Plumber License Requirements in Rhode Island
- Training hours
- 8576 hrs
- Upfront cost
- $147
- Exam
- Journeyperson Plumber Examination
- Renewal cycle
- Every 1 year
- Issuing board
- Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT), Division of Workforce Regulation and Safety, Professional Regulation Unit — State Board of Plumbing Examiners
How to get licensed
- 1
Meet the prerequisites
Meet the eligibility requirements set by the issuing board. No minimum age is stated in the Board's rules or application materials. Applicants must prove US citizenship or legal residency (birth certificate/naturalization proof, or lawful-employment eligibility documentation for non-citizens) and submit a recent ID photo, but no criminal background check is described in the rules or the application packet. [1]
- 2
Complete approved training
Complete 8576 hours of training. Current standard (apprentices registered 1/1/1999 to present): 8,000 hours of on-the-job training as a registered apprentice plumber employed by a licensed master plumber over a 5-year period, plus 576 hours of related classroom instruction at a training program recognized by DLT (576 + 8,000 = 8,576 hours, recorded here). Alternatively, an applicant can qualify via a 2-academic-year (or associate degree) plumbing/sanitary-engineering program plus 2 years registered as an apprentice plumber employed by a licensed master plumber — so approvedProgramRequired is false since the academic-plus-shorter-apprenticeship path doesn't require the full 576-hour DLT-recognized instruction track. Hour requirements differed for apprentices registered before 1999 (see 21 RICR-... Rules and Regulations for the Licensing of Plumbers, Irrigators, Part II Section 3.3-3.7 for historical tiers). [1]
- 3
Journeyperson Plumber Examination
Pass the Journeyperson Plumber Examination (fee: $75). 50 multiple-choice questions based on the Rhode Island Edition of the BOCA International Plumbing Code (2006) and the Rhode Island Edition of State Building Code SBC-3 (plumbing code effective July 1, 2013); covers terminology/calculations, materials, joints/connections, traps/cleanouts, fixtures, hangers/supports, indirect waste piping, water distribution, sanitary drainage, vents/venting, cross-connections, storm drains, and inspecting/testing The $75 fee is a non-refundable application/processing fee that covers the exam; it is separate from the license fee paid after passing (see fees). A Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship from the DLT Apprenticeship Office is required to sit for the Journeyperson exam. [2]
- 4
Submit your application
Submit your application to Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT), Division of Workforce Regulation and Safety, Professional Regulation Unit — State Board of Plumbing Examiners. [2]
- 5
Receive your license
Once your application is approved, Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT), Division of Workforce Regulation and Safety, Professional Regulation Unit — State Board of Plumbing Examiners issues your Journeyperson Plumber License for Rhode Island.
Fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee [2] | None specified |
| License fee [2] | $72 |
| Renewal fee [2] | $72 |
| Journeyperson Plumber Examination [2] | $75 |
| Master Plumber application + license (same $75 application fee) [2] | $240 |
| Contractor Master license [2] | $240 |
No separate state application fee beyond the $75 exam/application fee already recorded on the exam entry; DLT's official fee sheet labels the $72 figure a "2 Year License Fee," invoiced once an applicant scores 70 or higher on the exam. This appears to conflict with the Board's 2002 Rules and Regulations (Section 7), which describe annual renewal on the licensee's birth month rather than a 2-year cycle — see the renewal entry's notes for that discrepancy. $72 is used here as both the license and renewal fee since no separate renewal-fee figure was published.
Renewal & continuing education
Renew every 1 year.
The Board's Rules and Regulations for the Licensing of Plumbers, Irrigators (RIGL 5-20), Section 7.1-7.3, state licenses "expire annually on the last day of the applicant's birth month" and must be renewed annually with the renewal fee. A delinquent renewal is assessed $12/month for up to 2 years, after which the license is forfeited and can only be restored by retesting. This is recorded here as cycleYears=1 per the formal rules text, even though DLT's separate fee-schedule form labels the $72 figure a "2 Year License Fee" — that apparent inconsistency between the two official DLT documents could not be resolved during this research and is flagged rather than silently resolved. No continuing-education requirement is stated in the rules, so ceHours is null.
Reciprocity
Endorsement/reciprocity from another state is available.
A plumber duly licensed by examination in another state may be issued an RI license if that state's requirements are the same as Rhode Island's for the equivalent classification, and the applicant submits a copy of their current out-of-state license, an attestation of licensure status from the issuing state's plumbing board, and an affidavit of having passed a written exam in that state for the classification sought — but the applicant must still pass a Rhode Island written exam in that classification (Section 6.0, "Out-Of-State Licensed Plumbers"); this is not a full exam waiver. No interstate compact covers plumbing licensure.
Cost calculator
- $72
- $75
Frequently asked questions
How much apprenticeship experience does Rhode Island require for a Journeyperson Plumber license?
For apprentices registered since January 1, 1999: 8,000 hours of on-the-job training over a 5-year apprenticeship under a licensed master plumber, plus 576 hours of DLT-recognized classroom instruction. A 2-year academic plumbing/sanitary-engineering program plus 2 years of registered apprentice employment is an alternate path.
Who administers the Rhode Island Journeyperson Plumber exam, and what does it cost?
The State Board of Plumbing Examiners administers its own 50-question multiple-choice exam (based on the RI editions of the BOCA International Plumbing Code and State Building Code SBC-3), given at least 3 times a year. The application/exam fee is $75, non-refundable.
What does a Journeyperson Plumber license cost after passing the exam?
$72, invoiced once you score 70 or higher on the exam (DLT's fee sheet calls this a "2 Year License Fee," though the Board's own 2002 rules describe annual renewal on the licensee's birth month — this research could not resolve that discrepancy between DLT's documents).
Can I transfer my out-of-state plumbing license to Rhode Island?
Not without testing. Rhode Island will consider your out-of-state license and exam history as part of your application, but you must still pass Rhode Island's own written exam for the classification you're seeking (journeyperson or master).
How often do Rhode Island plumbing licenses need to be renewed?
Per the Board's rules, annually, expiring on the last day of the licensee's birth month. A late renewal is charged $12/month for up to 2 years before the license is forfeited outright and must be re-earned by retesting.
Sources
- [1] risos-apa-production-public.s3.amazonaws.com/DLT/DLT_2150_.pdf — accessed 2026-07-12
- [2] web.archive.org/web/20250803141113/https://dlt.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur571/files/documents/pdf/wrs/ApplicationPlumbersIrrigators.pdf — accessed 2026-07-12