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Home / Plumbers / California

How to become a plumber in California

California does not license individual plumbers. You learn on the job or in school, and the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) licenses plumbing contractors who run their own business.1

41apprenticeship programs$35.01median an hour in California

How do you start as a plumber in California?

There are three ways in: a registered apprenticeship (41 programs and 8 companies in California), trade school (13 schools with plumber programs), or a helper or trainee job with a licensed plumbing contractor.

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In CA
41 programs + 8 companies
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In CA
13 schools with programs
Compare 13 schools
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed plumbing contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

Do you need a license to work as a plumber in California?

No. California does not license individual plumbers; the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) licenses plumbing contractors who run their own business.

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Run your own shop

    Age 18+. 4 full years journey-level/foreman/supervisor/contractor experience in the class, within last 10 years.

    Issued by
    Contractors State License Board (CSLB)
    California contractor license
Pay once you're working

$72,830

a year is the median for plumbers in California ($35.01 an hour, May 2025).4

Pay by city and percentile
  1. San Jose–Sunnyvale$51.71
  2. San Francisco–Oakland$37.44
  3. San Diego–Chula Vista$34.86
  4. Los Angeles–Long Beach$34.19
  5. Bakersfield–Delano$31.95
California median $35.01 an hour

More questions about becoming a plumber in California

Do you need a license to work on your own as a plumber in California?

Yes. California licenses plumbing contractors through the Contractors State License Board (CSLB).2

Are plumbers in demand in California?

Projections Central expects about 4,870 plumber openings a year in California through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

41 programs and 8 companies in California. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for plumbers in California

Sources

  1. Contractors State License Board (cslb.ca.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Contractors State License Board (CSLB) contractor licensing (cslb.ca.gov)
  3. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  4. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, California, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)