Plumbing License in Alabama: Requirements & How to Get One

An Alabama plumbing license is a statewide certificate from the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board. You start as a registered apprentice, work two years, pass the journeyman exam, then add one more year and two exams for master. There is no hour log. The state counts years. You renew every year by December 31, and since 2025 you need 4 hours of continuing education each year.

Who licenses plumbers in Alabama

The Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board (PGFB) in Homewood runs it. The law is Code of Alabama Title 34, Chapter 37. The detailed rules sit in Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 720-X.

Under Section 34-37-6, you need a current certificate to contract for, offer, or do plumbing or gas fitting work in Alabama. Every business doing that work also has to register with the Board.

Here’s a big plus. Section 34-37-8 says a Board certificate is accepted by every city, town, and county in the state. No local government can make you take its own competency exam. You still pull local permits and pass local inspections.

Requirements change, so confirm with the Board before you apply. This page is a plain-English guide, not legal advice.

License types

• Apprentice Plumber or Gas Fitter. A registration, not an exam. You work directly under a journeyman or master and carry your current card.
• Journeyman Plumber. Does the actual install, repair, and replacement work.
• Journeyman Gas Fitter. Same idea, for gas piping and appliances.
• Master Plumber. Can plan and supervise work and serve as the Principal Master for a business.
• Master Gas Fitter. The gas side equivalent.
• Medical Gas Piping Fitter. An endorsement. Per the Board, you need a current ASSE 6010 installer certification plus an apprentice, journeyman, or master certificate.
• Business registration. Every company needs one, with a certified master named as Principal Master.

Plumbing and gas are separate in Alabama. Want both? You certify for both.

How to become a plumber in Alabama

The Board’s How Do I Become Licensed page lays out the ladder:

• Register as an apprentice. Send the registration packet, a copy of your photo ID, and payment.
• Get 2 years, then journeyman. You need two years of current work experience as an apprentice, or a Board approved apprentice training program. Then you pass the journeyman exam.
• Experience from somewhere else? If you built your two years another way, file a Board Appearance Request with proof. It goes on the next Board meeting agenda.
• Get 1 more year, then master. You need at least one year as a certified journeyman. Then you pass the master trade exam and the Business and Law exam.
• Register your business. Before you bid or work on your own, register the company and name your Principal Master.

One rule people miss. Section 34-37-6 says your registered business name has to be on two sides of every service or construction vehicle, in letters at least two inches tall.

Alabama does not publish an hours figure. If another site gives you an hours number for Alabama, it didn’t come from the Board.

Exams

Per the Board’s exams page and its current applications, Prov runs the exams. They’re computer based, open book, and timed. You can test at a Prov center or online through Examroom.

• Passing score. 70% on every exam.
• Spanish. Offered for the four trade exams. Business and Law isn’t listed in Spanish.
• Codes. The 2021 International Plumbing Code or the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code.
• Business and Law. Required for every master applicant since January 1, 2026. Study the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, 14th Edition, plus the Alabama Supplement.
• The 90 day rule. After you pass, you have 90 calendar days to get certified or you retest. For master, the clock starts once you pass both exams.
• Retakes. File a retake form and pay the exam fee again.

Renewal

Every certificate and registration expires December 31, every year. Renewal season runs October 1 through December 31. You renew online through the Board’s renewal portal. Renew late and you pay a penalty equal to your renewal fee.

Continuing education. CE became mandatory January 1, 2025, under Rule 720-X-21. Here’s what the rule and the Board’s CE page say:

• Hours. 4 hours a year for every journeyman and master, no matter how many certificates you hold.
• Both trades? 2 hours plumbing and 2 hours gas. Business and compliance courses can count toward either.
• Deadline. Before November 1 each year. For 2027 certificates, that meant November 1, 2026.
• Details. One hour means at least 50 minutes. No rollover. You can’t repeat a course in the same earning period.
• Miss it? You need a deficiency plan and pay a $100 deficiency fee.
• Exemptions. Age 65 and up (with the Board’s form), your first year in a certificate that requires CE, and inactive status. Going from journeyman to master doesn’t count as a first year.

Your CE provider uploads your hours, not you. The Board offers free code review classes worth 2 hours. Apprentices have no CE rule listed.

Cost

These come from the Board’s fee schedule in Rule 720-X-4-.01, effective for 2026:

• Apprentice registration or renewal: $35.
• Journeyman: $110 exam, $50 application processing, $75 certificate, $75 yearly renewal.
• Master: $160 trade exam, $100 Business and Law exam, $50 application processing, $175 certificate, $175 yearly renewal.
• Business registration or renewal: $25.
• Medical gas endorsement renewal: $25.
• Inactive status: $0.
• Late renewal: equal to the renewal fee.
• Prov extras: $80 exam review, $25 hand score.

Fines start at $500 for non gas violations and $1,000 for gas violations. State law caps them at $2,000 per violation.

Bond and insurance. The old state master plumber bond law, Section 34-37-13, was repealed in 2015. The Board doesn’t publish a bond or insurance rule for certificate holders. But its consumer page tells homeowners to check that you carry workers’ comp, property damage, and liability coverage. So carry it.

General contractor license. That’s a separate board. The Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors requires a license on jobs of $100,000 or more, including subs. That threshold went up from $50,000 on October 1, 2024.

Reciprocity

Section 34-37-11 lets the Board sign reciprocal agreements. The Board’s reciprocation page lists these:

• Mississippi. A Mississippi Board of Contractors license can lead to an Alabama Master Plumber certificate. The Board says this took effect January 1, 2026.
• Alabama LP Gas Board. An in-state swap for Master Gas Fitter, both ways. If you’re coming from the LP Gas side, the rule asks for an LP Service Technician endorsement held at least three years.

The Board’s out-of-state page says it has no other active state agreements. Licensed somewhere else? You can sit for the equivalent Alabama exam. Your license must come from an exam with at least a 70% score, be active and in good standing, and get verified by your state.

See our plumbing license reciprocity guide for how other states handle it.

How to apply

• Get the right form. Use the journeyman or master application from the Board’s forms page. Don’t use the journeyman form for master.
• Pay. Attach a credit card or e-check authorization form, or pay by check or money order.
• Submit. Email staff@pgfb.alabama.gov or fax (205) 945-9915.
• Schedule. Once the Board sends your eligibility notice, book with Prov.
• Pass, then certify. Send the pass packet and fees within 90 days.
• Questions? Call the Board at (205) 945-4857.

FAQ

How many hours do I need for an Alabama plumbing license?

None. Alabama counts years: two as an apprentice for journeyman, then one as a journeyman for master.

How much CE do Alabama plumbers need?

4 hours a year for journeymen and masters, due before November 1. Hold both plumbing and gas? Split it 2 and 2.

Can my city make me take its own plumbing exam?

No. State law says every city and county must accept the Board certificate. You still need local permits and inspections.

Can I use my Mississippi license in Alabama?

Possibly, for Master Plumber. Fill out the Board’s Mississippi Reciprocal Request Form and follow its steps.

Next steps

Register as an apprentice and start your two years. To compare Alabama with other states, see our plumbing license by state page, the full plumbing license guide, plumbing license cost by state, and plumbing license renewal by state. Working near the line? Check the Mississippi plumbing license and Georgia plumbing license pages too. When you’re ready to run your own shop, read how to start a plumbing business.