How to get a plumbing license in Alabama: the official requirements
The Journeyman Plumber certificate license, the experience and training it takes, the exam and how to apply, from the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board.
In Alabama, the state plumbing license for individual plumbers is issued by the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board. The Journeyman Plumber certificate from the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, for people who install, repair or replace plumbing systems after meeting the Board's exam requirements. It is an annual certificate you must carry. Apprentice or trainee registration: Register with the Board as an apprentice plumber/gas fitter: apprentices work directly under the supervision of a journeyman or master and hold a current annual certificate. Register with the registration packet, a copy of a valid photo ID and payment. Experience and training: At least two years as a registered apprentice, or a Board-approved apprentice training program combined with registered apprentice time equal to two years; the experience must be current. Two years of apprentice-level experience gained other ways can be submitted with a Board Appearance Request. Licensing exam: The Journeyman Plumber exam: computerized and open book, given by the Board's contractor Prov, and based on the 2021 International Plumbing Code. After the Board approves your application you schedule with Prov. How to apply: Send the Application for Journeyman Examination with the fee to the Board by mail, e-mail or fax. After you pass, you have 90 days to submit the Initial Application for Certificate with your passing score sheet and fees, or you must retest.
Alabama plumbing license requirements
| Requirement | Alabama |
|---|---|
| License you apply for | The Journeyman Plumber certificate from the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, for people who install, repair or replace plumbing systems after meeting the Board's exam requirements. It is an annual certificate you must carry. |
| Apprentice or trainee registration | Register with the Board as an apprentice plumber/gas fitter: apprentices work directly under the supervision of a journeyman or master and hold a current annual certificate. Register with the registration packet, a copy of a valid photo ID and payment. |
| Experience and training | At least two years as a registered apprentice, or a Board-approved apprentice training program combined with registered apprentice time equal to two years; the experience must be current. Two years of apprentice-level experience gained other ways can be submitted with a Board Appearance Request. |
| Classroom hours | Not stated in the official source we read. Check with the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board. |
| Licensing exam | The Journeyman Plumber exam: computerized and open book, given by the Board's contractor Prov, and based on the 2021 International Plumbing Code. After the Board approves your application you schedule with Prov. |
| How to apply | Send the Application for Journeyman Examination with the fee to the Board by mail, e-mail or fax. After you pass, you have 90 days to submit the Initial Application for Certificate with your passing score sheet and fees, or you must retest. |
| Background check | Not stated in the official source we read. Check with the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board. |
| State fees | Journeyman exam: $110.00, non-refundable, paid to the State (no separate Prov testing fee). Certification: $50.00 initial application processing fee plus $75.00 initial journeyman certificate fee. |
| License term | One year; the journeyman plumber certificate is an annual certificate. |
| Continuing education | Continuing education is required for journeyman and master certificate holders, beginning January 1, 2025, unless you qualify for the age exemption (65 or older). |
Where the official source we read does not state something, the table says so rather than guessing. Fees shown are the licensing authority's own. Fees charged by exam vendors, schools, apprenticeship programs, fingerprint vendors and application portals are not included.
This page covers the plumbing license issued by the state. Cities and counties can have their own registration, permit or license rules; ask the local building department where you will work.
How to get licensed in Alabama
- Register with the Board as an apprentice plumber/gas fitter.
- Work at least two years as a registered apprentice under a journeyman or master.
- Send the Application for Journeyman Examination with the $110.00 fee.
- When the Board notifies you that you are eligible, schedule and pass the open-book exam with Prov.
- Within 90 days of passing, submit the Initial Application for Certificate with your score sheet and fees.
Go further
Requirements state by state.
Open →CareerHow to become a plumberThe career path, nationally.
Open →PayPlumber salary in AlabamaWhat plumbers earn.
Open →CareerPlumber career guideThe job, skills and outlook.
Open →ResumePlumber resumeHow to present your hours and licenses.
Open →InterviewPlumber interview questionsWhat hiring managers ask.
Open →Disclosure: TryHired makes HIRED, a paid job-search program, so we have a conflict of interest when we mention it. Everything on this page is free to use without buying anything.
Questions people ask
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How this page is built
Each fact on this page comes from the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board (sources named below), read on the dates shown, with the exact wording we relied on kept on file. Requirements and fees change; the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board's current instructions govern. We re-read each state's sources every six months (next review by May 10, 2027).
- Not legal advice.
- Licensing rules can change. Verify current requirements with the issuing agency.
- Fees shown are the licensing authority's own. Fees charged by exam vendors, schools, apprenticeship programs, fingerprint vendors and application portals are not included.
- This page covers the plumbing license issued by the state. Cities and counties can have their own registration, permit or license rules; ask the local building department where you will work.
- This page covers the individual license named above. Master, contractor, specialty, residential, limited and out-of-state (reciprocity) licenses have their own rules.
- Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, How Do I Become Licensed?, official source, read Nov 9, 2026.
- Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, Exams, official source, read Nov 9, 2026.
- Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, Application for Journeyman Examination with Candidate Information Bulletin (revised 04/2026), official source, read Nov 9, 2026.
- Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, Exam Pass Packet and Initial Application for Certificate - Journeyman (January 2022), official source, read Nov 9, 2026.
- Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, Continuing Education, official source, read Nov 9, 2026.