How to become a licensed plumber in Minnesota

Journeyman level 7,000 hours on the job + state exam What's a journeyman?

Licensing office Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing · 651-284-5034 [1][16]

The license pathway in Minnesota

1. 1

   Registered Unlicensed Plumber

   • $14 registration
   • Yearly by June 30; 2 hours of code CE and your work experience for the year

   Formerly called an apprentice. You register with DLI, work as a W-2 employee of a licensed plumbing contractor or registered employer, and work only under the direct supervision of a licensed journeyworker or master plumber. No experience is required to register. [1][2][9]

2. 2

   Journeyworker Plumber

   • 7,000 hours on the job
   • 4 years of experience
   • Yes: 240 points, 5½ hours, 70% to pass; plumbing code and calculator provided; $50 exam fee
   • $50 exam fee; license fee due after you pass
   • Every 2 years (Dec. 31 of odd-numbered years), $53; 16 hours CE (at least 8 on the State Plumbing Code)

   Lets you install plumbing statewide, working for or under the direction of a master plumber. You qualify with four years and 7,000 hours as a registered unlicensed plumber, or by completing a DLI-registered apprenticeship. [1][2][4][6][8]

3. 3

   Master Plumber

   • 1 year of experience
   • Yes: 300 points, 5½ hours, 70% to pass; $50 exam fee
   • $50 exam fee; license fee due after you pass
   • Every 2 years (Dec. 31 of odd-numbered years), $93; 16 hours CE (at least 8 on the State Plumbing Code)

   Can plan and superintend plumbing and serve as the responsible licensed individual for a plumbing contractor. You need at least one year as a licensed journeyworker plumber. [1][4][6][8]

4. 4

   Plumbing Contractor

   • $188 application
   • Every 2 years (Dec. 31 of odd-numbered years), $188

   A business license. The company needs a master plumber as responsible licensed individual, liability and workers' compensation insurance, and a $25,000 surety bond. [5]

Who needs a license in Minnesota

Minnesota licenses plumbers statewide through DLI. To do plumbing work you must be at least 18; be licensed, registered as an unlicensed plumber, or enrolled in a DLI-registered apprenticeship; and be a W-2 employee of a licensed plumbing contractor or registered employer (or a licensed owner or officer of a plumbing contractor).

Businesses that contract for plumbing need a plumbing contractor license. A full plumbing contractor license is required in communities over 5,000 people; restricted contractors may work only in smaller communities.

Separate credentials cover pipe laying outside buildings (certified pipelayer), backflow testing, medical gas and water conditioning. [1][5][6]

The license ladder: registered unlicensed to master

• Registered unlicensed plumber: no experience or exam; $14 to register; always under direct supervision.
• Journeyworker plumber: four years and 7,000 hours of experience (or a completed registered apprenticeship) plus an exam.
• Master plumber: one year as a licensed journeyworker plus an exam.
• Plumbing contractor: a business license that needs a master plumber as its responsible licensed individual.

DLI counts at least 1,750 hours as one year of experience, and no more than 1,750 hours in a calendar year. As a registered unlicensed plumber, your four years must include 2,000 hours of water distribution system installation, 2,000 hours of drain, waste and vent installation, and 1,000 hours of fixture installation. The master plumber responsible for the work certifies your experience. Under state law, if you haven't taken the journeyworker exam two years after completing your training, the four years of experience are forfeited.

Minnesota also has restricted journeyworker and restricted master licenses for work in cities and towns under 5,000 people. Compare states on the plumber hub and in journeyman vs. master. [2][3][4][6]

The journeyworker exam

DLI gives its own exam. Apply online and pay $50; once approved, you get an email with scheduling instructions. Exams are given at DLI's St. Paul office and at sites around the state.

The journeyworker exam is worth 240 points and the master exam 300 points. You have 5½ hours and need 70% to pass. DLI provides the Minnesota Plumbing Code and a calculator. DLI's exam guide (April 2022) says the exam is based on the 2020 Minnesota Plumbing Code (Chapter 4714) and related state laws.

If you don't pass, you must wait 30 days before reapplying. [1][7][8]

Fees, renewal and continuing education

Registration as an unlicensed plumber costs $14 and must be renewed by June 30 each year with 2 hours of code continuing education (CE). The exam fee is $50.

Journeyworker and master licenses expire Dec. 31 of odd-numbered years. Renewal is $53 for a journeyworker ($20 late fee) and $93 for a master ($40 late fee), with 16 hours of CE per two-year period, at least 8 of them on the State Plumbing Code.

The plumbing contractor license costs $188 to apply and to renew. The contractor also needs a $25,000 bond and liability and workers' compensation insurance. [1][2][5][9]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships in Minnesota

A DLI-registered apprenticeship is one of the two ways to qualify for the journeyworker exam. DLI's plumber apprenticeship directory lists the main union programs:

• Minneapolis/St. Cloud Plumbers Local 15: in-person applications each January (Jan. 11-22, 2027 for the next class); assessment tests, then an interview. Local 15 says its program is five years, 8,780 hours on the job plus 175 hours of classes a year.
• St. Paul Plumbers and Gasfitters Local 34: apply year-round, finish by Sept. 30 for an October interview; Accuplacer test ($25).
• Rochester Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 6: DLI lists a yearly deadline in mid-March, testing in April, interviews in May and no fee; Local 6's own site gave April 1, 2026 as its last deadline.
• Northern Mechanical and Iron Range JATC (Duluth): year-round applications through an online system, with a cutoff about two months before each interview session.

The directory doesn't list open-shop plumbing programs; you can also earn your hours as a registered unlicensed plumber with any licensed contractor. More: how to get an apprenticeship and union vs. non-union. [1][4][10][11][12]

If you're licensed in another state

DLI has reciprocity agreements for plumbers with North Dakota and South Dakota, at the journeyworker and master levels. You must have earned the license by state exam (not a city license), held it at least one year, and keep it current. You pay the $50 application and exam fee, and after approval you have 180 days to pay the license fee.

From other states, you can't skip the exam, but a current plumber's license from a state that requires at least four years of experience and an exam qualifies you to take the Minnesota journeyworker exam. DLI credits no more than two years of out-of-state experience unless you were licensed in that state. See Plumbing reciprocity and our reciprocity guide. [1][4][13]

City certificates: Minneapolis and St. Paul gas work

Minneapolis requires a Certificate of Competency card for masters and journeymen who do plumbing with gas (and other gas and mechanical trades). To take the Plumbing/Gas Specific exam you need a state plumbing license at the same level and at least 1,600 hours of fuel gas experience or training. The card costs $30 per trade. Minneapolis says it has reciprocity with St. Paul: a St. Paul card lets you get a Minneapolis card by mail ($30 per trade), and St. Paul's reciprocal application asks for a copy of your current Minneapolis card and $22 per card. Contact the Minneapolis Competency Card Office at 612-673-5892. [14][15]

Steps to get licensed in Minnesota

1. Register with DLI or enroll in a registered apprenticeship

   Once a licensed plumbing contractor hires you, register online as a registered unlicensed plumber ($14). You must be at least 18. [1][2]

2. Work under direct supervision and log your hours

   Work alongside a licensed journeyworker or master plumber from the same employer. Report your hours each year at renewal; you need 2,000 in water distribution, 2,000 in drain, waste and vent, and 1,000 in fixtures. [2][5]

3. Renew by June 30 every year

   Complete 2 hours of approved code education, submit your work experience and pay the renewal fee. [1][9]

4. Apply for the journeyworker exam

   After four years and 7,000 hours (or a completed registered apprenticeship), apply online and pay the $50 exam fee. [1][2][4]

5. Take the exam, then pay the license fee

   DLI emails scheduling instructions once you are approved. After you pass, DLI tells you how to pay for your license. If you fail, you must wait 30 days to reapply. [1][7]

6. Keep going toward master

   After one year as a licensed journeyworker, you can apply for the master plumber exam. [4]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  UA plumbers' union apprenticeships in Minnesota

  DLI's directory lists Minneapolis/St. Cloud Plumbers Local 15, St. Paul Plumbers and Gasfitters Local 34, Rochester Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 6, and the Northern Mechanical and Iron Range JATC in Duluth, with how each one hires. [10]

• Union

  St. Paul Plumbers and Gasfitters Local 34 apprenticeship

  Five years: 8,500 hours of on-the-job training and at least 196 hours of related instruction each year. Applicants test, interview and are ranked for a pre-apprenticeship course that starts in January. [17]

• State program

  Apprenticeship Minnesota (DLI)

  The state apprenticeship office registers programs, keeps a directory of plumber programs and can refer you to openings; call 651-284-5090. [10][18]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask