North Dakota · plumber licensing · verified July 2026
North Dakota plumber license requirements
The short answer
As of July 2026, North Dakota licenses plumbers statewide through the State Board of Plumbing under N.D. Century Code ch. 43-18: apprentices must register within 30 days of starting work, journeymen need 4 years AND 7,600 hours of supervised experience plus a $50 exam, and masters need 2 additional years as a licensed journeyman plus a $50 exam. All licenses expire December 31 annually (renewals: master $200, journeyman $100, apprentice $20-$75 by year), with 2-4 hours of continuing education required per two-year period. Formal reciprocity exists with South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana.
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in North Dakota?
North Dakota licenses plumbers statewide, so one credential is valid across the whole state.
Licensing applies in any location with a public water or sewer system; homeowners working on their own residence are exempt (NDCC 43-18-11). Statute caps exam/license fees at $200 master and $100 journeyman and application fee at $100; the Board's current published exam fee is $50 per exam. Cities may additionally require municipal registration on top of the state license (NDCC 43-18-16). Per Board FAQ, South Dakota and Minnesota journeymen/masters may apply without examination if they hold current licenses and are state residents.
What licenses does North Dakota issue?
The North Dakota State Board of 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.
| License | On-the-job hours | Classroom hours | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice Plumber | not published | not published | No |
| Journeyman Plumber | 7,600 | not published | Yes |
| Master Plumber | not published | not published | Yes |
Source: North Dakota State Board of Plumbing (ndlegis.gov). Verified July 2026.
Journeyman Plumber: 4 years working in the trade AND 7,600 hours of work experience under the supervision of a licensed master plumber
How many hours do you need in North Dakota?
North Dakota requires 7,600 hours of on-the-job experience for a Journeyman Plumber license. At a 40-hour week the on-the-job portion is roughly 3.8 years of full-time work.
What exam does North Dakota require?
Journeyman Plumber examination (6-month wait to retake after failure). Administered by North Dakota State Board of Plumbing. Exam fee $50.
Master Plumber examination (6-month wait to retake after failure). Administered by North Dakota State Board of Plumbing. Exam fee $50.
Source: examination page (ndplumbingboard.gov). Verified July 2026.
How much does a North Dakota plumber license cost?
Getting a Journeyman Plumber license in North Dakota costs $50 in board fees, before any training. That is the exam 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.
- Exam fee$50
- Renewal fee (recurring)$100
Source: fee schedule (ndplumbingboard.gov). Verified July 2026.
How often do you renew, and what continuing education is required?
Renewal period: 1 year, licenses expire December 31 of the year issued (NDCC 43-18-17)
Continuing education: Journeyman and master plumbers must complete at least 2 to 4 credit hours within a 2-year period (Board FAQ)
Source: renewal requirements (ndplumbingboard.gov). Verified July 2026.
How does the apprenticeship route work?
Register with the Board as an apprentice within 30 days of starting work; complete 4 years and 7,600 supervised hours under a licensed master plumber to qualify for the journeyman exam. Statutory reciprocity authority for out-of-state registrants is at NDCC 43-18-13.1.
Which states does North Dakota have license reciprocity with?
North Dakota appears in 3 published reciprocal licensing agreements for this trade, covering Minnesota, Montana, South 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 7,600 | Statewide |
| Minnesota | 7,000 | Statewide |
| Montana | 7,500 | Statewide |
| South Dakota | not published | Statewide |
Source: state licensing boards. Verified July 2026.
How does North Dakota compare nationally?
21 states publish an explicit hour figure for this trade, and they range from 4,000 to 12,000 hours. North Dakota sits 8th of the 21, with 7 below it and 13 above. The full comparison is on the hours by state table.
Sources and verification
Every fact on this page traces to one of these
- ND State Plumbing Board FAQ (hours, supervision, CE, reciprocity)
- ND State Plumbing Board - Renewal Fees
- ND State Plumbing Board - Exam Fees
- N.D. Century Code Chapter 43-18 - Plumbers (ND Legislative Branch)
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: Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island.
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 North Dakota State Board of Plumbing before making decisions. Not legal advice.