How to become a licensed plumber in Wisconsin

Licensing office Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) · (608) 266-2112 [12][19]

The license pathway in Wisconsin

1. 1

   Plumbing Apprentice

   • Set by the apprenticeship; DWD's plumber program has 572 hours of paid related instruction
   • $15 application + $15 registration
   • Yearly; you must still be under an apprentice contract

   Every plumbing apprenticeship starts with an apprentice contract under Wisconsin's apprenticeship law, and you must register with DSPS within 30 days of starting. Apprentices work under the general supervision of a licensed master plumber. [1][2][4][6][16]

2. 2

   Plumbing Learner (restricted service or restricted appliance)

   • $15 application + $15 registration
   • Every 2 years

   A registration for limited work only: sewer and water service piping and similar outside work (restricted service), or connecting appliances to an existing water system (restricted appliance). You must be 16 and have finished 12th grade or the equivalent, and you work under direct supervision. [1][2][5]

3. 3

   Journeyman Plumber

   • Part of the apprenticeship (DWD's program: 572 hours)
   • Yes: two parts, open book, 70% to pass; 87 and 120 questions, 3 hours each
   • $10 application, $20 exam, $180 license
   • Every 4 years (March 31); 24 hours CE

   You qualify for the exam by completing a plumbing apprenticeship recognized under Wisconsin's apprenticeship law, shown by a letter from the Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards. A journeyman works under the general supervision of a master plumber (or a master plumber-restricted or utility contractor, within that license's scope). [1][2][3][11]

4. 4

   Journeyman Plumber-Restricted Service

   • 1,000 hours on the job
   • 1 year of experience
   • Shop training: 40 hours plumbing code, 20 blueprint reading, 10 transit or builder's level, 20 plumbing math, 10 first aid and safety
   • Yes: 3 hours
   • $10 application, $20 exam, $180 license
   • Every 4 years (March 31); 12 hours CE

   A narrower license for sewer, water service and private wastewater system work. You need one continuous year of plumbing-related work of at least 1,000 hours plus the shop training. [1][2][11]

5. 5

   Master Plumber

   • 3,000 hours on the job
   • 3 years of experience
   • Yes: two parts, open book, 70% to pass
   • $20 application, $30 exam, $500 license
   • Every 4 years (March 31); 24 hours CE

   Requires at least 1,000 hours a year of plumbing work for at least 3 years as a licensed Wisconsin journeyman, or a civil or mechanical engineering degree. All plumbing must be installed with a licensed master plumber in charge, and only individuals (not companies) hold the license. [1][2][11][17]

Who needs a license in Wisconsin

State law says no person may engage in or work at plumbing in Wisconsin unless licensed by DSPS, and no one may act as a plumbing apprentice without registering. All plumbing must be installed with a licensed master plumber in charge. Licenses go to individuals only, never to a company, and each officer or member of a firm who superintends plumbing needs a master plumber license.

The law has exceptions, including a homeowner working on the one-family home or farm building they own and live in (unless a local ordinance requires a license), minor repairs to faucets, valves and pipes, clearing stoppages, and some utility work. [1]

The license ladder

• Plumbing Apprentice: registration while you're in an apprenticeship. You work under the general supervision of a licensed master plumber.
• Journeyman Plumber: you must complete a plumbing apprenticeship recognized under Wisconsin's apprenticeship law and pass the exam. A journeyman works under the general supervision of a master plumber.
• Master Plumber: at least 1,000 hours of plumbing work a year for 3 years as a licensed Wisconsin journeyman, or a civil or mechanical engineering degree, then the exam.

Wisconsin also has restricted licenses. Restricted service covers sewers, water services and private wastewater systems; restricted appliance covers connecting equipment to an existing water system. A journeyman plumber-restricted service needs one continuous year of at least 1,000 hours of plumbing work plus 100 hours of shop training. Those who start as a Plumbing Learner work under direct supervision, and a business must keep at least one journeyman for each learner. [1][2][5]

The apprenticeship

Every person starting a plumbing apprenticeship must sign an apprentice contract with DWD, Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development. DWD's plumber standard is about 5 years: 7,428 hours of on-the-job training and 572 hours of paid related instruction, plus First Aid/CPR, OSHA 10 or 30 and an 8-hour Transition to Trainer course.

Apprentices are paid for classroom time at their regular hourly rate. When your apprenticeship term ends, you may not keep working as an apprentice or journeyman unless you get a journeyman license; if you fail the exam, you can continue as an apprentice only until the next exam allowed by the rules.

Union programs are run by local apprenticeship committees with the United Association (UA); the open-shop route is ABC of Wisconsin, which says its plumbing apprenticeship takes 5 years. See union vs. non-union. [4][6][7][8][9]

The journeyman exam

The journeyman exam has two parts and is open book; you need 70% on each part. DSPS lists Part 1 at 87 questions and Part 2 at 120 questions, each 3 hours. If you fail one part, you retake only that part, but all parts must be passed within one year of your first attempt.

You may bring one binder (it can be the PHCC binder) with Wis. Stat. ch. 145 and ch. 106, SPS 305, SPS 302, SPS 325, SPS 381-387 and printed notes, plus NFPA 13D and NFPA 24 (2019), the private wastewater (POWTS) component manuals and the Multi-Purpose Piping Systems Design Manual. Architect and engineer scale rulers are allowed.

Plumbing exams at Pearson VUE are given only in Eau Claire, Madison, Brookfield, Kenosha, Ashwaubenon and Milwaukee; Pearson charges $90 per part on top of DSPS's $20 fee. [2][3][10][11]

Fees and renewal

• Plumbing Apprentice: $15 application, $15 registration, yearly.
• Plumbing Learner: $15 application, $15 registration, 2-year term.
• Journeyman Plumber (including restricted): $10 application, $20 exam, $180 license.
• Master Plumber (including restricted): $20 application, $30 exam, $500 license.

Journeyman and master licenses run 4 years and expire March 31. Journeyman and master plumbers need 24 hours of CE to renew; the restricted licenses need 12. [2][12]

If you're licensed in another state

DSPS doesn't list any license-for-license reciprocity agreements for plumbers. Instead, Wisconsin's comity law lets DSPS accept out-of-state plumbers for the exam:

• If you hold a license from a state or city whose requirements DSPS finds equivalent, or have equivalent out-of-state experience, you can be accepted for the exam without the usual apprenticeship evidence.
• DSPS must accept you for the journeyman exam if you completed a plumbing apprenticeship, passed a journeyman exam in another state, and practiced at least 5 years under that license with no discipline.

DSPS's application page also accepts an out-of-state 5-year apprenticeship with at least 576 hours of instruction for exam eligibility. That DSPS page contradicts itself on the 5-years-licensed route: one line says it doesn't require the Wisconsin exam, while the method description says it requires passing the journeyman exam. The statute (s. 145.09) makes you eligible for the exam, not for a license, so expect to take the Wisconsin exam and confirm your route with DSPS.

Service members, former service members discharged (other than dishonorably) within the last 4 years, and their spouses who live in Wisconsin have one more route: state law (s. 440.09, which s. 101.022 applies to DSPS trade credentials) says DSPS shall grant a reciprocal credential if you hold an out-of-state license for the same work and are in good standing everywhere you're licensed. Wisconsin has no general universal license recognition law; a 2023 bill (AB 332) passed the Assembly but not the Senate.

See our license reciprocity guide. [1][10][13][14][15]

Steps to get licensed in Wisconsin

1. Get hired into an apprenticeship

   Apply to a union apprenticeship committee or to ABC of Wisconsin; either way, an employer must sponsor you and you sign a DWD apprentice contract. [6][7][18]

2. Register as a Plumbing Apprentice

   Within 30 days of starting, register in LicensE, upload your apprentice contract and pay $15 plus $15. Renew every year while the contract lasts. See DSPS's Plumbing Apprentice page. [1][2][16]

3. Finish the apprenticeship

   Complete the program (DWD's plumber standard is about 5 years) and get a letter from the Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards saying you've met its requirements. [3][4]

4. Apply for and pass the journeyman exam

   Apply in LicensE with the completion letter. The exam has two parts, is open book and needs 70% on each part; plumbing exams at Pearson VUE are offered only in Eau Claire, Madison, Brookfield, Kenosha, Ashwaubenon and Milwaukee. [2][3][10][11]

5. Get your license and renew

   Apply for the license with the $180 fee within 3 months of passing. Licenses run 4 years and expire March 31; renewal needs 24 hours of CE. [2][12]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  UA (United Association) plumbing apprenticeships

  Union plumbing and pipefitting apprenticeships typically last five years and combine paid work with classroom training. In Wisconsin, construction apprenticeships are sponsored by local apprenticeship committees; contact the UA local or committee for your area. [7][8]

• Open shop

  ABC of Wisconsin plumbing apprenticeship

  A five-year registered apprenticeship for employees of approved ABC contractors, with classes at several technical colleges and ABC's Madison training center. ABC charges tuition, which many employers reimburse. [9][20]

• State program

  Wisconsin Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards (DWD)

  Wisconsin's state apprenticeship agency. Its plumber program runs about 5 years with 7,428 hours on the job and 572 hours of paid related instruction; it issues the completion letter you need for the journeyman exam. [3][4]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask