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How to become a sprinkler fitter in Washington

To work as a sprinkler fitter in Washington, you need your own state certificate. The certificate belongs to you and not to your employer, so you keep it when you change jobs.

See your steps Find an apprenticeship

Your ladder

Dates if you start in Nov 2026 and work 40 hours a week.

  1. Sprinkler fitter training certificateStart here
  2. Journey-level sprinkler fitter certificate8,000 hours on the job
  3. Fire protection sprinkler system contractor licenseRun your own business

First: start as an apprentice.

Find an apprenticeship

Dates are estimates, worked out from the hours on the job each license requires and the hours a week you pick.

Your steps

If you have no experience, you can start with a trainee job. You get hired by a licensed sprinkler contractor, and then you apply for the training certificate. As a trainee, you get paid while you build your hours. Once you complete your hours, you can take the exam.

Steps for: New to the trade. The dates follow your ladder. Change where you are, your start month or your hours a week 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. You can compare 3 registered sprinkler fitter apprenticeship programs in Washington by what they pay. Pay on day one runs from $17.78 to $30.19 an hour, and the journey rate (the hourly pay of a fully qualified worker) runs from $39.50 to $71.89 an hour.

    The programs that pay the most at completion

    See all 3 programs

  2. Step 2,

    Get hired by a licensed sprinkler contractor

    Find a trainee job with a licensed sprinkler contractor. You need the job before you can apply for the sprinkler fitter training certificate. You can also start in a registered apprenticeship (a paid job with training).

  3. Step 3,

    Apply for your sprinkler fitter training certificate

    Apply to the Washington State Patrol, State Fire Marshal's Office (the State Fire Marshal's Office) for the sprinkler fitter training certificate. The application fee is $100, and you don't need work hours or an exam.

    The sprinkler fitter training certificate requires a job with a licensed sprinkler contractor. You don't need work hours or an exam. This certificate allows you to work as a trainee while you build your hours.

    The application fee is $100.

    You renew the sprinkler fitter training certificate every 2 years. You don't pay a fee to renew.

  4. Step 4,

    Complete your hours

    To qualify for the journey-level sprinkler fitter certificate, you need 8,000 hours on the job. To qualify for the residential sprinkler fitter certificate, you need 4,000 hours on the job.

  5. Step 5,

    Take the exam

    The State Fire Marshal's Office gives the exam, and each attempt costs $150. Once you pass the exam, the certificate costs $200.

Other sprinkler fitter licenses

Journey-level sprinkler fitter certificate

Hours on the job
8,000
Exam
$150
Fee
$100

The journey-level sprinkler fitter certificate requires 8,000 hours of sprinkler fitting on the job. You must also pass the Washington State Fire Marshal's Office journey level sprinkler fitter examination.

The application fee is $100, and the certificate costs $200.

You renew the journey-level sprinkler fitter certificate every 2 years. The renewal costs $200.

Up to 3,000 of the 8,000 hours can be residential work.

Your hours don't have to come from a registered apprenticeship.

You pay the $100 application fee once, when you first apply to the State Fire Marshal's Office. You don't pay it again for each certificate.

Residential sprinkler fitter certificate

Hours on the job
4,000
Exam
$150
Fee
$100

The residential sprinkler fitter certificate requires 4,000 hours of sprinkler fitting or residential sprinkler fitting on the job. This certificate allows you to do residential sprinkler work only. You must also pass the Washington State Fire Marshal's Office residential sprinkler fitter examination.

The application fee is $100, and the certificate costs $200.

You renew the residential sprinkler fitter certificate every 2 years. The renewal costs $200.

On a commercial job, you work as a trainee under supervision.

You pay the $100 application fee once, when you first apply to the State Fire Marshal's Office. You don't pay it again for each certificate.

To run a sprinkler business

The fire protection sprinkler system certificate of competency belongs to a person, and the fire protection sprinkler system contractor license belongs to the business. A sprinkler business needs both.

Fire protection sprinkler system certificate of competency

Exam
$150
Fee
$100

To qualify for the fire protection sprinkler system certificate of competency, you can pass the State Fire Marshal's Office exam with a score of at least 80%. You can also qualify with a current certificate in water-based fire protection system layout from the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET), at the level you apply for. You can also qualify if you're a licensed professional engineer.

The application fee is $100, and the certificate costs $100 for a full year.

You renew the fire protection sprinkler system certificate of competency every year. The renewal costs $100.

In your first year, you pay only for the months left in the year. The certificate costs $92 if you apply in February and $8 if you apply in December.

When you renew, you always pay the full fee.

Fire protection sprinkler system contractor license

To get the fire protection sprinkler system contractor license, you must hold a valid fire protection sprinkler system certificate of competency or employ a full-time worker who holds one. This license allows you to run your own sprinkler business.

The application fee is $100.

You renew the fire protection sprinkler system contractor license every year. The renewal fee depends on the level of your license, and each level covers the systems in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards that it names.

Level 1: NFPA 13-D systems only
$125
Level 2: NFPA 13-R systems only
$375
Level 3: NFPA 13-D, 13-R, 13 and 24 systems
$1,500
Level I&T: inspection and testing under NFPA 25
$1,000
Level U: underground supply mains under NFPA 24
$1,500

Take the exam

LicenseExam
Journey-level sprinkler fitter certificateWashington State Fire Marshal's Office journey level sprinkler fitter examination
Residential sprinkler fitter certificateWashington State Fire Marshal's Office residential sprinkler fitter examination
Fire protection sprinkler system certificate of competencyWashington State Fire Marshal's Office certificate of competency examination

The State Fire Marshal's Office gives the exams for the journey-level sprinkler fitter certificate, the residential sprinkler fitter certificate and the fire protection sprinkler system certificate of competency. Each attempt costs $150.

For the journey-level exam and the residential exam, you can take the exam up to 3 times a year, with at least 30 days between attempts. These 2 exams use NFPA standards, and you buy the standards yourself.

To pass the exam for the fire protection sprinkler system certificate of competency, you need a score of at least 80%.

The sprinkler fitter training certificate and the fire protection sprinkler system contractor license have no exam.

Use the official name of your exam when you contact the State Fire Marshal's Office.

What sprinkler fitters earn in Washington

$38.96an hour

$81,030 a year, full time

The federal wage survey groups sprinkler fitters with plumbers and pipefitters. Half of the workers in that group on a payroll in Washington earn more than $38.96 an hour, and half earn less. The federal wage survey puts the yearly figure at $81,030.

These figures cover everyone on a payroll in that group in Washington, from apprentices to people with decades in the trade, so they aren't a starting wage. The survey counts 12,470 jobs. The figures don't include self-employed workers.

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 sprinkler fitter license from another state, contact the State Fire Marshal's Office before you move to Washington. Ask whether your license or your hours count toward a Washington certificate.

If you move from Washington to another state, ask the office that issues sprinkler fitter licenses in that state whether it recognizes your Washington certificate.

Questions

How long does it take to become a sprinkler fitter in Washington?

If you work full time, you reach the 8,000 hours for the journey-level sprinkler fitter certificate in about 4 years. You reach the 4,000 hours for the residential sprinkler fitter certificate in about 2 years.

Can you become a sprinkler fitter with no experience?

Yes. You get hired by a licensed sprinkler contractor, and then you apply for the sprinkler fitter training certificate. You build your hours on the job.

How much does a sprinkler fitter certificate cost in Washington?

If you pass the exam on your first attempt, your first journey-level sprinkler fitter certificate or residential sprinkler fitter certificate costs $450 in total. You pay $100 to apply, $150 for the exam and $200 for the certificate.

Contact the licensing office

Washington State Patrol, State Fire Marshal's Officewsp.wa.gov/fire-sprinklers

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.
Median
The middle figure. Half of the workers earn more, and half earn less.

Sources

16
  1. Revised Code of Washington 18.270.010, the definitions for the sprinkler fitter chapter
  2. The fire sprinkler licensing page at the Washington State Patrol, State Fire Marshal's Office
  3. Revised Code of Washington 18.270.020, which requires a certificate to do sprinkler fitting work
  4. Revised Code of Washington 18.160.100, which makes unlicensed fire protection sprinkler work an offense
  5. Washington Administrative Code rule 212-80-010, the definitions for the fire protection sprinkler system rules
  6. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 state file
  7. Revised Code of Washington 18.270.040, the application requirements for a sprinkler fitter certificate
  8. Revised Code of Washington 18.270.030, the examination rule for sprinkler fitters
  9. Washington Administrative Code rule 212-90-098, the fees a sprinkler fitter certificate holder pays
  10. Revised Code of Washington 18.270.050, which sets when a sprinkler fitter certificate expires and how it is renewed
  11. Revised Code of Washington 18.160.010, the definitions for the fire protection sprinkler system chapter
  12. Revised Code of Washington 18.160.040, the rule for the certificate of competency and the contractor license
  13. Washington Administrative Code rule 212-80-093, which says how a certificate of competency holder qualifies
  14. Washington Administrative Code rule 212-80-098, the fees a certificate of competency holder pays
  15. Revised Code of Washington 18.160.050, the renewal rule for the certificate of competency and the contractor license
  16. Washington Administrative Code rule 212-80-073, the fire protection sprinkler system contractor license fees

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