. Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board, plumber licenses, exam
  2. Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board, plumber licensing, the licensing office
  3. Iowa Legislature, Iowa Code § 105.10, "License or certification required — exceptions"
  4. Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board, Contractor License, experience
  5. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  6. Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board, Apprentice License, experience
  7. Iowa Legislature, 481 IAC 428.1(105), "Fees"
  8. Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board, Apprentice License, renewal
  9. Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board, Journeyperson Plumbing, experience and licenses from other states
  10. Kirkwood Community College, plumber licenses, exam and fees
  11. Iowa Legislature, 481 IAC 432.2(105), "Continuing education requirements"
  12. Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board, Master Plumbing, experience and licenses from other states
  13. Iowa Legislature, 481 IAC 429.7(5), "License renewal"
  14. Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board, email reply about the exam fee, contractor renewal, licenses from other states and when you can take the exam
  15. U.S. Department of Labor national apprenticeship data, extract of August 17, 2026

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