Oregon licenses plumbers at the state level, and the thing that catches most people out is that there are three separate credentials involved, run by two different agencies. Get that straight first and the rest is simple.
Here is how Oregon actually works.
Who runs plumbing licensing in Oregon
Your individual plumber license comes from the State Plumbing Board, which sits inside the Department of Consumer and Business Services and is administered by the Building Codes Division (BCD).
Start here: Oregon Building Codes Division licensing
The three pieces:
- Your personal license (Journeyman Plumber) from BCD
- Your business license (Plumbing Business, or PB) also from BCD
- A Construction Contractors Board license from the CCB, a separate agency
BCD’s own rules require anyone registered with BCD as a contractor to keep an active CCB license. So a plumbing company needs both. Missing the CCB piece is the single most common Oregon mistake.
CCB: Oregon Construction Contractors Board
There is no master plumber in Oregon
Worth saying plainly, because plenty of sites get this wrong. Oregon does not issue a master plumber license. The top individual trade credential is Journeyman Plumber.
BCD issues these individual licenses:
- Journeyman Plumber (JP), the full-scope license
- Water-Treatment Installer (WTI), a limited specialty
- Residential Water-Heater Installer (WHI), a limited specialty
- Solar Heating and Cooling System Installer (STL), a limited specialty
Apprentices are not licensed by BCD at all. Oregon apprentices register through the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) apprenticeship program under ORS 660, and may only work under a licensed journeyman.
Becoming a journeyman plumber
Three routes:
- Certificate of completion from a registered 4-year apprenticeship program, or a referral letter from the training committee or a Plumbing Board approved program
- 576 hours of plumbing classroom training, plus 3,850 hours commercial and 3,850 hours residential on-the-job experience
- 7,700 hours commercial and 7,700 hours residential experience earned while holding a similar out-of-state license
You also need a high school diploma, GED or equivalent, and experience verification from every employer. BCD counts a maximum of 2,000 hours per year toward the total.
The exam is administered by BCD itself, not PSI or Prov. It is 4 hours, 64 questions, open book, and you need 75% or better to pass. You take it within 60 days of your Letter of Authorization, and you wait 30 days after a failure before retaking. Test sites include Portland, Salem, Eugene, Bend, Medford area, Roseburg, Klamath Falls, Pendleton, Hermiston and Ontario.
Fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Journeyman Plumber application | $100 |
| Specialty application (WTI, WHI, STL) | $100 each |
| Plumbing Business (PB) license | $150 |
| CCB application or renewal | $400 |
| CCB exam (paid to the provider) | $60 |
BCD does not publish a flat journeyman renewal figure. It varies and is stated on the renewal notice they mail you, so do not budget off a number you read somewhere else.
Bond and insurance
Individual plumber licenses require no bond and no insurance. That is stated directly on the state license directory for JP, WTI, WHI and STL.
Bonding and insurance attach at the CCB level, and the amounts depend on which endorsement your business takes. A residential specialty contractor, for example, carries a different bond and liability minimum than a commercial general contractor. Because plumbing companies land in different endorsements, there is no single correct number. Check the CCB page for the endorsement you are applying under.
Workers’ compensation is required if you have employees.
Continuing education
Journeyman plumbers need 24 hours of continuing education per three-year license cycle. The solar specialty needs 8. WTI and WHI are exempt.
A portion of those hours must be code-change courses, and BCD is explicit that you have not met the requirement without the correct code-change credits. The Oregon Rule and Law course is 4 hours and its content is set by the Plumbing Board. Check the current breakdown on BCD’s plumbing CE page before you book classes, since the split matters for renewal.
Renewal
Individual plumber licenses renew every three years on April 1. BCD contractor and business licenses renew every three years on July 1. CCB is a separate two-year cycle.
Your CE has to be registered in BCD’s system before you can renew. Miss the date and the license goes “expired-renewable,” and you cannot work under it until you fix it. Let it lapse more than a year and you have to retest.
Reciprocity
Oregon reciprocates journeyman plumber licenses with exactly two states: Idaho and Montana. Nothing else.
Even then, BCD only accepts a reciprocal license from a reciprocating state in which you actually tested. There is a dedicated reciprocal application form.
Oregon reciprocal licensing page
What changed recently
Two 2025 bills touch plumbing work without changing licensing. HB 2688 expanded the prevailing wage definition of public works to expressly include plumbing systems, which affects wages on public jobs. HB 3505, effective January 1, 2026, stops cities from raising system development charges solely because of a residential fire sprinkler system or the larger meter serving it.
On the code side, the 2026 Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code is anticipated for adoption October 1, 2026, based on the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code. That is a code change rather than a licensing change, but it will drive the next round of code-change CE.
Common questions
Do I need a master plumber license in Oregon?
No such license exists here. Journeyman is the top individual trade license.
Do I need both a BCD and a CCB license?
To run a plumbing business, yes. BCD rules require registered contractors to hold an active CCB license.
Who registers apprentices?
BOLI, not BCD.
Can I work on commercial buildings without a license?
No. Oregon’s exemptions are narrow, and only a journeyman or apprentice may install, remodel or alter plumbing in a commercial or industrial building.
Requirements change. Confirm anything here with BCD or the CCB before you apply. This is general information, not legal advice.
Next steps
New to all of this? Start with how to start a plumbing business for the licensing, insurance and setup sequence, or read the plumbing license guide for how tiers work across the country.
Licensing in another state? See the full plumbing license by state index.
