Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from Indiana's official board.
The fees here are among the lowest in the country, $10 to register as an apprentice and $30 for the journeyman application, so cost is not the barrier in Indiana. The four years is. And the seven attempts in two years means a first failure is genuinely recoverable.
| Requirements | PLUMBING IS THE ONE BUILDING TRADE INDIANA LICENSES AT STATE LEVEL, through the Plumbing Commission at the Professional Licensing Agency, and it is unlawful to act as a plumbing contractor or journeyman plumber without that license. APPRENTICE. Be at least 17 years old and REGISTERED IN AN APPROVED PROGRAM. Registration fee $10. JOURNEYMAN. At least FOUR YEARS in an apprenticeship program, or licensure as a plumber in another state. Application fee $30. PLUMBING CONTRACTOR. Four years in an apprenticeship program, OR licensure as a plumber in another state, OR four years in the plumbing business under the direction of a licensed plumbing contractor, that third route is the useful one, because it counts documented trade time that was not served inside a formal apprenticeship. Application fee $50. EXAMINATION. A candidate may sit the test up to SEVEN TIMES within a two-year period, which is an unusually generous allowance and worth knowing before paying for an expensive prep course. |
| Reciprocity | Indiana writes an out-of-state license directly into its own eligibility rules: being 'a licensed plumber in another state' is one of the accepted qualifying routes for both the journeyman and the contractor license, rather than a separate reciprocity agreement. The Indiana examination still applies; what transfers is the experience qualification. |
| Renewal | Apprentice registrations expire on 1 OCTOBER of every EVEN year, renewal fee $10.00. Journeyman plumber licenses expire on 31 DECEMBER of every ODD year, renewal fee $30.00. The two cycles are deliberately offset, so a plumber moving from apprentice to journeyman changes renewal dates as well as licenses. |
| Notes | The fees here are among the lowest in the country, $10 to register as an apprentice and $30 for the journeyman application, so cost is not the barrier in Indiana. The four years is. And the seven attempts in two years means a first failure is genuinely recoverable. |
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Sources: www.in.gov, www.in.gov, www.in.gov, www.in.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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