How to get a plumber license in Colorado

Journeyman level 6,800 hours on the job + state exam What's a journeyman?

Licensing office Colorado State Plumbing Board (DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations) · (303) 894-7800 [1]

The license pathway in Colorado

1. 1

   Plumbing apprentice (registered)

   • None to register. Apprentices registered 6 years or more must take the license exam at least every 2 years until they pass.
   • $30 registration (Board's guide)

   Anyone employed in the plumbing trade without a Colorado license is an apprentice and must be registered by their employer within 30 days of hiring. You work under the supervision of a licensed plumber at the job site. [3][5][7]

2. 2

   Residential plumber

   • 3,400 hours on the job
   • 2 years of experience
   • Yes, PSI: 100 scored questions, 240 minutes, 70 correct to pass
   • $100 application (Board's guide); $78 PSI exam fee
   • 8 hours CE each license year

   Lets you install plumbing in one- to four-family homes up to two stories above ground. You qualify with 3,400 hours (2 years) of practical experience. A residential plumber working on a commercial job site must also be registered as an apprentice. [2][3][4][6][7][8]

3. 3

   Journeyworker plumber

   • 6,800 hours on the job
   • 4 years of experience
   • Yes, PSI: 100 scored questions, 240 minutes, 70 correct to pass
   • $120 application (Board's guide); $78 PSI exam fee
   • 8 hours CE each license year

   The main working license for all types of plumbing. You need 6,800 hours (4 years) of practical experience, documented by your employers, and a passing exam score. The Board's guide says your residential experience counts toward it. [2][3][4][6][7][8]

4. 4

   Master plumber

   • 8,500 hours on the job
   • 5 years of experience
   • Yes, PSI: 120 scored questions, 270 minutes, 84 correct to pass
   • $140 application (Board's guide); $78 PSI exam fee
   • 8 hours CE each license year

   Covers planning, laying out and installing plumbing and supervising the work. You need 8,500 hours (5 full-time years) of practical experience. A plumbing contractor must be or employ a full-time master plumber. [2][3][4][6][7][8]

5. 5

   Plumbing contractor (business registration)

   A business doing plumbing for others must register with the Board, hold or employ a master plumber as its responsible person, and show it complies with workers' compensation and unemployment insurance laws. [3][7]

Who needs a license in Colorado

Colorado licenses plumbers at the state level through the State Plumbing Board, part of DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations. State law says no one may work as a residential, journeyworker or master plumber without a license (or a temporary permit), and a plumbing contractor must register with the Board.

Anyone employed in the plumbing trade who doesn't hold a Colorado plumber's license is an apprentice and must stay registered until they get a license. A licensed residential plumber who works on a commercial job site must also be registered as an apprentice. [3][5][6]

The license ladder

• Apprentice: registered with the Board by your employer; works under a licensed plumber who is on the job site.
• Residential plumber: 3,400 hours (2 years) of practical experience; covers one- to four-family homes up to two stories.
• Journeyworker plumber: 6,800 hours (4 years) of practical experience.
• Master plumber: 8,500 hours (5 full-time years) of practical experience.

The Board counts one month of full-time experience as 163 hours. Experience must be documented on the Board's Affidavit of Experience form from your current and former plumbing contractors, broken down into residential, commercial and industrial work, and you can't verify your own hours. The hour figures are the most the law lets the Board require for each license.

Board Rule 1.2 defines direct supervision as a licensed plumber being at the address on the permit where you are working, or no more than five minutes away on the same job site. [2][3][6]

The exam

PSI gives the residential, journeyworker and master exams on computer at test centers in Colorado. The residential and journeyworker exams have 100 scored questions in 240 minutes (70 correct to pass); the master exam has 120 scored questions in 270 minutes (84 correct to pass). Your score is shown right after the exam.

The International Plumbing Code (IPC) and International Residential Code (IRC) are provided at the test center; you can't mark them or bring other materials, and formulas aren't provided. PSI's September 2026 bulletin says questions follow the 2021 IPC and IRC, and that starting November 1, 2026 the exams move to the 2024 editions, with the 2021 books available on request until February 1, 2027. The exam fee is $78 and a retest is $73.

The Board's Applications page says a master needs 75% to pass, and the Board's Plumbing Licensing Guide says "75% (84 correct items)", while PSI's bulletin says 70% (84 of 120 correct); confirm with PSI before you test. [2][4][7]

Fees, renewal and CE

The PSI exam costs $78 ($73 for a retest). The Board's Plumbing Licensing Guide lists application fees of $100 (residential), $120 (journeyworker) and $140 (master).

All plumbing licenses and plumbing contractor registrations currently expire on the last day of February in odd-numbered years. A 2024 law sets three-year license terms starting with the cycle that begins March 1, 2027. Active residential, journeyworker and master plumbers need at least 8 hours of continuing education (CE) in each license year (March 1 to February 28), from a provider that has attested to the Board. The Board's guide adds that at least 4 hours must cover plumbing codes and no more than 2 hours safety. [2][3][4][7][8]

Union and other apprenticeships

The Board says it does not sponsor or regulate apprenticeship programs: working as a registered apprentice for a registered plumbing contractor is what counts toward a license, and an apprenticeship program is formal training on top of that.

On the union side, the Denver Plumbers JATC (Plumbers Local 3) takes applicants from 24 counties, including Denver, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld. The Construction Industry Training Council of Colorado (CITC) runs a plumbing program of 576 classroom hours and 8,000 on-the-job hours, and Emily Griffith Technical College offers plumber registered apprenticeships with partners. The Apprenticeship Colorado directory lists every registered program.

Starting January 1, 2027 (House Bill 25-1284), a contractor may not register you with the Plumbing Board if you are in a registered construction apprenticeship for an occupation other than plumbing or a mechanical-related trade. Apprentices trained directly by their contractor, or in training that isn't a registered apprenticeship, aren't affected. Contractors and programs must also report each apprentice's training hours to the Board by July 1 every year. [3][5][9][10][11][12]

If you're licensed in another state

Colorado lists no plumbing reciprocity agreements. Instead it offers licensing by endorsement if your credentials are substantially equivalent to Colorado's: a state-issued license (not a city or county license) held at least 6 months, a comparable state exam on the current or previous IPC, and a state or federally approved apprenticeship or the required years of experience. You still need Affidavits of Experience; your out-of-state license doesn't replace them.

State law also tells the Board to credit plumbing experience earned outside Colorado if you show it meets Colorado's requirements. See our guide to license reciprocity. [2][3][7]

Local licenses

Some local building departments add their own contractor licensing. In Denver, a state plumbing license takes the place of the city's supervisor certificate, but a plumbing contractor still needs a Denver contractor license ($160, renewed every 2 years) and must renew its state contractor and master plumber registrations first. The Pikes Peak Regional Building Department (Colorado Springs and El Paso County) says state plumbing licensees must register with it. [13][14][15]

Career changers

No experience is needed to start as an apprentice, and you're paid by your employer while you train. The state's apprentice guide lists things programs may ask for: some educational background, an aptitude test to check math skills, reliable transportation, a valid driver's license and the physical ability to do the job.

If you trained in a Board-approved community college or trade school plumbing program, state law gives you one year of experience credit. Other plumbing training, including military training, can be credited under Board rules. Felony convictions don't automatically disqualify you, but you must disclose them; the Board decides case by case. [3][6][7][16]

Steps to get licensed in Colorado

1. Get hired and register as an apprentice

   Find work with a plumbing contractor registered with the Board, create an apprentice record in DPO Online Services, and make sure your employer attaches you to its registration within 30 days of hiring you. [3][5][16]

2. Log 6,800 hours of experience

   Work under licensed plumbers until you have 6,800 hours (4 years). Your employers must keep records of your hours and give you a Board experience verification form within 30 days after you leave; you can't verify your own experience. [2][6]

3. Pass the PSI exam

   Schedule the journeyworker exam with PSI (100 scored questions, 4 hours, 70 correct to pass, IPC and IRC code books provided). The exam fee is $78. [4]

4. Apply for your license

   Board Rule 1.4 and PSI's bulletin say to pass the exam first, then apply online through DPO Online Services with your passing result and Affidavits of Experience. Applications expire one year after you submit them. [4][6][7]

5. Renew and keep up CE

   Complete 8 hours of continuing education each license year (March 1 to February 28) and renew on time. CE isn't required until after your first renewal if you were licensed by exam during the current period. [2][8]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train plumbers in or for Colorado, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

• Union

  Denver Plumbers JATC (Plumbers Local 3)

  The union plumbing apprenticeship for 24 Colorado counties, including Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld. It requires age 18, a high school diploma or GED, a driver's license and a passing SHL Prove It assessment score. [9]

• Other

  Construction Industry Training Council of Colorado (CITC) plumbing apprenticeship

  A plumbing apprenticeship with 576 hours of classroom instruction and 8,000 hours of on-the-job training, with class once a week. CITC helps you find an employer to sponsor you. [10][17]

• School

  Emily Griffith Technical College plumber registered apprenticeship

  A Denver technical college that offers plumber registered apprenticeships with union and trade organization partners. It requires age 18, a high school diploma or GED and a valid driver's license; programs typically last four to five years. [11]

• State program

  Apprenticeship Colorado (state apprenticeship agency)

  Colorado's State Apprenticeship Agency. Its directory lists every registered apprenticeship program in Colorado, with length, qualifications and selection criteria. [12]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask