How to get a plumbing license in Alaska: the official requirements
The Plumber Journeyman Certificate of Fitness license, the experience and training it takes, the exam and how to apply, from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection Section.
In Alaska, the state plumbing license for individual plumbers is issued by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection Section. The Plumber Journeyman Certificate of Fitness (COF), issued by the Mechanical Inspection section of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Alaska has no master plumber license; the journeyman COF allows work covered by the code. Apprentice or trainee registration: Start with a Plumber Trainee certificate of fitness: find an employer to sponsor you in the federal Registered Apprenticeship Program and send the Davis Bacon Letter from RAPIDS with your Trainee Application. The trainee certificate lets you do code work under the direct supervision of a journey-level worker and is issued for six years. Experience and training: 8,000 hours of qualifying, documented work experience, worked for a contractor with valid credentials, on code work, under the direct supervision of a journey-level tradesperson; maintenance work does not count. Vocational or military hours may cover up to half (4,000 hours). Your employer records hours on Experience Verification Forms. Licensing exam: An examination scheduled by the Section once it validates your application packet; a score of 70% or more lets the Section issue your journey-level certificate. How to apply: Send the Electrical and Plumbing Certificate of Fitness Application, marked Plumber Journeyman, with your Experience Verification Forms, by email to MI@ALASKA.GOV or by mail to Mechanical Inspection in Anchorage. Incomplete applications are rejected.
Alaska plumbing license requirements
| Requirement | Alaska |
|---|---|
| License you apply for | The Plumber Journeyman Certificate of Fitness (COF), issued by the Mechanical Inspection section of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Alaska has no master plumber license; the journeyman COF allows work covered by the code. |
| Apprentice or trainee registration | Start with a Plumber Trainee certificate of fitness: find an employer to sponsor you in the federal Registered Apprenticeship Program and send the Davis Bacon Letter from RAPIDS with your Trainee Application. The trainee certificate lets you do code work under the direct supervision of a journey-level worker and is issued for six years. |
| Experience and training | 8,000 hours of qualifying, documented work experience, worked for a contractor with valid credentials, on code work, under the direct supervision of a journey-level tradesperson; maintenance work does not count. Vocational or military hours may cover up to half (4,000 hours). Your employer records hours on Experience Verification Forms. |
| Classroom hours | Not stated in the official source we read. Check with the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection Section. |
| Licensing exam | An examination scheduled by the Section once it validates your application packet; a score of 70% or more lets the Section issue your journey-level certificate. |
| How to apply | Send the Electrical and Plumbing Certificate of Fitness Application, marked Plumber Journeyman, with your Experience Verification Forms, by email to MI@ALASKA.GOV or by mail to Mechanical Inspection in Anchorage. Incomplete applications are rejected. |
| Background check | Not stated in the official source we read. Check with the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection Section. |
| State fees | Journeyman: $50 non-refundable application fee plus a $200 certificate fee, charged after testing. Trainee: $250 application and certificate fee, paid with the application. Renewal: $200. |
| License term | Two years; journeyman certificates are issued for two years, and you may renew up to 90 days before expiration. |
| Continuing education | At least 16 hours of approved continuing education in the 24 months before renewal, at least eight of them on significant changes or updates to the Uniform Plumbing Code. |
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 Alaska
- Get an employer to sponsor you in the federal Registered Apprenticeship Program.
- Apply for a Plumber Trainee certificate of fitness with your Davis Bacon Letter, so you can do code work under journey-level supervision.
- Earn 8,000 qualifying hours and have your employer complete Experience Verification Forms.
- Submit the journeyman application with your Experience Verification Forms and the $50 application fee.
- Pass the exam with a score of 70% or more to be issued the journeyman certificate.
- Renew every two years with 16 hours of continuing education.
Go further
Requirements state by state.
Open →CareerHow to become a plumberThe career path, nationally.
Open →PayPlumber salaryWhat 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.
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Questions people ask
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How this page is built
Each fact on this page comes from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection Section (sources named below), read on the dates shown, with the exact wording we relied on kept on file. Requirements and fees change; the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection Section'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.
- Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection, Frequently Asked Questions, official source, read Nov 9, 2026.
- Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection Section, Electrical and Plumbing Certificate of Fitness Application (v.20250902), official source, read Nov 9, 2026.
- Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection Section, Trainee Application for Electrical and Plumbing Certificates of Fitness (v.20250828), official source, read Nov 9, 2026.
- Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Alaska Certificate of Fitness Information Packet (8 AAC 90 regulations, Version 20250715), official source, read Nov 9, 2026.