Minnesota · plumber licensing · verified July 2026

Minnesota plumber license requirements

Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Minnesota?

Minnesota licenses plumbers statewide, so one credential is valid across the whole state.

Restricted journeyworker (2 years experience) and restricted master (4 years experience or 2 years as a plumbing contractor) licenses exist for work in cities/towns under 5,000 population. Additional related credentials: certified pipelayer, medical gas certification, backflow prevention tester/rebuilder, water conditioning contractor/installer. No formal named reciprocity compacts, but journeyworker/master applicants holding licenses from states with equivalent requirements may qualify for the exam on that basis.

What licenses does Minnesota issue?

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing Division - Plumbing 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.

Source: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing Division - Plumbing (dli.mn.gov). Verified July 2026.

Journeyworker Plumber: 4 years as a DLI-registered unlicensed plumber or completion of a registered apprenticeship program

Master Plumber: Licensed journeyworker plumber for at least 1 year (or equivalent out-of-state master license, or restricted master + 5 years as contractor)

How many hours do you need in Minnesota?

Minnesota requires 7,000 hours of on-the-job experience for a Journeyworker Plumber license. At a 40-hour week the on-the-job portion is roughly 3.5 years of full-time work.

What exam does Minnesota require?

Journeyworker Plumber License Examination. Administered by Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Exam fee $50.

Master Plumber License Examination. Administered by Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Exam fee $50.

Source: examination page (dli.mn.gov). Verified July 2026.

How much does a Minnesota plumber license cost?

Minnesota does not publish every fee a first-time applicant pays, so there is no complete total to give. What the board does publish is below.

• Application fee$50
• Exam fee$50
• Initial license feenot published
• Renewal fee (recurring)$53

How often do you renew, and what continuing education is required?

Renewal period: Journeyworker, master, and plumbing contractor licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years (2-year cycle); registered unlicensed plumber registration expires June 30 annually.

Continuing education: 16 hours of DLI-approved continuing education per 2-year renewal cycle for journeyworker and master plumbers, of which at least 8 hours must relate to the Minnesota State Plumbing Code; registered unlicensed plumbers need 2 hours per annual renewal.

How does the apprenticeship route work?

Two routes: (1) register with DLI as an unlicensed plumber and have employers verify hours annually on the Work Experience Verification Form (max 1,750 qualifying hours per July 1-June 30 year) until reaching 7,000 hours with the class-of-work minimums; or (2) complete a DLI-registered apprenticeship program, whose completion letter (hours, dates, program name) qualifies the applicant for the journeyworker exam. Up to 24 months of practical experience gained before registering may count toward the 4-year requirement under conditions; U.S. military plumbing experience may also be applied (DD-214).

Which states does Minnesota have license reciprocity with?

Minnesota appears in 1 published reciprocal licensing agreement for this trade, covering North Dakota. 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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.

Source: state licensing boards. Verified July 2026.

How does Minnesota compare nationally?

21 states publish an explicit hour figure for this trade, and they range from 4,000 to 12,000 hours. Minnesota sits 5th of the 21, with 4 below it and 16 above. The full comparison is on the hours by state table.

Sources and verification

Other states with published requirements for this trade: Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska.

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 Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing Division - Plumbing before making decisions. Not legal advice.