To work as a plumber in Pennsylvania, you may need a license from the city or county where you work. Pennsylvania doesn't issue a statewide license to individual plumbers, and only some cities and counties license them.
An apprenticeship is a paid job with training. You work for an employer and you learn the trade on the job. Pennsylvania has 117 registered plumber apprenticeship programs. The median wage is $20.68 an hour at the start and $34.87 an hour at the end.
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.
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Step 3,
Check what that license requires
Each office sets the experience you need and the exam you must pass.
Journeyman Plumber License
City of Philadelphia
The City of Philadelphia, Department of Licenses and Inspections issues the Journeyman Plumber License.
The application fee is $25. The Journeyman Plumber License costs $126.
You must pass the Journeyman Plumber Examination.
You renew the Journeyman Plumber License every year. The renewal costs $126.
The $25 application fee is part of the $126 license fee and not an extra charge. The City of Philadelphia doesn't refund the $25.
The $126 is the full cost of your first license.
The official wording of the requirement
Journeyman Plumber License (City of Philadelphia)“To qualify, you must have been registered as an apprentice plumber in Philadelphia for a minimum of four years.”
Journeyman Plumber license
Allegheny County Health Department
The Allegheny County Health Department, Plumbing Program issues the Journeyman Plumber license. The Journeyman Plumber license requires 576 classroom hours.
The Journeyman Plumber license costs $125.
You must pass the Journeyman Plumbers Examination. The exam costs $133.
You renew the Journeyman Plumber license every year. The renewal costs $125.
You also need 4 years of work for a registered master plumber.
The $125 is the fee for your first license and for each renewal.
You pay the $133 each time you take the exam. Allegheny County gives the exam 2 times a year.
The official wording of the requirement
Journeyman Plumber license (Allegheny County Health Department)“After completing school (576 hours) and a period of employment (4 years) with a registered master plumber, journeyman candidates must submit an application through the Plumbing Program to take the Journeyman Plumbers Examination.”
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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.
Master Plumber's License (City of Philadelphia)
The City of Philadelphia, Department of Licenses and Inspections issues the Master Plumber's License.
The application fee is $50. The Master Plumber's License costs $303.
You must pass the Philadelphia Master Plumber Examination.
You renew the Master Plumber's License every year. The renewal costs $253.
The $50 application fee is part of the $303 license fee and not an extra charge. The City of Philadelphia doesn't refund the $50.
The $303 is the full cost of your first license.
The official wording of the requirement
Master Plumber's License (City of Philadelphia)“To qualify, you must be registered as a Philadelphia Journeyman Plumber for a minimum of one year.”
Master Plumber's License (Allegheny County Health Department)
The Allegheny County Health Department, Plumbing Program issues the Master Plumber's License.
The Master Plumber's License costs $375.
You must pass the Master Plumber Examination. The exam costs $265.
You renew the Master Plumber's License every year. The renewal costs $375.
You pay the $375 for your first license and again every year.
You pay the $265 each time you take the exam. Allegheny County gives the exam 2 times a year.
The official wording of the requirement
Master Plumber's License (Allegheny County Health Department)“Journeymen wanting to take the Master Plumber Examination must complete two full years of work experience as a journeyman and make an application to the Plumbing Program.”
Take the exam
License
Exam
Journeyman Plumber License (City of Philadelphia)
Journeyman Plumber ExaminationThe International Code Council gives the exam.
Master Plumber's License (City of Philadelphia)
Philadelphia Master Plumber ExaminationThe International Code Council gives the exam.
Journeyman Plumber license (Allegheny County Health Department)
Journeyman Plumbers Examination
Master Plumber's License (Allegheny County Health Department)
Master Plumber Examination
You take the exam for the license you apply for.
What plumbers earn in Pennsylvania
$32.73an hour
$68,080 a year, full time
Half of the plumbers on a payroll in Pennsylvania earn more than $32.73 an hour, and half earn less. The federal wage survey puts the yearly figure at $68,080.
These figures cover everyone on a payroll as a plumber in Pennsylvania, from apprentices to people with decades in the trade, so they aren't a starting wage. The survey counts 13,620 jobs. The figures don't include self-employed plumbers.
The yearly figure is for full-time work all year, which is 2,080 hours.
