September 14, 2026

How to Become a Plumber: Steps and Costs

Copper and PVC pipe fittings on a plumbing workbench

Plumbing is one of those careers people back into rather than plan for — a shop class that stuck, a cousin who "makes good money doing pipe," a layoff from an office job that never quite felt permanent. Whatever gets someone in the door, the path from "I'm thinking about plumbing" to "I hold a journeyman card" is more structured than most people expect, and it doesn't require a four-year degree or a mountain of debt to get there. It does require patience — this is a multi-year process no matter which route you take — and it helps to know upfront exactly what that process looks like, what it costs, and what the job actually pays once you're licensed.

The Real Path to Becoming a Licensed Plumber

Start in high school (or wherever you are now)

You don't need a specialized diploma to become a plumber, but a few things make the next steps easier. Algebra and geometry matter more than people assume — pipe sizing, slope calculations, and blueprint reading are all math-heavy. Physics helps you understand water pressure and drainage. And any shop, CTE (career and technical education), or pre-apprenticeship coursework your school offers is a head start, since many registered apprenticeship programs give preference to applicants who've already shown up and done the work. Beyond that, the baseline requirement almost everywhere is simple: a high school diploma or equivalent, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Decide: trade school first, or straight into an apprenticeship?

This is the fork most people get stuck on, and the honest answer is that both routes lead to the same license — they just get you there differently.

Some people enroll directly in a registered apprenticeship straight out of high school with zero classroom plumbing background, and that's completely normal; apprenticeships are built to teach you from scratch. Others do a short vocational or trade school program first — typically a certificate or diploma lasting anywhere from a few months to two years — to build baseline skills, make themselves a more competitive apprenticeship applicant, or in some cases get a portion of their required training hours pre-credited. Trade school is not a substitute for an apprenticeship in most states; it's a supplement. You still need supervised field hours and typically an apprenticeship (or several years of documented work experience) before you can sit for a journeyman exam.

The apprenticeship: union (UA) vs. non-union (PHCC)

This is where most plumbers actually get their training, and there are two dominant tracks in the U.S.

Union — United Association (UA). The UA runs apprenticeship programs through its local unions in partnership with signatory contractors. Programs generally run five years, combining on-the-job training with classroom instruction — apprentices typically log 1,700 to 2,000 hours of paid field work per year alongside a minimum of 216 hours of related classroom instruction annually, adding up to roughly 10,000 on-the-job hours and 1,230 classroom hours by graduation. A notable perk of the union route: full health and welfare, pension, and annuity contributions often kick in from day one of the apprenticeship, even though the apprentice wage itself starts well below journeyman scale.

Non-union — PHCC (Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association). PHCC sponsors one of the largest non-union registered apprenticeship networks in the country, typically running four-year programs with 7,200 to 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and 576 to 800 hours of classroom instruction. PHCC Academy also offers online related technical instruction (RTI) for apprentices who don't have access to in-person classroom training, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship. Non-union apprenticeships are sponsored by individual contractors or contractor associations rather than a union hall, and pay and benefit structures vary more by employer.

Both paths are registered with state and/or federal labor departments, and both produce a nationally recognized apprenticeship completion certificate. Neither is objectively "better" — it depends on whether you want the union's structured wage scale and benefits timeline or the flexibility (and variability) of working directly for a private contractor.

Journeyman licensing

Once you complete your apprenticeship hours (or accumulate the equivalent through documented work experience, depending on your state), you're eligible to sit for the journeyman plumber exam. This is where things get genuinely inconsistent from state to state. Some states, like Alabama, require as little as two years of experience before you can test for a journeyman-level credential; most states cluster closer to four years and 8,000 hours. The exam itself is almost always a written test covering local and national plumbing codes, safety, and installation practices, often administered through third-party testing companies like PSI or Prometric. And a few states — California and Arizona among them — don't issue an individual journeyman license at the state level at all; they license plumbing contractors instead, leaving journeyman-level credentials to local cities or counties.

Master plumber

After several more years working as a licensed journeyman — commonly four to five, though it ranges — you can apply for a master plumber license, which is generally what's required to pull permits and legally operate your own plumbing business. Requirements vary widely: Montana asks for four years as a licensed journeyman, Colorado wants five full years (8,500 hours), and New York City's Department of Buildings requires seven years of total qualifying experience within the prior ten years, including at least two as a registered journeyman, plus separate written ($585 fee) and practical ($530 fee) exams with a 70% passing threshold. Some states allow alternate paths to a master license through an engineering degree or licensed architect/PE credential combined with fewer years of field experience.

What Plumbers Actually Earn

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median annual wage for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters was $63,800 (about $30.67 an hour) as of May 2025. The field employed roughly 510,600 people and is projected to grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035 — much faster than the average for all occupations — with about 42,000 openings projected annually, driven mostly by retirements and workers transferring to other jobs.

Apprentice pay, unsurprisingly, starts lower. Across the industry, apprentice plumbers commonly earn somewhere between $16.50 and $22 an hour depending on region and program, with first-year apprentices typically landing in the $34,000–$46,000 annual range once you account for full-time hours. Union (UA) apprentices tend to start $2–$4 an hour higher than non-union counterparts and, as noted above, often receive full benefit contributions from their very first day — a meaningful difference over a five-year apprenticeship even if the base wage looks similar on paper.

Apprenticeship vs. Trade School: What It Actually Costs

This is the part career-changers care about most, and the numbers are genuinely different depending on the path.

Registered apprenticeships (union or non-union) are, functionally, free — and paid. You're an employee from day one, earning a wage while your sponsor (a union local or a contractor group) covers the related classroom instruction, often at little to no direct cost to you. PHCC Academy's own regional tuition figures illustrate how low this can run: Maryland PHCC lists 2026–27 annual classroom tuition at $2,600 for association members and $4,700 for non-members, while PHCC Academy of San Diego charges $2,475 for member students and up to $4,000 for non-members per year — and that's often reimbursed or covered outright by the sponsoring employer.

Trade school and vocational certificate programs cost real money upfront, and the range is wide:

Short certificate programs (a few months to about a year) generally run $1,000–$3,000.
Diploma programs (six months to two years) typically fall between $3,000 and $10,000.
Community college associate degree programs in plumbing technology run higher, commonly $10,000–$30,000 for the full two years, though in-district students often pay closer to $8,000.
Apex Technical School in New York City, a well-known private trade school, charges $17,816 in tuition and fees for its 30-week (roughly 7-month), 900-hour Plumbing & Pipefitting certificate program, plus about $590 for books and supplies — putting total cost near $20,000 once tools are factored in.

On top of any program's sticker price, budget for tools (roughly $750 to start), safety gear ($200–$500), textbooks (commonly $500–$1,300 depending on the program), and licensing exam fees, which range from about $35 on the low end to $450 or more depending on the state and testing vendor.

The bottom line: if minimizing debt is the priority, a registered apprenticeship — union or non-union — is by far the cheaper route, since you're earning while you learn instead of paying tuition with no income. Trade school makes more sense if you want a shorter, more structured classroom foundation before entering the field, or if it improves your odds of landing a competitive apprenticeship slot in your area.

Common Misconceptions About Becoming a Plumber

"Plumbing is a fallback career for people who couldn't do something else." This one costs people money. Skilled trades in general, and plumbing specifically, require real technical competency — code knowledge, math, problem-solving under pressure, and increasingly, comfort with diagnostic tools and smart-home plumbing tech. The BLS's own growth projections (7% through 2035, faster than average) reflect steady demand for a skill that can't be outsourced or automated, not a consolation-prize job market.

"Licensing works the same everywhere." It really doesn't. As covered above, some states issue standalone journeyman and master licenses; others, like California and Arizona, license only at the contractor level and leave journeyman credentials to local jurisdictions. Experience requirements for journeyman status range from as little as two years in Alabama to four years/8,000 hours in most states. If you plan to move states mid-career, do not assume your license transfers automatically — many states offer reciprocity agreements, but not all, and you'll want to check your specific state licensing board before relocating.

"Trade school alone makes you a plumber." A certificate or diploma program builds foundational knowledge, but in nearly every state it does not substitute for the supervised field hours required for licensure. You'll still need an apprenticeship or several years of documented, supervised work experience afterward.

"Union and non-union are radically different careers." They lead to the same licenses and largely the same day-to-day work. The real differences are in wage structure, benefits timing, and who sponsors your training — not the trade itself.

How to Find and Apply to a Registered Apprenticeship

Start at Apprenticeship.gov. The U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship finder lets you search open apprenticeship opportunities by trade and location and apply directly with sponsoring employers or union locals.
Contact your local UA union hall directly if you're interested in the union path — most locals post their own application windows, aptitude testing dates, and interview schedules on their websites (these often only open for a short window once or twice a year, so timing matters).
Reach out to your state or regional PHCC chapter for the non-union route — groups like the Florida Plumbing Association of PHCC and similar state chapters run group-sponsored apprenticeship programs that individual contractors can join.
Check your state's licensing or labor department website. Many states (Minnesota, Colorado, Iowa, and others) publish plumbing-specific apprenticeship information, including registered sponsor lists, directly through their labor or licensing agencies.
Expect an application process, not just a sign-up form. Most registered programs require a formal application, sometimes an aptitude test, and often an interview. Some accept applications only during specific windows (for example, a short period each January), while others run rolling or annual deadlines with testing and interviews following a few months later — so apply well before you actually want to start.
Ask about pre-apprenticeship programs if you're not sure you'll be competitive yet. Community colleges, Job Corps, and some CTE high school programs offer short pre-apprenticeship courses designed specifically to prepare applicants for registered programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to become a licensed plumber? Most people become journeyman-licensed in four to five years — the length of a typical registered apprenticeship — though it depends on your state's specific experience-hour requirements. Becoming a master plumber takes several additional years working as a licensed journeyman, often four to seven more depending on the state.

Do I need to go to trade school to become a plumber? No. Trade school is optional in most states. Many plumbers go straight into a registered apprenticeship with no prior classroom training and learn everything on the job plus in the apprenticeship's own required classroom hours.

Is a plumbing apprenticeship actually paid? Yes. Registered apprentices are employees earning a wage from day one, generally starting somewhere in the $16.50–$22 an hour range and increasing on a defined schedule as they progress, with union apprentices typically starting a few dollars higher and receiving full benefits earlier.

What's the difference between a journeyman and a master plumber? A journeyman plumber has completed an apprenticeship (or equivalent supervised experience) and passed a licensing exam, and can perform plumbing work independently under a licensed contractor. A master plumber has several additional years of journeyman-level experience, has passed further examination, and in most states is the credential required to pull permits and legally run a plumbing business.

Does my plumbing license transfer if I move to another state? Sometimes, through reciprocity agreements, but not automatically and not everywhere. Licensing structures vary so much by state — some license individuals, some license only contractors — that you should verify requirements with the destination state's licensing board before assuming your credentials carry over.

How much does it cost to become a plumber? If you go straight into a registered apprenticeship, the direct cost to you is minimal to none — you're paid while you train, and classroom tuition (often a few thousand dollars a year) is frequently subsidized or reimbursed by your sponsor. If you attend a private trade school certificate or diploma program first, expect to pay anywhere from around $1,000 to over $20,000 depending on the program's length and reputation, plus tools, books, and exam fees.