How to get a plumbing license in Vermont: the official requirements
The Journeyman Plumber license, the experience and training it takes, the exam and how to apply, from the Vermont Plumber's Examining Board (Department of Public Safety).
In Vermont, the state plumbing license for individual plumbers is issued by the Vermont Plumber's Examining Board (Department of Public Safety). The journeyman plumber's license, issued by the Plumber's Examining Board within the Department of Public Safety, which examines and licenses master plumbers, journeyman plumbers and specialists. A journeyman installs plumbing and water treatment or heating specialties under the direction of a master plumber and may supervise an apprentice. Apprentice or trainee registration: Apprentice plumbers learn and assist under an apprenticeship program registered with the Vermont Apprenticeship Council, employed by or working under the direction of a master plumber, and are supervised on the job by a master or journeyman plumber. Experience and training: Document a plumbing apprenticeship that includes both instruction and practice in work processes, verified by the Vermont Apprenticeship Council, or equivalent training and experience in or out of Vermont acceptable to the Board. Licensing exam: A Board examination, at least partly in writing, covering the theory and practice of plumbing and knowledge of State laws and the rules of the Departments of Health and of Environmental Conservation. You pay an examination fee, and you may retake a failed exam on paying the fee again. How to apply: Submit a written application for examination and license to the Board's executive office on the Board's forms, with the required fee. On passing the exam and paying the license fee you receive the license as a wallet-sized card, which you carry while working.
Vermont plumbing license requirements
| Requirement | Vermont |
|---|---|
| License you apply for | The journeyman plumber's license, issued by the Plumber's Examining Board within the Department of Public Safety, which examines and licenses master plumbers, journeyman plumbers and specialists. A journeyman installs plumbing and water treatment or heating specialties under the direction of a master plumber and may supervise an apprentice. |
| Apprentice or trainee registration | Apprentice plumbers learn and assist under an apprenticeship program registered with the Vermont Apprenticeship Council, employed by or working under the direction of a master plumber, and are supervised on the job by a master or journeyman plumber. |
| Experience and training | Document a plumbing apprenticeship that includes both instruction and practice in work processes, verified by the Vermont Apprenticeship Council, or equivalent training and experience in or out of Vermont acceptable to the Board. |
| Classroom hours | The apprenticeship includes instruction as well as practice. Every applicant also completes an education module (not more than two hours) on the State's energy goals, required for initial licensure and renewal. |
| Licensing exam | A Board examination, at least partly in writing, covering the theory and practice of plumbing and knowledge of State laws and the rules of the Departments of Health and of Environmental Conservation. You pay an examination fee, and you may retake a failed exam on paying the fee again. |
| How to apply | Submit a written application for examination and license to the Board's executive office on the Board's forms, with the required fee. On passing the exam and paying the license fee you receive the license as a wallet-sized card, which you carry while working. |
| Background check | Not stated in the official source we read. Check with the Vermont Plumber's Examining Board (Department of Public Safety). |
| State fees | Not stated in the official source we read. Check with the Vermont Plumber's Examining Board (Department of Public Safety). |
| License term | Two years; licenses expire on the last day of a month designated by the Board and are renewed with an application and the fee before expiration. |
| Continuing education | To renew, show completion of eight hours of Board-approved continued training or instruction within the previous 24 months, plus the energy-goals education module. |
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 Vermont
- Join a plumbing apprenticeship program registered with the Vermont Apprenticeship Council and work under a master or journeyman plumber.
- Complete the apprenticeship (instruction plus practice), verified by the Vermont Apprenticeship Council.
- Send the Board a written application for examination and license with the fee.
- Pass the Board examination and pay the license fee to receive your license card.
- Renew every two years, with eight hours of approved continued training in the previous 24 months.
Go further
Requirements state by state.
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Questions people ask
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How this page is built
Each fact on this page comes from the Vermont Plumber's Examining Board (Department of Public Safety) and the rules it publishes (sources named below), read on the dates shown, with the exact wording we relied on kept on file. Requirements and fees change; the Vermont Plumber's Examining Board (Department of Public Safety)'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.
- Vermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online, 26 V.S.A. Chapter 39: Plumbers and Plumbing, official source, read Nov 9, 2026.