Do you need a license to work as a plumber?
It depends on the state. Seayora holds a published statute for 44 states and the District of Columbia. The table below gives the figure for each, with the statute it comes from.
Plumber license, state by state
| State | Plumber license | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | State certificate (Plumbers and Gas Fitters Board) | Ala. Code §§ 34-37-6, 34-37-2, 34-37-15 |
| Alaska | Certificate of fitness + mechanical administrator | Alaska Stat. §§ 18.62.070, 08.18.028, 08.18.171, 08.40.260, 08.40.390 |
| Arizona | Contractor license, plumbing class (registrar) | A.R.S. §§ 32-1151, 32-1101; Ariz. Admin. Code R4-9-102, R4-9-103 |
| Arkansas | State plumber license (Department of Health) | Ark. Code §§ 17-38-301, 17-38-302 |
| California | C-36 plumbing contractor license (CSLB) | Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 7028, 7058, 7000.5; Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 832.36 |
| Colorado | State plumber license + contractor registration | C.R.S. §§ 12-155-108, 12-155-118, 12-155-125, 12-20-102 |
| Connecticut | State license (contractor or journeyperson) | Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 20-334, 20-338, 20-338a, 20-341 |
| Delaware | Master plumber license (Board of Plumbing/HVACR) | 24 Del. C. §§ 1802, 1807 |
| District of Columbia | District license (Licensing and Consumer Protection) | D.C. Code §§ 47-2853.02, 47-2853.04, 47-2853.121, 47-2853.123 |
| Florida | State certified or registered plumbing contractor | Fla. Stat. §§ 489.105, 489.113 |
| Georgia | Master plumber license (State Construction Industry Board) | O.C.G.A. §§ 43-14-2, 43-14-13 |
| Hawaii | Plumber license + C-37 contractor license | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 448E-1, 448E-9, 444-7, 444-9; Haw. Admin. R. § 16-77-28 |
| Idaho | State certificate of competency (plumbing) | Idaho Code §§ 54-2602, 54-2610 |
| Illinois | State plumber license; contractors register (IDPH) | 225 ILCS 320/2, 320/3, 320/13.1 |
| Indiana | State plumbing contractor or journeyman license | Ind. Code §§ 25-28.5-1-3, 25-28.5-1-11, 25-28.5-1-32 |
| Iowa | State plumbing license (plumbing and mechanical board) | Iowa Code §§ 105.3, 105.10, 105.11 |
| Kentucky | State master or journeyman plumber license (HBC) | KRS 318.010, 318.015, 318.030 |
| Louisiana | State Plumbing Board license (plus LSLBC at $10,000+) | La. R.S. 37:1361, 37:1367, 37:1377, 37:2150.1, 37:2156.1 |
| Maine | State license (Plumbers’ Examining Board) | 32 M.R.S. §§ 3302, 3301 |
| Maryland | State license (State Board of Plumbing) | Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §§ 12-301, 12-101, 12-103 |
| Massachusetts | State license; license number in every ad | M.G.L. c. 142, § 3 |
| Michigan | State license (Skilled Trades Regulation Act) | MCL 339.6107, 339.6111 |
| Minnesota | State license (commissioner of labor and industry) | Minn. Stat. §§ 326B.46, 326B.01 |
| Mississippi | Board of Contractors license (residential projects) | Miss. Code §§ 73-59-3, 73-59-1, 31-3-15, 31-3-1 |
| Montana | State master or journeyman plumber license | Mont. Code Ann. §§ 37-69-301, 37-69-101 |
| Nevada | State contractor license, C-1 plumbing specialty | NRS 624.700, 624.215, 624.031; NAC 624.190 |
| New Hampshire | State plumber license (Mechanical Licensing Board) | RSA 153:29, 153:29-a, 153:27, 153:36, 310:13 |
| New Jersey | State master plumber license (Board of Master Plumbers) | N.J.S.A. 45:14C-12.3, 45:14C-2 |
| New Mexico | State contractor license, plumbing classification | N.M. Stat. §§ 60-13-12, 60-13-3, 60-13-2 |
| North Carolina | State plumbing contractor license | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 87-21 |
| North Dakota | State plumber license where public water/sewer exists | N.D. Cent. Code §§ 43-18-10, 43-18-11, 43-18-23 |
| Ohio | State contractor license (commercial work only) | Ohio Rev. Code §§ 4740.01, 4740.13, 3781.06 |
| Oklahoma | State plumbing contractor/journeyman license | 59 O.S. §§ 1003, 1012, 1017 |
| Oregon | State plumbing contractor + journeyman licenses | ORS 447.040, 447.060, 693.030, 693.060 |
| Rhode Island | State master plumber license | R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-8 |
| South Carolina | State license: mechanical (plumbing) or residential | S.C. Code §§ 40-11-30, 40-11-410, 40-59-20, 40-59-30 |
| South Dakota | State plumbing license (State Plumbing Commission) | SDCL §§ 36-25-17, 36-25-19 |
| Tennessee | State limited licensed plumber (or local) license | Tenn. Code §§ 62-6-102, 62-6-103, 62-6-402, 62-6-404 |
| Texas | State plumbing license (Board of Plumbing Examiners) | Tex. Occ. Code §§ 1301.001, 1301.002, 1301.351 |
| Utah | State license (Construction Trades Licensing Act) | Utah Code § 58-55-301 |
| Vermont | State plumber license (Plumber’s Examining Board) | 26 V.S.A. §§ 2198, 2197 |
| Virginia | State tradesman license (Board for Contractors) | Va. Code §§ 54.1-1129, 54.1-1128, 54.1-1100 |
| Washington | State plumbing certificate and contractor license | RCW 18.106.020 |
| West Virginia | State plumber license (Commissioner of Labor) | W. Va. Code § 21-14-3 |
| Wisconsin | State plumber license (Safety and Professional Services) | Wis. Stat. §§ 145.06, 145.01 |
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
Only states where Seayora holds a published statute appear above. Where no statute is recorded, no figure is shown rather than a guess.
The answer in full, for the biggest rental markets
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in California?
Yes. In California, a plumbing contractor needs a state contractor license from the Contractors State License Board, in the C-36 plumbing classification set by the board’s rules. Acting as a contractor without a license is a misdemeanor. The C-36 classification covers the supply of safe water and the disposal of fluid waste in all structures, including gas piping and gas appliances. This is Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 7028, 7058, 7000.5; Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 832.36.
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Texas?
Yes. In Texas, a person may not engage in plumbing without the proper license, registration or endorsement under the Plumbing License Law, and the work must be supervised and controlled by a licensed person. The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners administers the chapter. A person who advertises or offers to perform plumbing must secure the services of a responsible master plumber, and only a licensed person who meets the responsible master plumber requirements may act as one. This is Tex. Occ. Code §§ 1301.001, 1301.002, 1301.351.
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Florida?
Yes. In Florida, engaging in the business of plumbing contracting requires a state certification (valid statewide) or a registration (valid only in the local jurisdiction whose competency requirements were met) from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. A plumbing contractor’s work includes sanitary and storm drainage, venting, water supply systems, septic tanks, swimming pool piping, irrigation systems, solar water heating, and water, natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas lines. An unlicensed subcontractor may work under the supervision of a certified or registered contractor only for work outside the specialty categories, which include plumbing. This is Fla. Stat. §§ 489.105, 489.113.
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Illinois?
Yes. In Illinois, plumbing and the planning and design of plumbing systems may be done only by plumbers and apprentice plumbers licensed under the Illinois Plumbing License Law, and a plumbing contractor must register every year with the Illinois Department of Public Health. An owner-occupant or lessee-occupant of a single-family residence may plan, install, alter or repair that residence’s plumbing if the work meets the Illinois State Plumbing Code, is subject to inspection, and nobody but a licensed plumber is employed to help. Every employee of a registered plumbing contractor who does plumbing work must be a licensed plumber or apprentice plumber. This is 225 ILCS 320/2, 320/3, 320/13.1.
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Ohio?
Yes. In Ohio, a contractor doing plumbing work on a commercial construction project must hold a plumbing contractor license from the Ohio construction industry licensing board, though one-, two- and three-family homes are outside the state license. The chapter’s "construction project" excludes a residential building, which Ohio Rev. Code § 3781.06 defines as a one-, two- or three-family dwelling house and its accessory structures, so residential plumbing licensing is left to local governments. The board also licenses hydronics contractors. This is Ohio Rev. Code §§ 4740.01, 4740.13, 3781.06.
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Georgia?
Yes. In Georgia, engaging in plumbing contracting requires a Master Plumber Class I or Class II license from the Division of Master Plumbers and Journeyman Plumbers of the State Construction Industry Licensing Board. Only persons licensed to engage in plumbing may construct, alter or repair a plumbing system within five feet of a building or structure. A business may do plumbing only if a licensed master plumber is regularly connected with it full time, and an unlicensed person may not advertise as being in the business of plumbing contracting. This is O.C.G.A. §§ 43-14-2, 43-14-13.
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in North Carolina?
Yes. In North Carolina, anyone who installs, alters or restores plumbing for pay must first get a plumbing license from the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating, and Fire Sprinkler Contractors. The Board issues a Class I license covering all structures and a Class II license limited to single-family detached homes, plus restricted licenses such as fuel piping and limited plumbing. The license number must appear on all proposals, contracts and permit requests. This is N.C. Gen. Stat. § 87-21.
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Michigan?
Yes. In Michigan, a plumbing contractor, master plumber, journey plumber or apprentice plumber must be licensed or registered under the plumbing article of the Skilled Trades Regulation Act, and only a licensed master or journey plumber may perform plumbing. A licensed master plumber must be in charge of the work, and the responsible plumbing contractor must obtain a permit. A plumbing contractor license requires holding, or employing as representative, a master plumber license. A license is not required for minor repair work or for a homeowner installing the homeowner’s own plumbing in a single-family dwelling under a permit. This is MCL 339.6107, 339.6111.
How Seayora uses this rule
A contractor on Seayora keeps each license with its issuing state, its expiry date and the last four digits of its number, and the business is warned before one lapses — on the website and both phone apps. A customer finding a pro on Seayora sees whether a license is on file.
Guides on this rule
- Contractor License Requirements by State: Every Trade — Which states require a state license for electricians, plumbers, HVAC, general and home improvement contractors, with the statute for each.
Other rules compared across states
- How the interest works in 14 states
- Maximum deposit in 30 states
- Deadline to return the deposit in 49 states
- Notice before entry in 23 states
- Notice before a nonpayment case in 49 states
- Notice to end a tenancy in 46 states
- Notice before a rent increase in 30 states
- Maximum late fee in 17 states
- Grace period before a late fee in 14 states
- Application fee limit in 17 states
- The first step in 22 states
- Time to respond in 22 states
- The rule on lockouts in 22 states
- Cause needed to end a tenancy in 5 states
- Adverse possession period in 51 states
- Rent control in 33 states
- Housing vouchers in 30 states
- Retaliation period in 39 states
- Repair and deduct in 19 states
- Landlord’s duty to re-rent in 34 states
- Subletting in 18 states
- Electrician license in 45 states
- General contractors in 36 states
- Home improvement contractors in 11 states
- HVAC license in 34 states
- A deed to two or more people in 47 states
- Transfer-on-death deed in 35 states
- Deadline to file the lien in 51 states
- Labor on an appliance repair in 20 states
- Capital improvement in 8 states
- Repair labor on real property in 15 states
- How the contractor is treated in 51 states
Every rule for one state
- Alabama landlord and tenant rules
- Alaska landlord and tenant rules
- Arizona landlord and tenant rules
- Arkansas landlord and tenant rules
- California landlord and tenant rules
- Colorado landlord and tenant rules
- Connecticut landlord and tenant rules
- Delaware landlord and tenant rules
- District of Columbia landlord and tenant rules
- Florida landlord and tenant rules
- Georgia landlord and tenant rules
- Hawaii landlord and tenant rules
- Idaho landlord and tenant rules
- Illinois landlord and tenant rules
- Indiana landlord and tenant rules
- Iowa landlord and tenant rules
- Kansas landlord and tenant rules
- Kentucky landlord and tenant rules
- Louisiana landlord and tenant rules
- Maine landlord and tenant rules
- Maryland landlord and tenant rules
- Massachusetts landlord and tenant rules
- Michigan landlord and tenant rules
- Minnesota landlord and tenant rules
- Mississippi landlord and tenant rules
- Missouri landlord and tenant rules
- Montana landlord and tenant rules
- Nebraska landlord and tenant rules
- Nevada landlord and tenant rules
- New Hampshire landlord and tenant rules
- New Jersey landlord and tenant rules
- New Mexico landlord and tenant rules
- New York landlord and tenant rules
- North Carolina landlord and tenant rules
- North Dakota landlord and tenant rules
- Ohio landlord and tenant rules
- Oklahoma landlord and tenant rules
- Oregon landlord and tenant rules
- Pennsylvania landlord and tenant rules
- Rhode Island landlord and tenant rules
- South Carolina landlord and tenant rules
- South Dakota landlord and tenant rules
- Tennessee landlord and tenant rules
- Texas landlord and tenant rules
- Utah landlord and tenant rules
- Vermont landlord and tenant rules
- Virginia landlord and tenant rules
- Washington landlord and tenant rules
- West Virginia landlord and tenant rules
- Wisconsin landlord and tenant rules
- Wyoming landlord and tenant rules