Oregon · welder licensing · verified July 2026
Oregon welder license requirements
The short answer
As of July 2026, Oregon does not license welders for general structural or fabrication work, AWS Certified Welder and ASME Section IX employer qualification are the operative credentials. However, the state Building Codes Division licenses individuals who weld on boilers, pressure vessels, and pressure piping: the Class 6 Welder (CL6) license, plus welding-based Class 4 Boilermaker and Class 5/5A/5B pressure piping mechanic licenses under OAR 918-225-0691.
Do you need a license to work as a welder in Oregon?
Oregon regulates this trade at the contractor level rather than licensing individual welders.
The $82.50 license fee is confirmed for both CL4 and CL6 in the official Oregon License Directory (duplicate license $10). Class 4 exam is stated as '3 hour 52 question open book' with '24 total required hours' of CE. The 4,000 on-the-job hours shown for CL4/CL5 are the sum of two exact 2,000-hour requirements (welding + non-welding/piping work) quoted from OAR 918-225-0691. General welder is not an entry in Oregon's official license directory, only the boiler/pressure-vessel program licenses welders.
What licenses does Oregon issue?
The Oregon Building Codes Division (Department of Consumer and Business Services) - Boiler and Pressure Vessel Program 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 6 Welder (CL6) | not published | not published | No |
| Class 4 Boilermaker (CL4) | 4,000 | not published | Yes |
| Class 5 / 5-A / 5-B Pressure, Process, and Refrigeration Piping Mechanic | 4,000 | not published | Yes |
Source: Oregon Building Codes Division (Department of Consumer and Business Services) - Boiler and Pressure Vessel Program (secure.sos.state.or.us). Verified July 2026.
Class 4 Boilermaker (CL4): 2,000 hours welding experience + 2,000 hours non-welding boiler/pressure-vessel experience, verified via employer Experience Verification Forms
Class 5 / 5-A / 5-B Pressure, Process, and Refrigeration Piping Mechanic: 2,000 hours pipe-welding (or brazing for 5-A/5-B) on the relevant ASME B31 piping + 2,000 hours of pressure piping work
What exam does Oregon require?
Class 4 Boilermaker license exam (3-hour, 52-question, open book: Oregon boiler law ORS 480.510-480.665, OAR 918-225, National Board Inspection Code, NFPA 85, ASME BPV Code). Administered by Oregon Building Codes Division.
How much does an Oregon welder license cost?
Getting a journeyman welder license in Oregon costs $83 in board fees, before any training. That is the initial license 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.
- Initial license fee$82.5
- Renewal fee (recurring)set per license class
How often do you renew, and what continuing education is required?
Renewal period: Every 3 years, renewing on July 1
Continuing education: 24 hours per 3-year cycle for Class 4 Boilermaker; Class 1 Trainee and Class 6 Welder licenses are explicitly exempt from continuing education
How does the apprenticeship route work?
No state license exists for general welding, the standard path is AWS Certified Welder testing and ASME Section IX qualification through an employer. For the boiler/pressure-vessel licenses, experience hours are documented through employer Experience Verification Forms (per OAR 918-282); a formal apprenticeship is not required, and the CL6 welder route relies entirely on the employer's ASME Section IX qualification of the welder.
How does Oregon 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | not published | Contractor level only |
| California | not published | Contractor level only |
| Nevada | 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
- OAR 918-225-0691 Boiler, Pressure Vessel and Pressure Piping Installation, Alteration or Repair Licensing Requirements (official OAR database)
- Oregon BCD - Boiler and pressure vessel individual licenses
- Oregon License Directory - Welder Class 6 (CL6)
- Oregon License Directory - Boilermaker Class 4 (CL4)
- Oregon BCD - Boilers and pressure vessels continuing education
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: Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina.
Price the whole path with the license cost estimator, or weigh earning against paying for school with the apprenticeship comparison. Back to welders overview.
Licensing requirements change between our verification sweeps. This page is informational only, so confirm current requirements with Oregon Building Codes Division (Department of Consumer and Business Services) - Boiler and Pressure Vessel Program before making decisions. Not legal advice.