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State files updated Oct 27, 2026
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Home / Plumbers / Connecticut

How to become a plumber in Connecticut

Connecticut licenses plumbers at the state level through the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.1 You start as an apprentice or trainee and work toward the exam.

263registered apprenticeship programs$37.16median an hour in Connecticut

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

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

Pay
From day one
In CT
263 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

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

Pay
You pay tuition
In CT
3 schools with programs
Compare 3 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

The license steps

  1. Start as an apprentice or trainee

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

    Issued by
    Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection
    Compare the ways in
  2. Journeyman license

    Bona fide apprenticeship with at least four years' experience in the trade

  3. Contractor license

    At least two years as a journeyman in the trade, or comparable education and experience

Already logging hours?

Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the Connecticut license.

Connecticut plumber license
Pay once you're working

$77,280

a year is the median for plumbers in Connecticut ($37.16 an hour, May 2025).4

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Bridgeport–Stamford$38.32
  2. New Haven$37.32
  3. Hartford–West Hartford$37.11
  4. Norwich–New London$37.01
  5. Waterbury–Shelton$36.96
Connecticut median $37.16 an hour

Questions

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

Check DCP before you bid work on your own.2

Are plumbers in demand in Connecticut?

Projections Central expects about 450 plumber openings a year in Connecticut through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

263 registered programs in Connecticut. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for plumbers in Connecticut

Sources

  1. Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (cga.ct.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. DCP - Plumbing and Piping / Heating Cooling (portal.ct.gov)
  3. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  4. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Connecticut, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)