Yes, Michigan licenses plumbers at the state level. A plumbing license in Michigan comes from the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) through its Bureau of Construction Codes, and it’s good statewide. You start as a registered apprentice, then move up to Journey Plumber and Master Plumber, and a business needs a separate Plumbing Contractor license.
Who issues the license
The LARA Bureau of Construction Codes Licensing Section handles apprentice registrations, applications, and licenses. The State Plumbing Board recommends plumbing rules to the State Construction Code Commission.
The rules come from the Skilled Trades Regulation Act, 2016 PA 407, Article 11 (MCL 339.6101 to 339.6133). Cities and townships can’t run their own plumber licensing.
Minor repairs, like clearing a stoppage or swapping a faucet, don’t need a license, and a homeowner can do plumbing in their own single-family home with a permit.
Requirements change, so always confirm with the LARA Bureau of Construction Codes before you apply. This page is a plain-English guide, not legal advice.
License types
- Apprentice Plumber (registration). You register within 30 days of starting work. You learn and assist under the direct, on-site, in-person supervision of a journey or master plumber. Since April 2, 2025, the jobsite ratio is 1 journey or master to no more than 2 apprentices.
- Journey Plumber. Can do the practical installation of plumbing. Only licensed journey and master plumbers can perform plumbing in Michigan.
- Master Plumber. Qualified to plan and supervise plumbing installations, and in charge of code compliance. A master can represent only 1 plumbing contractor at a time.
- Plumbing Contractor. The business license. Permits are only issued to licensed plumbing contractors, and every contractor needs a licensed master plumber, either the owner or a full-time employee, as its representative.
How to become a plumber in Michigan
The clock only runs while you’re properly registered or licensed. Here’s the path:
- Step 1: Register as an apprentice. File the apprentice registration form within 30 days of being hired and pay $15. Renew it every year. Lapsed time doesn’t count toward journey hours.
- Step 2: Journey Plumber. Be at least 18 and log at least 6,000 hours over at least 3 years as a registered apprentice. You prove it with notarized employer letters. Then pass both a written exam and a hands-on practical exam on the same application.
- Step 3: Master Plumber. Get 4,000 hours as a licensed journey plumber over at least 2 years immediately before you apply, then pass the master exam. Any lapse in your journey license during those 2 years breaks the requirement, so keep it renewed.
- Step 4: Plumbing Contractor (optional). Hold a master license, or employ a master as your representative. Only a sole proprietor, partner, corporate officer, or LLC member can apply. Then pass the contractor exam.
Watch the 5-year rule. An apprentice registration goes invalid 5 years after you first register unless you apply for and take the journey exam. The board can grant extensions. Veterans with documented military plumbing experience have a separate route, so ask LARA.
Exams
PSI runs the written exams. Once LARA approves you, schedule online or call PSI at 855-579-4635. Per the PSI candidate bulletin effective April 29, 2026:
- Journey Plumber. 125 questions, 180 minutes, 75% to pass. It’s open book with the 2021 Michigan Plumbing Code (chapter tabs only), the State Construction Code Act, and the Skilled Trades Regulation Act. Testing center only, no online option.
- Journey practical. A separate hands-on skills exam. Email your name and requested date to LARA, at least 30 days before the exam. Sessions are held in Lansing, Mason, Cadillac, and St. Ignace, and they fill up.
- Master Plumber. 130 questions, 180 minutes, 75% to pass, open book with the code book. It includes a material takeoff for back-to-back restrooms.
- Plumbing Contractor. 50 questions, 120 minutes, 75% to pass, on the Skilled Trades Regulation Act, the State Construction Code Act, and code enforcement procedures.
Master and contractor exams can be taken remotely from home or at a PSI center. If you fail, you can retest as many times as you need, but you pay the exam fee each time. Applications are good for one year, and passing scores don’t carry over.
Renewal
Everything renews by April 30, and you can start renewing 90 days early through LARA’s online system or Express Pay:
- Apprentice: every year.
- Journey Plumber: every year.
- Master Plumber and Plumbing Contractor: every 3 years. If you hold both, you renew with the contractor number and only pay the contractor fee.
There’s no yearly CE hour count for journey or master plumbers. Instead, the law requires a board-approved code update course within 12 months after Michigan adopts a new or changed plumbing code. That doesn’t happen every year. Contractors and apprentices don’t take code update courses for those licenses. Keep your certificate in case you’re audited.
Miss April 30 and you can still renew within 60 days with a late fee. If you’re expired up to 3 years you can get relicensed without retesting by paying the fees for the missed years. Past 3 years, you have to meet the experience rules and test again.
Cost
Here are the fees set in MCL 339.6121 and listed on LARA’s forms and renewal page:
- Apprentice registration: $15 to register, $15 a year to renew, $20 late fee.
- Journey Plumber: $100 exam fee paid to PSI, $40 license fee paid with your application, then $40 a year to renew.
- Master Plumber: $100 exam fee, then $300 for the 3-year license and $300 every 3 years to renew. If you get licensed mid-cycle, the first fee is prorated.
- Plumbing Contractor: $100 exam fee, $300 license fee due with the application, $300 every 3 years to renew.
- Late fees: $100 for master and contractor licenses. For journey plumbers, LARA’s renewal page says $100, but the statute lists a $50 relicensure fee, so check your renewal notice.
- Other: $30 to replace a lost license, and up to $15 for a contractor to register with a local enforcing agency.
Application and exam fees aren’t refundable. LARA’s plumbing pages don’t list a fingerprint fee, and Article 11 doesn’t set a bond or insurance amount, but check local permit rules. Michigan waives initial license and application fees for active military, veterans, and their dependents with proof.
Reciprocity
LARA doesn’t publish any plumbing reciprocity agreements with other states. If you’re licensed somewhere else, plan on applying and passing the Michigan exams like anyone else.
There are two narrow exceptions in the law. Military members, veterans, and their dependents who’ve held a plumbing license in good standing in another state for at least 1 year, with substantially equivalent requirements, can get licensed without the exam through the Military Examination Waiver Procedure. The department may also grant a nonrenewable temporary license to someone who holds a current out-of-state license while they apply. Call the Licensing Section at 517-241-9316. See our plumbing license reciprocity by state guide to compare.
How to apply
- Use the right form. Apprentices use the plumbing apprentice registration form. Journey applicants use the journey exam application plus the experience statement. Master and contractor applicants use the plumbing exam application. All are on the LARA plumbing licensing page.
- Apply online or by mail. You can apply and renew through LARA’s Accela system. Paper applications with payment go to P.O. Box 30255, Lansing, MI 48909.
- Send it once. Processing can take 3 to 5 weeks.
- Schedule both exams fast. Book the PSI written test and email for a practical seat as soon as you’re approved, since you have one year to finish.
FAQ
How long does it take to get a plumbing license in Michigan?
At least 3 years and 6,000 hours as a registered apprentice for journey. Master takes at least 2 more years and 4,000 hours as a journey plumber, so about 5 years minimum.
How much does a Michigan plumbing license cost?
A journey plumber pays $100 for the exam and $40 for the license, then $40 a year. A master pays $100 for the exam and $300 for a 3-year license.
Do Michigan plumbers need continuing education?
Not a yearly hour count. Journey and master plumbers take a board-approved code update course within 12 months after Michigan adopts a new plumbing code.
Can I transfer my Ohio or Indiana plumbing license to Michigan?
Not through a published agreement. You’ll likely need to sit the Michigan exams, unless you qualify for the military exam waiver.
Next steps
Starting out? Register as an apprentice within 30 days of getting hired. To compare Michigan with other states, see our plumbing license by state page, the full plumbing license guide, and plumbing license cost by state. Working near the border? Check the Ohio plumbing license page too. Ready to get your contractor license and run your own shop? Read how to start a plumbing business.
