How to get a plumber license in Massachusetts

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

Licensing office Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters, Division of Occupational Licensure · (617) 701-8798 [16]

The license pathway in Massachusetts

1. 1

   Apprentice plumber

   • Start the tier program within 9 months of getting your license
   • $14 application
   • $40; not renewable more than 10 years after it was first issued (or September 1, 2018, whichever is later)

   You need this license before you start your apprenticeship. You must be employed by a master plumber and work under the direct supervision of a master or journeyman plumber; each of them may supervise only one apprentice at a time. [2][3][8][11]

2. 2

   Journeyman plumber

   • 6,800 hours on the job
   • 4 years of experience
   • 550 hours of plumbing and gas fitting theory (Tiers 1-5), over at least 4 years
   • Yes, two parts at PSI: Part I written, 80 questions in 160 minutes; Part II practical, 40 questions in 160 minutes; 70% on each part
   • $31 application, $80 PSI exam, $52 license
   • Every 2 years; $52; 12 hours CE

   A journeyman does plumbing and gas fitting work personally. You need 6,800 hours as a licensed apprentice, the 550 classroom hours, a high school diploma or equivalent, and a passing score on both parts of the exam. [3][4][7][9][11]

3. 3

   Master plumber

   • 1,700 hours on the job
   • 1 year of experience
   • 110-hour Tier 5 course (not repeated if you took it as an apprentice)
   • Yes, two parts at PSI: written, 80 questions in 160 minutes; practical, 40 questions in 160 minutes; 70% on each part
   • $31 application, $80 PSI exam, $78 license
   • Every 2 years; $78; 12 hours CE

   A master plumber has a regular place of business and does plumbing work personally or through journeymen he or she employs. Only a master plumber may employ apprentice plumbers. [2][3][4][7][10][11]

Who needs a license in Massachusetts

State law says no one may work as a master, journeyman or apprentice plumber or gas fitter, or advertise plumbing work, without a license from the Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters.

A licensed master or journeyman plumber may also do gas fitting anywhere in the state, without a separate local license. Plumbers must still follow local permit and bonding rules. You must show your license whenever a plumbing or gas inspector asks. [1]

The license ladder

• Apprentice plumber. Licensed before you start. You work for a master plumber, under the direct supervision of a master or journeyman, one apprentice per supervisor.
• Journeyman plumber. 6,800 hours as a licensed apprentice, 550 classroom hours over at least four years, a high school diploma or equivalent, and the two-part exam. A journeyman does plumbing and gas fitting work personally.
• Master plumber. At least one year and 1,700 hours as a Massachusetts journeyman, the 110-hour Tier 5 course, and the master exam. A master plumber has a regular place of business and can employ journeymen and apprentices.

An apprentice license can't be renewed more than ten years after it was first issued (or after September 1, 2018, whichever is later), unless the Board reinstates it for good cause. More on the levels: journeyman vs. master. [2][3][4]

The tier program (classroom education)

Massachusetts teaches plumbing theory in five 110-hour tiers, one roughly each year. Tier 1 covers safety, materials and tools, valves, residential blueprint reading, definitions and 40 hours of math. Later tiers cover drainage, venting, water supply, the plumbing code and gas fitting.

Rules to know:

• You must start within nine months of getting your apprentice license.
• The Board credits at most 165 classroom hours a year, and for each year you earn 165 hours you must also log 1,700 work hours. You may finish Tiers 1 and 2 (220 hours) in one calendar year.
• If you're enrolled in a tier and lose your job, you may finish that tier.
• Each program ends with a school or instructor exam.

Schools approved to teach the tiers are on the Board's list of authorized theory schools. [3][5][6]

The exam

The Board approves your application, and PSI schedules and gives the exam. The journeyman exam has two parts:

• Part I (written): 80 questions in 160 minutes.
• Part II (practical): 40 questions in 160 minutes, including 20 questions of isometric analysis (reading piping drawings), plus gas piping, gas venting and trade calculations.

You need at least 70% on each part. Reference books are not allowed in the test center; the questions are based on the state plumbing code (248 CMR), NFPA 54 (the fuel gas code) and M.G.L. chapter 142. The PSI fee is $80, first time or retake. Board approval to test lasts one year. If you fail a part, you must retake it within one year, or you have to retake every part. [3][7]

Fees and renewal

• Apprentice: $14 application; $40 renewal.
• Journeyman: $31 application, $80 PSI exam, $52 license; $52 renewal.
• Master: $31 application, $80 PSI exam, $78 license; $78 renewal.

Journeyman and master licenses run on a two-year cycle. To renew, you need 12 hours of Board-approved continuing education (CE) for plumbers each cycle; apprentices don't need CE. Renewals received after May 1 pay a $57 late fee. Active military members, spouses and veterans may get fee reductions under the Valor Act. [3][7][8][9][10][11]

Union apprenticeships and schools

The Board doesn't run apprenticeship programs, but it licenses every apprentice. Routes in (see union vs. non-union):

• Union. Plumbers & Gasfitters Local 12 in Boston runs a five-year apprenticeship. It takes no applications in 2026; the next round opens in January 2027.
• Non-union. Get hired by a licensed master plumber and take the tiers at an approved school, many of them regional vocational schools.

The Division of Apprentice Standards oversees the state's registered apprenticeship programs. More on getting in: how to get an apprenticeship. [2][6][12][13][14]

If you're licensed in another state

Massachusetts has no published plumbing reciprocity agreements. Unless there is a reciprocity agreement with your state, you must pass the Massachusetts exam.

You can petition the Board to treat your out-of-state license and training as substantially equivalent. You need a certified statement from your licensing board that your license is current and in good standing. The Board's written policy (last amended in 2013) also asks that your license has been active for the three years before you apply; the current rule doesn't say this, so confirm with the Board. Applicants trained where a plumbing and gas fitting code is adopted, and who were licensed there, are treated as having equivalent education and experience and may take the exam. Everyone must show a high school diploma or equivalent. Apprentice licenses from other states don't count.

See license reciprocity for the national picture. [3][15]

Gas fitting

Gas fitting (gas piping past the meter and hooking up appliances such as ranges, water heaters and house heating boilers) has its own licenses: apprentice, journeyman and master gas fitter. A journeyman gas fitter needs 5,100 hours as a licensed apprentice gas fitter and 330 classroom hours over at least three years. You don't need a gas fitter license if you're a licensed journeyman or master plumber, since plumbers may do gas fitting. [1][3][4]

Steps to get licensed in Massachusetts

1. Get hired by a master plumber

   Only a master plumber can employ you as an apprentice. You may take Tier 1 classes at an approved school before you're hired. [2][3][6]

2. Get your apprentice license before you start

   Apply on eLIPSE with the Statement of Employing Master form, a notarized CORI form and a passport-style photo, and pay $14. [2][8]

3. Complete the five tiers of theory

   Take 550 hours of plumbing and gas fitting theory, in 110-hour tiers, over at least four years. Start within nine months of getting your license. You can count at most 165 hours a year, though Tiers 1 and 2 may be done in the same year. [3][5]

4. Log 6,800 hours as a licensed apprentice

   Work under the direct supervision of a master plumber, or of a journeyman employed by a master. For each year in which you earn 165 classroom hours, you must also log 1,700 work hours. Heating-system piping (HVAC, steam and hydronic heat) doesn't count. [3]

5. Apply for the journeyman exam

   Apply on eLIPSE with the Education Verification Form, the Statement of Experience Form signed by your master plumber, a notarized CORI form and a photo, and pay the $31 application fee. [9]

6. Pass both parts of the PSI exam

   Once the Board approves you, PSI contacts you to schedule. You need 70% on each part. If you fail a part, retake it within one year of failing, or you must retake the whole exam; you may try at most six times without special Board approval. [3][7][9]

7. Pay the license fee

   After you pass, pay the $52 license fee and your license shows up in your eLIPSE profile. [7][9]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  Plumbers & Gasfitters Local 12 (Boston) apprenticeship

  A five-year union apprenticeship (United Association). Applications are taken online during a set window; as of October 2026 there is no 2026 round and the next one opens in January 2027. [12][13]

• School

  Board-approved plumbing theory schools

  Vocational schools and private (proprietary) schools approved to teach the five tiers of plumbing theory. The Board lists more than 70 of them, with phone numbers. [6]

• State program

  Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS)

  The state office that oversees Massachusetts registered apprenticeship programs, for employers starting a program and for people looking to become apprentices. [14]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask