How to get a plumber license in Maine

Journeyman level 4,000 hours on the job + state exam What's a journeyman?

Licensing office Plumbers' Examining Board, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation · (207) 624-8639 [18]

The license pathway in Maine

1. 1

   Trainee plumber

   • $100 license, $21 background check
   • Every 2 years; $100

   Your first license. You assist with plumbing under the direct supervision of a licensed journeyman or master plumber, while employed by a master plumber or a company that employs one. Minimum age 16. [2][4][5][7]

2. 2

   Journeyman-in-training

   • One year (2 semesters) of plumbing at a board-approved technical or community college, a high school CTE program (one year under the law; the board's FAQ says two), or a registered apprenticeship
   • Yes, the journeyman exam (70% to pass)
   • $100 under the state fee rule; the board's page lists $200 (confirm with the board), plus $21 background check
   • Not renewable; a single 4-year license

   A shortcut for people with plumbing schooling. After school and a passing journeyman exam, you work under a journeyman or master plumber. You can't present yourself as a journeyman. [2][4][7][8][11][20]

3. 3

   Journeyman plumber

   • 4,000 hours on the job
   • 2 years of experience
   • Yes, 80 questions in 3 hours, closed book, 70% to pass, at Prov ($65)
   • $200 license, $21 background check
   • Every 2 years; $200

   Installs plumbing while employed by and under the direction of a master plumber. Qualify with 4,000 hours over at least two years as a trainee under a master plumber, or 2,000 hours as a journeyman-in-training within four years of getting that license. [2][4][7][10]

4. 4

   Master plumber

   • 2,000 hours on the job
   • 1 year of experience
   • Yes, at Prov ($65); 75% to pass
   • $200 license, $21 background check
   • Every 2 years; $200

   Runs a plumbing business. Qualify with at least one year and 2,000 hours as a journeyman, or at least four years and 8,000 hours as a trainee under a master plumber, plus the master exam. [2][3][4][7][10]

How to get your first plumbing job in Maine

A license is required "for any individual who is engaged in plumbing or performing plumbing installations," except work that doesn't need a plumbing permit. So your first step is a job with a licensed master plumber, followed right away by a trainee plumber license.

• No exam; you need to be at least 16.
• $100 plus a $21 criminal background check, for two years.
• You work under the direct supervision of a journeyman or master plumber, who may supervise up to three trainees.
• Your hours count from the date of your license.

See also helper jobs and how to get an apprenticeship. [1][2][4][5]

Who needs a license

Plumbing work that needs a permit must be done by a licensed plumber. Exceptions include regular public utility employees, a person plumbing the single-family home they live in (if it meets board rules), and limited water connections by licensed oil burner and propane and natural gas technicians.

Cities and towns can't require their own plumber licenses, and they can't issue a plumbing permit unless the applicant complies with the state law. Maine's plumbing code is the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, with state amendments. [1][6]

The license ladder

• Trainee plumber. Your starting license.
• Journeyman-in-training. For people with one year of plumbing school (a board-approved technical or community college), or a year of plumbing in a high school CTE program or a registered apprenticeship, who pass the journeyman exam. This four-year license can't be renewed.
• Journeyman plumber. 4,000 hours over at least two years as a trainee, or 2,000 hours as a journeyman-in-training, plus the exam. Works for a master plumber.
• Master plumber. One year and 2,000 hours as a journeyman (or four years and 8,000 hours as a trainee), plus the master exam. Masters run plumbing businesses.

More: journeyman vs. master and what is a journeyman. [2][7][8]

The exam

Apply to the board first. Once approved, you get an email explaining how to schedule with Prov. You can test at a Prov center or by remote proctor from home if your computer and internet connection qualify.

• Journeyman: 80 questions in 3 hours, covering general regulations, water supply and backflow prevention, drainage and venting, fixtures, traps and more. You need 70%.
• Master: you need 75%.
• Plumber exams are closed book and cost $65.

If you don't pass within two years of approval, or don't apply for your license within two years of passing, you reapply as a new applicant. [3][5][9][10]

Fees and renewal

• Trainee: $100 every two years.
• Journeyman or master: $200 every two years.
• Journeyman-in-training: a single 4-year license; the state fee rule sets $100, but the board's page lists $200, so confirm with the board.
• First license: add a $21 criminal background check.
• Exam: $65 to Prov.

A late fee of $50 applies up to 90 days after expiration. Journeyman and master plumbers renewing 90 days to 2 years late pay the $200 fee plus a $100 penalty; after two years you start over as a new applicant. [4][5][10][11]

Apprenticeships and school

The trainee route in Maine's law asks for work hours and the exam, not classroom hours. School or a registered apprenticeship can cut your hours in half through the journeyman-in-training route.

• Open shop. The Maine PHCC sponsors a registered plumbing apprenticeship with e-learning through National PHCC.
• Find others. The Maine Apprenticeship Program map lists registered plumbing programs. Registered programs must include at least 144 classroom hours a year.

See union vs. non-union. [2][12][13][14]

If you're licensed in another state

Maine law lets the board license a plumber from another state with at least equivalent licensing standards and experience requirements, if that state gives Maine plumbers the same privileges; you can't be refused for not living in Maine. The board's rules let it sign reciprocity agreements, but we didn't find a published list of partner states. A separate law tells the board to create licensure by endorsement for applicants from states with substantially equivalent requirements.

Call the board at (207) 624-8639 before applying. See license reciprocity. [15][16][17][18]

Steps to get licensed in Maine

1. Get hired and licensed as a trainee

   Find a job with a licensed master plumber, then apply in the board's online licensing system: $100 plus a $21 background check. [2][4]

2. Log 4,000 hours over at least two years

   Your hours start the day you're licensed. Your supervising master plumber must give you an affidavit of your work hours on request. [2][5]

3. Apply for the journeyman exam

   Submit the exam application with your affidavits (and transcripts, if you went to school). Wait for board approval before you schedule; approval lasts two years. [5][9]

4. Pass the Prov exam

   Take it at a Prov center (Maine sites include Auburn, Bangor, Calais, Portland and Presque Isle) or by remote proctor: 80 questions in 3 hours, closed book, 70% to pass, $65. [3][9][10]

5. Apply for your journeyman license

   Starting 24 hours after you pass, apply online and pay $200 plus the $21 background check. [4][19]

Where to get the hours

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

• Open shop

  Maine PHCC plumbing apprenticeship

  The Maine chapter of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors association sponsors a registered plumbing apprenticeship that combines work with e-learning through National PHCC. Its state listing shows a program cost of $0. [12]

• State program

  Maine Apprenticeship Program

  The Maine Department of Labor's registered apprenticeship office. Its searchable map lists active plumbing apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships. [13][22]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask