Plumbing Continuing Education Classes
Getting a plumber’s license requires quite a bit from you. You might have had to take a certain number of pre-license education hours, pass an exam, and do a handful of other things to get the licensing or certification you needed from your state. All told, you want to be able to keep that license in good standing. And that means staying on top of your state’s plumbing license renewal requirements.
How to Renew a Plumber’s License
This biggest hassle when it comes to plumbing license renewal is the CE piece. Most states require licensed plumbers to get a specific number of CE hours during each renewal cycle. The goal is to keep you informed on the latest state regulations and updates to the overarching guidelines like the International Plumbing Code (IPC).
How to Renew a Plumber’s License
While the exact to-dos vary from state to state, there are some general guidelines in play. Knowing those ropes can make it easier for you to sort through your state’s specifications so you can keep your plumbing license (or certification, depending on what your state calls it) active.
Without further ado, let’s walk through the general requirements for plumbing license renewal, plus some state-specific details.
#1: Find your renewal deadline
One of the most important pieces of properly handling your plumber license renewal is simply knowing when it’s due. The thing is: that might not be so simple.
Some states require you to renew annually, while others space out their renewals over several years. Some locales make plumbers’ licenses expire in line with the original issue date, while others fix a set date for all plumbers. For example, they might require renewal by December 31 each year.
Look into the exact date of your renewal so you don’t miss it. To give you a rough idea of what you’re working with, we listed the amount of time between renewals for several states below:
|
State |
Renewal timeline |
| Alaska | 2 years |
| Florida | 2 years |
| Georgia | 2 years |
| Idaho | 3 years |
| Illinois | Every year |
| Iowa | 3 years |
| Kansas | Requirements vary from municipality to municipality |
| Kentucky | Every year |
| Michigan | Every year |
| Minnesota | 2 years |
| Montana | Every year |
| New Mexico | 3 years |
| Oklahoma | Every year |
| Oregon | 3 years |
| South Dakota | Every year |
| Utah | 2 years |
| Vermont | 2 years |
| Virginia | 3 years |
| Washington | 2 years |
| Wisconsin | 4 years |
Once you figure out your renewal deadline, put it on your calendar. You might also want to set a reminder to go off about a month before that date so you can tackle your continuing education (CE) requirements. In fact, let’s go over that next.
#2: Get your continuing education
This biggest hassle when it comes to plumbing license renewal is the CE piece. Most states require licensed plumbers to get a specific number of CE hours during each renewal cycle. The goal is to keep you informed on the latest state regulations and updates to the overarching guidelines like the International Plumbing Code (IPC).
Good news: a lot of states allow you to take your plumbing CE hours online. With mobile-friendly, on-demand courses, meeting this requirement shouldn’t require you to take any time off work or miss anything else on your calendar.
Find Your State And The Link to the Plumbing CE You Need In The Table Below
| State and Link to Page | CE requirement |
| Alaska Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 8 hours every two years for plumber gas, plumber utility, and mechanical administrator professionals |
| 16 hours every two years for journeyman plumbers | |
| Florida Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 14 hours every two years |
| Georgia Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 8 hours every two years |
| Idaho Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 8 hours every three years for journeyman plumbers |
| 16 hours every three years for plumbing contractors | |
| Illinois Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 4 hours every year |
| Iowa Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 8 hours every three years for single licensees |
| 16 hours every three years for combination mechanical & plumbing licensees | |
| Kansas Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | Requirements vary from municipality to municipality |
| Kentucky Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 6 hours every year |
| Michigan Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 5 hours within a year each time they update the Michigan plumbing code |
| Minnesota Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 16 hours every two years for licensed plumbers |
| 4 hours every two years for licensed water conditioners | |
| 2 hours every two years for unlicensed plumber registrations | |
| Montana Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 4 hours every year |
| New Mexico Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 16 hours every three years |
| Oklahoma Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 6 hours every three years |
| Oregon Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 24 hours every three years |
| South Dakota Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 4 hours every year |
| Utah Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 12 hours every two years |
| Vermont Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 8 hours every two years |
| Virginia Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 3 hours every three years |
| Washington Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 24 hours every two years |
| Wisconsin Plumbing Continuing Education Classes Online | 24 hours every four years |
Note that your CE requirement might not align with your renewal timeline. Michigan and Oklahoma both require annual renewal, for example, but require CE on a less frequent basis.
Beyond that, your state might have specifications about what your CE needs to cover. You might need a certain number of hours on workplace safety or your state’s plumbing code, for example.
Finally, double-check that you’re taking your CE with a state-approved provider. If you don’t, you could take hours that won’t count toward your renewal eligibility.
#3: Submit your renewal application
Once you have the CE hours you need, you’re eligible to submit your renewal paperwork. Exactly what that entails varies from state to state. It might be a simple, single-page form that you mail in, or you might need to complete your renewal through the state’s online portal.
To save yourself some headache, it might help to figure out how, exactly, you’ll need to get your renewal application in now. If your state mails out renewal forms, you’ll want to make sure that they have the proper address on file for you. Or if you have to use an online portal, you might want to set up your username and password in advance so renewal is easy when your deadline approaches.
#4: Pay the fee
Generally, as part of the renewal application, you’ll need to include your state’s plumbing license renewal fee. Fortunately, it’s usually not too pricey. Look into how much you’ll need to pay and the proper way to pay it. Some states will let you pay online with a credit card, while others require a check or money order made out to a certain state agency.
The good news is that once you know the drill, renewing your plumber’s license each time your state requires it should be a breeze. The bad news is that you have to figure out exactly what’s required, and it might vary based on things like where you live or your license level (journeyman vs. master).
Take the time to look into the specifics now and you won’t have a headache trying to sort out last-minute CE or missing paperwork with your deadline right around the corner.