Arkansas · plumber licensing · verified July 2026
Arkansas plumber license requirements
The short answer
As of July 2026, Arkansas licenses plumbers statewide through the Department of Health's Plumbing and Natural Gas Section, advised by the State Committee of Plumbing Examiners, with Apprentice, Journeyman, Master, and several Restricted tiers. The journeyman exam requires four years' experience in all phases of plumbing and natural gas (or completion of an Arkansas plumber apprenticeship), and the master exam requires five years' experience including one full year as a licensed Arkansas journeyman. Licenses expire December 31 each year and must be renewed by February 1, with a $5/month late penalty.
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Arkansas?
Arkansas licenses plumbers statewide, so one credential is valid across the whole state.
The State Committee of Plumbing Examiners may enter reciprocal agreements with other states, and reciprocal applicants from substantially similar jurisdictions are licensed without examination or apprenticeship prerequisites; no specific partner states are named in the rules. Separately, applicants licensed in non-reciprocal states with substantially similar codes may be approved to sit for the exam, and Act 457 of 2023 provides automatic licensure for Arkansas residents licensed 1+ year (or 3+ years' work from non-licensing states) subject to a state-law exam that can be waived. Fee waivers available for low-income/SNAP/Medicaid/unemployed applicants (Act 725 of 2021). Deferment (inactive) status: $20/year. Passing score for the journeyman/master trade exams is not stated in the rules document reviewed (70% is specified only for inspector certification exams).
What licenses does Arkansas issue?
The Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (State Committee of Plumbing Examiners) issues the credentials below for this trade. Boards often list further classes for specialties and business licenses; these are the ones this page covers.
Hours are what each class asks for on its own terms. Where a senior class shows fewer than a journeyman, the board is counting time served after the earlier license rather than from the start; the prerequisite column says which.
| License | On-the-job hours | Classroom hours | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice Plumber | not published | not published | No |
| Journeyman Plumber | not published | not published | Yes |
| Master Plumber | not published | not published | Yes |
| Restricted licenses (Gas Fitter, Solar Mechanic, Hospital Maintenance, Governmental/Residential Maintenance, Water and Sewer Service Line Installation, and Supervisor variants) | not published | not published | Yes |
Source: Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (State Committee of Plumbing Examiners) (healthy.arkansas.gov). Verified July 2026.
What exam does Arkansas require?
Journeyman Plumber Examination. Administered by Arkansas Department of Health / State Committee of Plumbing Examiners.
Master Plumber Examination. Administered by Arkansas Department of Health / State Committee of Plumbing Examiners.
How much does an Arkansas plumber license cost?
Arkansas sets its fees per license class rather than as one figure for the trade, so no single total would be true of every applicant. The published items are below exactly as the board sets them.
- Application fee$75
- Exam feeset per license class
- Initial license fee$75
- Renewal fee (recurring)$75
How often do you renew, and what continuing education is required?
Renewal period: Annual, Master/Journeyman/Apprentice licenses expire December 31 and must be renewed by February 1 ($5/month penalty after); Restricted licenses expire June 30, renew by August 1
Continuing education: No continuing education requirement for Master/Journeyman/Apprentice plumbers in the current ADH rules; certified Plumbing/Gas Inspectors must show 8 hours of Department refresher training at renewal, and backflow testers require periodic re-certification training.
How does the apprenticeship route work?
Apprentices register annually ($25) under an Arkansas Master Plumber while enrolled in a state-approved apprenticeship program; successful completion of the training defined under Ark. Code Ann. 17-38-409 (with an Apprenticeship Committee Release form endorsed by the training program and the Office of Skills Development) qualifies the apprentice for the Journeyman examination without separate documentation of 4 years' experience.
Which states does Arkansas have license reciprocity with?
Arkansas appears in 1 published reciprocal licensing agreement for this trade, covering Oklahoma. Boards write these as agreements between two states rather than as a one-way list, and some publish the list while their counterpart does not, so this counts every agreement naming Arkansas from either side. Recognition is never automatic: the board you apply to decides, and most require the original license to have been earned by examination and to be in good standing.
How does Arkansas compare to neighboring states?
Requirements stop at the state line, which matters if you live near one or expect to move. Here is what the neighboring states ask of the same trade.
| State | Journeyman hours | Licensing model |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | not published | Statewide |
| Louisiana | 8,000 | Statewide |
| Missouri | not published | City or county |
| Mississippi | not published | Contractor level only |
| Oklahoma | not published | Statewide |
| Tennessee | not published | Contractor level only |
| Texas | 8,000 | Statewide |
Source: state licensing boards. Verified July 2026.
Sources and verification
Every fact on this page traces to one of these
- Rules Pertaining to Master, Journeyman, and Restricted Plumber Licenses (Arkansas State Board of Health)
- Journeyman Plumber Application - Arkansas Department of Health
- Plumbing & Natural Gas - Arkansas Department of Health
Last verified July 2026. Found an error? Report it and it will be corrected and logged on the corrections page.
Other states with published requirements for this trade: California, Colorado, Connecticut.
Price the whole path with the license cost estimator, or weigh earning against paying for school with the apprenticeship comparison. Back to plumbers overview.
Licensing requirements change between our verification sweeps. This page is informational only, so confirm current requirements with Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (State Committee of Plumbing Examiners) before making decisions. Not legal advice.