How to become a licensed plumber in Virginia

Licensing office Virginia Board for Contractors, Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Tradesmen Program · (804) 367-8511 [1]

The license pathway in Virginia

1. 1

   Helper or apprentice (unlicensed)

   Virginia has no plumbing apprentice license. You may do plumbing work without a tradesman license while working under the supervision of a plumber licensed in that specialty. Registered apprentices are signed up with Virginia Works by their employer. [2][26]

2. 2

   Residential Plumber Tradesman

   • 2 years of experience
   • 160 hours of formal vocational training with 2 years of experience (or 120 with 3, 80 with 4, 40 with 5, none with 6 years)
   • Yes: PSI, 50 items, 120 minutes, 35 correct to pass, open book; $100
   • $150 license fee by rule ($171.75 on DPOR's current application)
   • Every 3 years, $160; 3 hours CE

   A license created April 1, 2025 for plumbing work on dwellings and townhouses only; no commercial work. DPOR says it needs less experience and training than a journeyman license and can be a step toward journeyman status. [1][3][6][10][12][13][22]

3. 3

   Journeyman Plumber

   • 4 years of experience
   • 240 hours of formal vocational training with 4 years of experience (or 160 with 5, 80 with 6, 40 with 7, none with 8 years)
   • Yes: PSI, 80 items, 210 minutes, 60 correct to pass, open book; $100. Waived for completers of an approved registered apprenticeship.
   • $150 license fee by rule ($171.75 on DPOR's current application)
   • Every 3 years, $160; 3 hours CE

   Covers plumbing work of all kinds under the Virginia building code. An associate degree or two-year program plus 2 years of experience, or a related engineering bachelor's degree plus 1 year, also qualifies you for the exam. [3][5][6][7][10][11][12][13]

4. 4

   Master Plumber

   • 1 year of experience
   • Yes: PSI, same 80-item plumber exam as journeyman, $125
   • $150 license fee by rule
   • Every 3 years, $160; 3 hours CE

   Can plan and lay out installations and supervise plumbing work. You qualify after one year with a journeyman license, three years with a residential plumber license, or nine years of practical experience. A plumbing contractor firm needs a master plumber as its qualified individual. [3][6][7][9][10]

5. 5

   Plumbing Contractor (Class A, B or C)

   A business license from the same board, needed to contract for jobs over $1,000. Class C covers single jobs under $30,000, Class B under $150,000, Class A any size (yearly totals also count). The firm's qualified individual must hold a master plumber license. [7][9][27]

Who needs a license in Virginia

Virginia law says no one may work as a tradesman (electrical, plumbing or HVAC work for the public for pay) unless licensed by the Board for Contractors. DPOR says state certification of these trades is "mandatory, not optional."

Beginners are covered by an exception: you are not subject to licensure "when working under the supervision of a tradesman who is licensed in the specialty for which work is being performed." Work worth less than $250 on a single-family home, by someone who doesn't advertise as a tradesman, is also exempt.

Local rules can apply too; DPOR says questions about local ordinances go to the locality where you'll work. [1][2][4][5]

The license ladder: helper to master

• Helper or apprentice: no license; you work under a licensed plumber.
• Residential Plumber Tradesman (new April 1, 2025): homes and townhouses only.
• Journeyman Plumber: all types of buildings.
• Master Plumber: can lay out and supervise work; needed by a plumbing contractor firm.

For the residential license you need one of: 2 years of experience and 160 hours of training; 3 and 120; 4 and 80; 5 and 40; or 6 years and no training. For journeyman: 4 years and 240 hours; 5 and 160; 6 and 80; 7 and 40; 8 years and no training; an associate degree or two-year program plus 2 years; or a related engineering bachelor's degree plus 1 year.

DPOR's older instruction booklet still says ten years without training for journeyman; the rule and the current application say eight. Compare states on the plumber hub. [1][2][3][6][7][8][9]

The plumbing exams

PSI gives the exams for DPOR. Its July 23, 2026 bulletin lists the journeyman/master plumber exam at 80 items in 210 minutes (passing score 60) and the residential plumber exam at 50 items in 120 minutes (passing score 35). Topics include drainage, waste and vents, water supply, backflow prevention and Virginia's tradesman rules.

Exams are open book: PSI's plumber reference list is the 2021 International Plumbing Code, and you bring your own copy. The fee is $100 for journeyman or residential and $125 for master, valid one year. Schedule with PSI or (855) 340-3910.

Completing a registered apprenticeship approved by Virginia Works exempts you from the journeyman exam under state law; DPOR verifies whether your sponsor has that exemption. [5][7][10][11]

Fees, renewal and continuing education

The rule sets the license fee at $150 and the renewal fee at $160. Since July 1, 2026 DPOR adds a $7.25-per-year technology fee; its current applications list $171.75. Tradesman licenses last three years, and renewal requires 3 hours of board-approved CE on code changes for each designation. [1][7][12][13][14]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships in Virginia

Union: the UA Local 110 JATC in Chesapeake runs a five-year program (10,000 work hours, 1,000 classroom hours). It requires age 18, a high school diploma or equivalent and a driver's license, then a math evaluation and interview. Completers "top-out" with a Virginia journeyman license, it says.

Open shop: ABC Virginia runs four-year plumbing classes for people already employed in the field.

State registry: Virginia Works lists registered sponsors. See also how to get an apprenticeship. [15][16][17]

If you're licensed in another state

The board's published agreements don't include any statewide plumbing agreement; it lists an examination agreement with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission for journeyman and master plumbers and gas fitters.

Virginia's universal license recognition law is the main route: a license held at least one year that required an exam plus education, training or experience, in good standing. Out-of-state journeymen and masters can also sit for the same-level Virginia exam. See our reciprocity guide. [18][19][20][21]

Steps to get licensed in Virginia

1. Get hired as a helper or apprentice

   Work for a plumbing contractor under the supervision of a licensed plumber; no license is needed at this stage. [2]

2. Get your vocational training

   Complete formal vocational training in plumbing: 160 hours with 2 years of experience for the residential license, or 240 hours with 4 years for journeyman. [3][6]

3. Document your experience and apply

   Have employers or contractors complete DPOR's Experience Verification Form, then send the residential or journeyman application with the $171.75 fee. You must be 18. [7][22][23][25]

4. Pass the PSI exam

   Book the exam with PSI after DPOR approves you ($100). It's open book; bring the 2021 International Plumbing Code. Apprenticeship completers may be exempt. [5][10]

5. Renew and move up

   Renew every 3 years with 3 hours of CE. After one year as a journeyman (or three as a residential plumber) you can apply for the master exam. [3][13]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  UA Local 110 JATC (Plumbers and Steamfitters, Norfolk area)

  A five-year program registered with the state: 10,000 hours of on-the-job training with signatory contractors plus 1,000 classroom hours at the Chesapeake training center. Apprentices may specialize in plumbing, pipefitting, HVAC service or pipe welding in year three. [15]

• Open shop

  ABC Virginia plumbing apprenticeship

  Associated Builders and Contractors' Virginia chapter teaches the classroom part (600 hours over four years, alongside 8,000 hours of work) for apprentices employed in the plumbing field. [16][28]

• State program

  Virginia Works Registered Apprenticeship

  The state agency that registers apprenticeships. You apply to an employer sponsor; its sponsor search lists active programs. [17][26]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask