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Plumber · State license

How to get a plumber license in Delaware

State law and licensing-board sources · Last reviewed October 11, 2026

Delaware issues only one plumbing license: master plumber. Apprentices, journeymen and helpers don't need a state license as long as they work under a master plumber who employs them or works full time for the same company. Your "journeyman" credential is the journeyman certificate you earn by finishing a registered plumbing apprenticeship, usually through the Delaware Department of Labor. To become a master, you need that certificate plus 2 years of work under a master, or 7 years under a master plus an apprenticeship bypass exam, and then a state exam. [1][2][3][4][5]

New to the trade?

Starting from zero in Delaware

You don't need a state license to start in Delaware plumbing. Get hired by a plumbing company that has a licensed master plumber, and you can work as a helper or apprentice under that master's supervision. To build toward a master license, ask the employer to register you as an apprentice with the Delaware Department of Labor, take the night classes at your county's vo-tech adult education school, or apply to the UA Local 486 union program in Seaford. [3][17][18][20]

  • High school diploma or GED

    No state rule: Delaware has no apprentice plumber license, and the Department of Labor's listed requirements for a registered apprentice are age 16 and a job with a registered sponsor. Programs set their own rules: UA Local 486 requires a state-issued high school diploma or GED Polytech Adult Education says a diploma is not required for all of its programs but is highly recommended. [3][17][20][22]

  • Minimum age

    16 to be a registered apprentice in Delaware. Delaware's child labor law bars employing anyone under 14. [18][19]

  • Helper jobs

    State law lets an apprentice, journeyman, mechanic or other worker do plumbing without a license under the supervision of a master plumber who is their employer or works full time for the same business. [2][3]

  • Register as an apprentice

    Delaware has no apprentice plumber license. To join a registered apprenticeship, your employer signs a Registered Apprenticeship Agreement Form with you and submits it to the Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship and Training You apply for jobs directly with sponsoring employers. [2][17][18]

  • Driver's license, math test and drug screen

    UA Local 486: reliable transportation, a valid driver's license or learner's permit, legal eligibility to work in the U.S., a $25 application fee, then a math test, physical and drug screening and an interview. [20]

  • Applying

    As of October 2026, UA Local 486 (training sites in Hagerstown, Maryland and Seaford, Delaware) takes online applications for its 2027-2028 school year from November 2 through November 30, 2026. Polytech says the way into its apprenticeship classes is to attend an orientation. [20][22]

  • Pay and tuition

    Registered apprentices are paid from the first day Pay must start at least at minimum wage and reach at least 85% of the journeyperson rate in the last period. The Department of Labor lists $14.70 as the average entry wage. Vo-tech tuition is waived only for registered apprentices; you or your sponsor pay a registration fee. [17][18][19][21]

  • Credit for prior training

    Delaware's apprenticeship rules allow up to 25% credit on on-the-job hours for prior experience or training. Polytech lets people with construction work in the past three years who pass a bypass test skip its Building Construction Core course. [16][19]

  • Still in high school?

    Registered apprenticeship starts at 16. The Department of Labor says graduates of Delaware's six vo-tech high schools may apply to skip the first year of apprenticeship classes, and Polytech lets apprenticeship students enroll at 16 with a parent's approval so youth apprentices can start their classes early. The Delaware Department of Education's career and technical education (CTE) programs let high school students earn early college credit, industry credentials and work experience, and its Delaware Pathways site describes the career pathways Executive Order #1 (January 2025) told state agencies to prioritize youth apprenticeships. No rule was found that counts high school CTE hours toward the master plumber license. [4][17][18][22][23][24][25]

Where to apply in DelawareHow to get an apprenticeshipHelper jobs

Licensing office Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation) · (302) 744-4500 [1]

Delaware plumbing license at a glance

Who issues licenses
Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners DPR [1]
Apprentice or helper license
None You may work unlicensed under the supervision of your employer's master plumber [3][15]
Journeyman level
No state license A journeyman certificate comes from completing a registered plumbing apprenticeship [2][5][16]
Master experience
Journeyman certificate plus 2 years under a master, or 7 years under a master plus the apprenticeship bypass exam 70% to pass [4][5]
Master exam
ProV: 100 questions, 3 hours, open book, 70% to pass $100 [7][9]
License fee
$173 application fee [10]
Renewal and CE
Every 2 years 5 hours of CE (code changes, safety, backflow), due by October 31 of even years starting 2026 [8][11]
Reciprocity
Connecticut, Iowa and Maryland master licenses treated as substantially similar 14 other states need 7 years as a master [5][13]
Unlicensed work penalty
$1,500 to $3,000 for a first offense $3,000 to $6,000 after that [3]
On this page
  1. At a glance
  2. Starting from zero
  3. The license pathway
  4. Who needs a license in Delaware
  5. From apprentice to master
  6. The master exam
  7. Fees, renewal and CE
  8. If you're licensed somewhere else
  9. Steps to get licensed
  10. Where to get the hours
  11. Licensed in another state?
  12. Questions people ask

The license pathway in Delaware

  1. 1

    Apprentice, helper or journeyman (no state license)

    • Registered apprenticeship: at least 144 hours a year recommended

    You may do plumbing under the supervision of a master plumber who employs you or works full time for your employer. A registered apprenticeship adds paid training and night classes. [3][19]

  2. 2

    Journeyman certificate (registered apprenticeship)

    • Related instruction through a vo-tech adult education program or union school

    Issued after you finish a plumbing apprenticeship that meets federal apprenticeship standards, such as the Delaware Department of Labor's. It is not a license, but it shortens the road to master. Polytech's plumbing program is four years. [4][5][16][17]

  3. 3

    Master plumber

    • 2 years of experience
    • Yes, ProV: 100 questions, 3 hours, open book, 70% to pass
    • $173 application; $100 exam
    • Every 2 years; 5 hours CE

    Requires a journeyman certificate and 2 years under a master plumber, or 7 years under a master plus the apprenticeship bypass exam, and then the master exam. Only a master may provide plumbing services in his or her own right; plumbing includes gas piping. [2][4][5][7][8][9][10][11]

Who needs a license in Delaware

State law says no one may provide plumbing services in Delaware without a master plumber license. Plumbing services include installing and repairing water supply and drainage piping and fixtures, and installing and connecting gas piping. The exceptions: apprentices, journeymen, mechanics and other workers supervised by a master plumber who is their employer or a full-time employee of the same business; homeowners doing non-gas plumbing in their own home with a permit application; and work on agricultural property. "Supervision" means control and oversight by a master who is an owner or full-time employee of the company.

Working without a license brings a fine of $1,500 to $3,000 for a first offense and $3,000 to $6,000 for later offenses. The Board's FAQ says a license from another state doesn't let you work in Delaware. [2][3][6]

From apprentice to master

Delaware has no journeyman plumber license. Instead, the master plumber law has two routes:

The law says a Delaware vocational-technical school gives the bypass exam (the Board's rule says the tests are offered in Delaware technical high schools or another apprenticeship school), and the Board's master plumber page lists New Castle County Vo-Tech, Polytech and Sussex Tech; the Board's examinations page names ABC Delaware as the bypass exam vendor instead. Ask the Board which applies when you're approved. [4][5][7][8]

The master exam

Once the Board approves you, ProV emails you within 1-2 weeks to schedule. You can test in Wilmington, Newark or Dover, or online. ProV's bulletin describes the master plumber exam as 100 questions in 3 hours, open book, covering drainage, waste and vent, water supply, fuel gas, water heaters and plumbing math, with the 2018 International Plumbing Code and International Fuel Gas Code as references. The fee is $100 and you need 70%. After 3 failed attempts you must wait a year and reapply. [7][8][9]

Fees, renewal and CE

The master plumber application fee is $173. Licenses renew every two years; a late renewal costs 50% more. Starting with the 2026 renewal, master plumbers need 5 hours of Board-approved continuing education (CE) per period: 3 hours of code changes, 1 hour of safety and 1 hour of cross connections and backflow. Dual plumbing and HVACR licensees need 6 hours. [8][10][11][12]

If you're licensed somewhere else

The Board licenses you by reciprocity if your state's standards are substantially similar to Delaware's (it lists Connecticut, Iowa and Maryland). If not, you need 7 years of practice after licensure. Pennsylvania doesn't issue state plumbing licenses, so a Pennsylvania municipal license alone means applying by exam. See Maryland plumber license and our guide to license reciprocity.

Delaware has no general universal license recognition law. Governor Meyer's Executive Order #27 (August 20, 2026) asked the Department of State to propose licensing changes, which may include universal license recognition, but the order doesn't change licensing law. [5][13][14]

Steps to get licensed in Delaware

  1. Get hired under a master plumber

    Find a plumbing employer with a licensed master plumber; you can work under that master's supervision without a license of your own. [3]

  2. Register as an apprentice and take classes

    Have your employer register you with the Delaware Department of Labor and sign up for apprenticeship classes at your county's vo-tech adult education division (tuition waived for registered apprentices). [17][18]

  3. Earn your journeyman certificate

    Finish the on-the-job hours and classes of your registered apprenticeship to receive journeyperson papers. [16][17]

  4. Work 2 more years under a master

    After the certificate, work 2 years under a master plumber. Without a certificate you need 7 years under a master and a passing score (70%) on the apprenticeship bypass exam. [4][5]

  5. Apply and pass the master exam

    Apply in DELPROS ($173) with Verification of Employment forms. After Board approval, ProV contacts you to schedule the $100 exam. [5][7][9][10]

Where to get the hours

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

Licensed in another state?

  • Master plumber: CT, IA, MD

    The Board treats these states' master plumber standards as substantially similar, so you don't need to submit proof of experience. [5][13]

  • Master plumber: AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, MI, NH, NJ, NC, OH, RI, SC, VA, WV

    The Board lists these standards as not substantially similar: you need proof of at least 7 years of practice as a master after licensure there. [5][13]

Also listed by: Maryland, New Hampshire (their own boards list Delaware as a partner; check both sides before you move).

Open the reciprocity map · How reciprocity works

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DE Listed here (agreement or endorsement) Lists DE

Questions people ask

Do you need a license to be a plumber's helper in Delaware?

No. Apprentices, journeymen and helpers may do plumbing without a license if they're supervised by a master plumber who employs them or works full time for the same company. [3]

Is there a journeyman plumber license in Delaware?

No. The Board issues only master plumber licenses. The journeyman level is the certificate you get by finishing a registered plumbing apprenticeship. [1][2][5]

How long does it take to become a master plumber in Delaware?

A registered apprenticeship (Polytech's program is four years) plus 2 years under a master, or 7 years under a master plus the bypass exam, then the master exam. [4][16]

Sources (25)
  1. Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners, Delaware Division of Professional Regulation. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  2. 24 Del. C. § 1802 Definitions, Delaware General Assembly (Delaware Code Online). Accessed October 11, 2026.
  3. 24 Del. C. § 1807 License required; exemptions, Delaware General Assembly (Delaware Code Online). Accessed October 11, 2026.
  4. 24 Del. C. § 1808 Qualifications of applicant, Delaware General Assembly (Delaware Code Online). Accessed October 11, 2026.
  5. Master Plumber Licensure, Delaware Division of Professional Regulation. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  6. FAQs - Plumbing and HVACR, Delaware Division of Professional Regulation. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  7. Examinations - Plumbing and HVACR, Delaware Division of Professional Regulation. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  8. 24 DE Admin. Code 1800 Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners, Delaware Registrar of Regulations. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  9. Delaware Division of Professional Regulation Candidate Information Bulletin (22.03.09), Prov, Inc.. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  10. Fee Schedule - Plumbing and HVACR, Delaware Division of Professional Regulation. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  11. 24 Del. C. § 1812 Issuance and renewal of licenses, Delaware General Assembly (Delaware Code Online). Accessed October 11, 2026.
  12. Continuing Education and Audit Information - Plumbing and HVACR, Delaware Division of Professional Regulation. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  13. 24 Del. C. § 1810 Reciprocity, Delaware General Assembly (Delaware Code Online). Accessed October 11, 2026.
  14. Executive Order #27: Occupational Licensing Modernization and Workforce Mobility, Office of the Governor, State of Delaware. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  15. Electrical Licensing FAQ's (flyer), Delaware Division of Professional Regulation and Department of Labor. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  16. Plumbing, Polytech Adult Education. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  17. Registered Apprenticeship brochure (Train, Build, Master), Delaware Department of Labor. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  18. Apprenticeship and Training: Frequently Asked Questions, Delaware Department of Labor. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  19. 19 DE Admin. Code 1101 Apprenticeship and Training Regulations (as posted by the Department), Delaware Department of Labor. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  20. UA Local 486 Plumbers & Steamfitters Apprenticeship, UA Local 486 Apprenticeship. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  21. Apprenticeship and Training, Delaware Department of Labor. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  22. Frequently Asked Questions, Polytech Adult Education. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  23. Career and Technical Education, Delaware Department of Education. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  24. About Delaware Pathways, Delaware Pathways (Delaware Department of Education CTE site). Accessed October 11, 2026.
  25. Governor Matt Meyer Signs First Executive Order, State of Delaware News. Accessed October 11, 2026.