Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from Washington's official board.
Washington is one of the few states where the plumbing and electrical programs sit in the same agency but have opposite continuing-education rules: someone holding both certificates renews one with 24 hours of class and the other with none. Two further Washington specifics worth planning for: the trainee registration is what makes supervised hours countable, so register before starting the time; and the MEDICAL GAS PIPING endorsement is a separate credential with its own requirements, not something the base journey level certificate carries.
| Requirements | RESIDENTIAL SPECIALTY (PL02): three years or more of work in the specialty, being AT LEAST 6,000 HOURS, under the supervision of a certified residential or journey level plumber. JOURNEY LEVEL (PL01) is the unrestricted certificate and carries the higher hour requirement; the trainee registration is the mechanism that makes the hours countable, so registering before starting the time matters as much as the time itself. The program is governed by chapter 18.106 RCW and chapter 296-200A WAC. FEE: the certification fee for Journey Level, Residential and Residential Service plumbers is $242.70. |
| Reciprocity | L&I publishes no standing plumber reciprocity list. An out-of-state plumber applies to the program, which assesses the supervised hours against the Washington requirement. |
| Renewal | PLUMBERS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO COMPLETE CONTINUING EDUCATION to renew a plumber certification in Washington, a genuine difference from the electrical program in the same agency, which requires 24 hours including 8 of code update and 4 of RCW/WAC review. Specific ENDORSEMENTS can carry their own requirements, so check the endorsement rather than assuming the base rule covers it. Certifications renew with L&I on the program's published cycle. |
| Notes | Washington is one of the few states where the plumbing and electrical programs sit in the same agency but have opposite continuing-education rules: someone holding both certificates renews one with 24 hours of class and the other with none. Two further Washington specifics worth planning for: the trainee registration is what makes supervised hours countable, so register before starting the time; and the MEDICAL GAS PIPING endorsement is a separate credential with its own requirements, not something the base journey level certificate carries. |
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Sources: www.lni.wa.gov, www.lni.wa.gov, www.lni.wa.gov, app.leg.wa.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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