Kansas has no statewide plumbing license. No state agency issues one. Licensing is handled entirely by cities and counties.
But that does not mean Kansas is unregulated, and this is where most guides go wrong in the other direction. State statute sets binding minimum standards that every Kansas jurisdiction licensing plumbers has to follow: which exams count, the passing score, minimum experience years, and continuing education floors. So there is a statewide framework with local administration.
Here is how it works.
The proof there is no state license
Three independent official confirmations:
- The Kansas Legislative Research Department Briefing Book 2026 states plainly that “plumbers and electricians are licensed locally”
- The Kansas Business Center official licensing lookup lists the issuing authority for “Plumbing” as “City Clerk or County Clerk”, with no state agency. Compare that to Roofing Contractor, which routes to the Attorney General, or Water Well Contractor, which routes to KDHE
- K.S.A. 12-1509(a) is permissive, not mandatory: “Any county or city requiring the licensure of plumbers practicing within the county or city may conduct examinations…”
Kansas Business Center license lookup
The state rules that DO bind every jurisdiction
This is the part worth knowing, because it means the requirements are more consistent across Kansas than “no state license” would suggest.
K.S.A. 12-1508 designates the acceptable exams: ICC, IAPMO, or Prometric, as in effect July 1, 2008.
K.S.A. 12-1509 sets, for any city or county that licenses plumbers:
- Minimum passing score of 75 percent, and the local body may not ask questions outside the designated exam
- Continuing education: 12 hours biennially or 6 hours annually, of which 6 biennial or 3 annual must be code education. Jurisdictions may not cap the number of CE providers
- Journeyman: 2 years field experience. No more than 1 year may be trade schooling, and schooling means a minimum 930 program hours with a certificate of completion
- Master: a valid journeyman certificate for 2 years, or 4 years field experience
- Medical gas piping: the installer must be licensed under 12-1508 and certified to ASSE Series 6000, with a third-party ASSE-6000-certified inspector
K.S.A. 12-1510 lets a jurisdiction use alternative exams, but a license granted on a non-designated exam is valid only inside that jurisdiction unless a reciprocal agreement exists.
Also relevant: Kansas Attorney General Opinion 1999-42 held that a city may not use home rule power to require licensure requirements beyond these statutes.
The jurisdictions that matter
Wichita and Sedgwick County (MABCD)
One department covers unincorporated Sedgwick County, Wichita, and contracted small cities.
Sedgwick County MABCD trade certificates
- Journeyman Plumber: 1 year field plus 1 year plumbing trade school, or 2 years field. Then 75 percent or better on ICC K9R Plumbing with Gas or 560 Journeyman Plumber with Gas, or an IAPMO exam
- Master Plumber: be a plumbing journeyman plus 2 years field experience as journeyman, or 4 years field. Then 75 percent on ICC K9F Master Plumber with Gas or 557 Master Plumber with Gas, or IAPMO
- Trade certificate $35, good 2 years, 12 CEUs per 2-year cycle (3 trade-specific plus 3 general each year)
- MABCD does not reciprocate with state testing or with other jurisdictions. Their approved exam list is the only route
- Contractor licensing: plumbing trade contractor licenses expire December 31 of every odd year. Requires $300,000+ general liability with MABCD as certificate holder, workers’ comp and auto certs or notarized waivers, and a Kansas Secretary of State certificate of good standing
Johnson County
A county license, required across the cities in the county.
Johnson County contractor licensing
- Class “DP” Plumbing Contractor. Classes A, B and C explicitly do not authorize plumbing work
- Exam: ICC 557 / KGF Master Plumbing with Gas at 75 percent, or a qualifying accredited BS degree in architecture, construction science or relevant engineering
- Fees: $100 application plus $225 license; $225 renewal; $75 late fee from February 1
- All licenses end December 31 regardless of issue date
- CE: minimum 8 hours per license classification per calendar year
Topeka
City of Topeka contractor information
- Master and journeyman applicants need 75 percent from Block, NIA-Block, Experior, Thomson-Prometric or Prometric, plus a notarized “time in trade” form
- Apprentices must also be licensed, plumbing supervision runs a 1:1 work ratio, and apprentices may not be left alone on site
- A separate backflow license application exists
- Renew annually by December 14. Trade contractors’ designated master or journeyman needs 6 hours CE per year, 3 in-trade
- $50 non-refundable trade board review fee to sit the exam, $20 re-test fee. No prorated fees, no refunds
Note: Topeka moved from topeka.org to topeka.gov. Old links redirect.
Lawrence
Lawrence City Code Chapter V, Article 17
- Tiers: Master Plumber, Journeyman Plumber, plus a Class E Contractor license for the business
- Master: 4 years practical field experience or 2 years as journeyman. Journeyman: 2 years. An engineering degree substitutes for 2.5 years, accredited voc-tech graduation for 1 year
- 75 percent passing, $50 exam application, $50 per re-exam
- Master and journeyman fees: $20 initial, $10 renewal
- CE: 6 hours per calendar year
- Renew by December 31. Late until the last working day of January at double the fee, after which the certificate is void
- Apprentice supervision: maximum 2 apprentices per licensed person
- Violations carry a fine up to $500 and up to 3 months imprisonment, each day a separate offense
Kansas City, Kansas / Wyandotte County
The Unified Government requires a city occupational tax license for contractors and states that “trade masters are required to carry a master’s license with Building Inspections,” with Prometric as the named testing pathway. A plumber’s bond form exists.
Beyond that, the UG’s published page is thin. We could not verify tiers, experience years, exam IDs, fees, CE or renewal cycle from an official source, so we are not printing numbers for Wyandotte. Contact Building Inspection directly.
Reciprocity within Kansas
Mixed, and this is the most misstated point about Kansas.
Statutory portability exists. K.S.A. 12-1509(b) says a certificate of competency from passing a designated exam, plus meeting the experience requirements, “shall be valid proof of competency for licensure, without additional examination, in any county or city of the state which requires licensure of plumbers.”
But it is not universal. K.S.A. 12-1510 permits alternative exams whose licenses are valid only locally. And at least one major jurisdiction opts out in practice: Sedgwick County MABCD states flatly that it does not reciprocate with state testing or with other jurisdictions.
The honest framing: a certificate of competency earned on an ICC, IAPMO or Prometric standard exam is recognized statewide for competency purposes, but you still apply and get licensed separately in each city or county, file insurance in each, and some jurisdictions accept only their own approved exam list.
What about state agencies?
- KDHE licenses water well contractors, not plumbers
- The Attorney General registers roofing contractors, not plumbers. That one matters only if your plumbing business also does roofing, which requires AG registration under the Kansas Roofing Registration Act
- State Fire Marshal: we found no evidence of a plumbing role, though we could not read their license pages directly, so treat that as probable rather than certain
- Statewide backflow tester certification: we could not confirm one exists. Backflow licensing appears to be local. Do not assume a state credential
- Kansas Mechanical Trades Review Board: referenced by Lawrence and Sedgwick County as a CE-approval body, but we found no official state page establishing statutory authority. It is not a state licensing board
Recent changes
- K.S.A. 12-1509 was last amended in 2014. No amendment since, and no 2025 or 2026 bill creating a statewide plumbing license
- HB 2424 (2026) would establish a pump installation contractor license under the KDHE water well statutes. As of August 2026 it was reported favorably from House Committee on Water in January and has not passed the House. It affects well and pump work, not general plumbing
- 2025 SB 30, an occupational licensing oversight reform, was adopted by the House but not taken up by the Senate. It did not become law
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a license to do plumbing in Kansas?
Not from the state, because there isn’t one. From your city or county, almost certainly yes if they license plumbers. Check the city clerk or county clerk.
Is a Wichita license good in Johnson County?
Not automatically. The statute transfers proof of competency, not the license. You apply separately in each jurisdiction, and Sedgwick County in particular does not accept outside credentials.
How many years to become a master plumber in Kansas?
The statutory floor is 2 years as journeyman or 4 years field experience. Your city may state it differently, so read both the statute and the local ordinance.
Which exam should I take?
The ICC Master Plumbing with Gas exam (557 / K9F / KGF) shows up across Sedgwick County, Johnson County and others, so it is the most portable single credential in the state. Confirm with your jurisdiction first.
Before you apply
Kansas rewards planning ahead. Because the statute sets the exam list and the 75 percent floor statewide, passing a designated ICC or IAPMO exam once is usually the highest-leverage thing you can do. The licensing itself still has to be repeated in every jurisdiction you work in.
Requirements, fees and local ordinances change. Confirm with the city or county where you will actually be working before relying on any figure here. This is not legal advice.
