Getting a plumbing license in Colorado is a state-level process, and there is no way around it. Colorado licenses individual plumbers statewide, so a city permit or a local contractor card does not let you work on your own. Here is the actual path, the hours, and the pieces most guides get wrong.
Who runs plumbing licensing in Colorado
The Colorado State Plumbing Board, part of the Division of Professions and Occupations inside the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). Everything official lives here: dpo.colorado.gov/Plumbing. The governing law is the Plumbers Practice Act (C.R.S. Title 12, Article 155), with board rules at 3 CCR 720-1.
Local governments can add their own contractor licensing on top, but under C.R.S. 12-155-121 anyone who gets a local contractor license still has to register with the state board, and a local rule cannot block a state licensee from working.
The license tiers that actually exist
- Plumbing Apprentice (a registration, not a license)
- Residential Plumber
- Journeyworker Plumber (Colorado renamed this from “Journeyman” in 2025)
- Master Plumber
- Plumbing Contractor (a business registration, not an individual license)
Hours and exams by tier
Colorado counts in hours, and the board converts one month of full-time work to 163 hours.
- Residential Plumber: 3,400 hours. Exam through PSI, 70% to pass.
- Journeyworker Plumber: 6,800 hours. PSI exam, 70% to pass.
- Master Plumber: 8,500 hours. PSI exam, 75% to pass.
Two rules trip people up. First, you have to pass the exam before you submit the license application, not after. Second, since 2025 you cannot verify your own experience. A master plumber or signatory authority has to sign your hours off on the board form, broken out by commercial, residential and industrial. Exams are written against the 2021 IPC, IFGC and IRC.
Trade school helps but only so much. An approved two-year vocational or trade program counts hour for hour, capped at one year, and 2,000 hours equals a year. Military training credits one month per six months of training, also capped at one year.
Apprentices
Your employer registers you with the board within 30 days of hire, and has to tell the board within 30 days if you leave. One licensed plumber can supervise no more than three apprentices at the same job site, and direct supervision means the supervisor is at the permit address or no more than five minutes away on the same site. If you have been a registered apprentice for six years, you have to sit for the license exam at least every two years until you pass.
Starting a plumbing business in Colorado
To register as a Plumbing Contractor, the company has to be, or full-time employ, a Master Plumber as its responsible individual. That master can only be responsible for one contractor at a time, and has to notify the board within 15 days of leaving. You also show compliance with Colorado workers compensation and unemployment law.
Here is a rule that catches new Colorado shops off guard. Since June 30, 2025 (C.R.S. 12-155-125), your contractor registration number and your responsible master plumber license number have to appear on your vehicles in at least two spots with lettering at least two inches tall, on your billing materials, on your bid sheets, and on your website, including the contact or about page and any advertising. Changes have to be updated within 90 days, and non-compliance is a disciplinable offense. Build that into your van wrap and your site before you launch, not after.
Continuing education
8 hours a year, with each CE year running March 1 through the end of February. Within any 24-month period at least 4 hours must be code related, and no more than 2 hours can be safety related. Courses have to come from a provider on the board attesting CE provider list, and you keep your records for six years. If you got your first license by exam during the current period, you are exempt until after your first renewal.
Renewals, and the change coming in 2027
Right now licenses run on a two-year cycle and expire on the last day of February in odd-numbered years, so the current cycle ends February 2027. Starting March 1, 2027 the cycle moves to three years. There is a 60-day grace period after expiration. Past that you are into reinstatement, and if you are more than two years expired you have to prove competency again, which can mean retaking the state exam.
Application and renewal fees run roughly $100 to $140 depending on tier per the published DORA licensing guide, plus $30 for an apprentice registration. Fees are set administratively rather than in rule, so confirm the current number on the board site before you send money.
Reciprocity
Colorado does not publish reciprocity agreements with named states. Instead it uses license by endorsement. You need a completed state or federally registered apprenticeship (or the equivalent Colorado experience), a comparable state plumbing exam based on a current or previous adopted code edition, and a currently active state issued license from that other state, held at least six months. City or county licenses do not count, and you still need employer verified experience affidavits.
Colorado plumbing license FAQ
How long does it take to get licensed in Colorado? Roughly two years of documented work for a residential plumber, four for journeyworker, five for master, based on the 3,400, 6,800 and 8,500 hour requirements.
Can I work in Denver on a state license? Yes for the trade license. Permits and inspections still run through either the state board or your local authority, and a local contractor license may apply on top.
Do I need a master plumber to open a shop? Yes. A plumbing contractor registration requires a master plumber as the responsible individual, whether that is you or a full-time employee.
Is journeyman still a thing? Same license, new name. Colorado renamed it Journeyworker Plumber in 2025.
Before you apply
Licensing rules change, sometimes mid-year. Confirm every requirement with the board directly before you pay a fee or schedule an exam. This page is a plain-English summary, not legal advice.
More: our plumbing license guide, the full plumbing license by state index, and how to start a plumbing business once your license is in hand.
