Indiana · plumber licensing · verified July 2026
Indiana plumber license requirements
The short answer
As of July 2026, Indiana licenses plumbers statewide through the Indiana Plumbing Commission under the Professional Licensing Agency (IC 25-28.5). There are three main tiers: plumbing apprentice ($10, must be enrolled in an Indiana-approved apprenticeship program), journeyman plumber ($30, requires 4 years in an apprenticeship program or a current out-of-state license plus a Commission-approved exam administered by PROV), and plumbing contractor ($50 application/$100 renewal, requires 4 years apprenticeship, out-of-state licensure, or 4 years in the plumbing business plus an exam). Formal reciprocity is not offered.
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Indiana?
Indiana licenses plumbers statewide, so one credential is valid across the whole state.
The official PLA page states 'Reciprocity is not available for journeyman and contractor plumbers,' although holding a current out-of-state plumbing license is an accepted experience pathway to sit for Indiana's exams. Governing statute: IC Title 25, Article 28.5; rules at 860 IAC Article 1.
What licenses does Indiana issue?
The Indiana Plumbing Commission, Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbing Apprentice | not published | not published | No |
| Journeyman Plumber | not published | not published | Yes |
| Plumbing Contractor | not published | not published | Yes |
| Temporary Plumbing Contractor | not published | not published | No |
Source: Indiana Plumbing Commission, Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) (in.gov). Verified July 2026.
What exam does Indiana require?
Indiana Plumbing Examinations (journeyman and contractor). Administered by PROV, Inc. (provexam.com), under the Indiana Plumbing Commission; candidates may test up to 7 times within a 2-year eligibility period.
How much does an Indiana plumber license cost?
Getting a Journeyman Plumber license in Indiana costs $30 in board fees, before any training. That is the application fee charged once, with renewal charged separately below. No board publishes this total, so it is added up here from the schedule it does publish. An exam is required and its fee is not in that figure, because no amount for it appears in the board material this page is built from. Check the board's current fee schedule before budgeting.
- Application fee$30
- Renewal fee (recurring)$30
How often do you renew, and what continuing education is required?
Renewal period: 2 years, journeyman and contractor licenses expire December 31 of every odd-numbered year; apprentice registrations expire October 1 of every even-numbered year
Continuing education: No continuing education requirement is specified on the official PLA licensing information page.
How does the apprenticeship route work?
Register as a plumbing apprentice ($10) while enrolled in an Indiana-approved apprenticeship program; 4 years in the program (statute IC 25-28.5 and program standards govern hour totals, exact hours are not stated on the official page) qualifies the applicant for Commission exam approval at the journeyman or contractor level.
Which states does Indiana have license reciprocity with?
No published agreement for this trade names Indiana. That is not the same as a closed door: states without a published list usually take out-of-state applicants through an endorsement or equivalency review instead, decided case by case on the requirements set out above.
How does Indiana 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana | not published | Statewide |
| Illinois | not published | Statewide |
| Kentucky | not published | Statewide |
| Michigan | 6,000 | Statewide |
| Ohio | not published | Contractor level only |
Source: state licensing boards. Verified July 2026.
Sources and verification
Every fact on this page traces to one of these
- Plumbing Commission - Indiana Professional Licensing Agency
- Plumbing Licensing Information - Indiana PLA (tiers, fees, renewal dates)
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: Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine.
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 Indiana Plumbing Commission, Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) before making decisions. Not legal advice.