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Home / Plumbers / Georgia

How to become a plumber in Georgia

Georgia licenses plumbers at the state level through the Georgia SOS, State Construction Industry Licensing Board.1 You start as an apprentice or trainee and work toward the exam.

4registered apprenticeship programs$27.50median an hour in Georgia

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 GA
4 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 GA
7 schools with programs
Compare 7 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
    Georgia SOS, State Construction Industry Licensing Board
    Compare the ways in
  2. Journeyman license1 yr

    1 year plumbing experience (Georgia State Plumbing Code scope)

    Time
    1 yr
  3. Master license5 yrs

    5 years, at least 2 as licensed journeyman; Class II also commercial/industrial

    Time
    5 yrs
  4. Run your own shop

    Journeyman: at least 1 year of plumbing work covered by the Georgia State Plumbing Code. Master: 5 years of plumbing work, at least 2 as a licensed Journeyman; Class II also needs commercial or industrial experience.

    Issued by
    State Construction Industry Licensing Board - Master/Journeyman Plumbers
    Georgia contractor license
Pay once you're working

$57,200

a year is the median for plumbers in Georgia ($27.50 an hour, May 2025).5

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Savannah$29.10
  2. Warner Robins$28.13
  3. Atlanta–Sandy Springs$28.07
  4. Athens–Clarke County$27.76
  5. Augusta–Richmond County$26.29
Georgia median $27.50 an hour

Questions

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

Yes. Georgia licenses plumbing contractors through the State Construction Industry Licensing Board.3

Are plumbers in demand in Georgia?

Projections Central expects about 760 plumber openings a year in Georgia through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.4

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for plumbers in Georgia

Sources

  1. Georgia SOS, State Construction Industry Licensing Board (rules.sos.ga.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Georgia SOS, State Construction Industry Licensing Board: experience requirements (rules.sos.ga.gov, 2026-10-27)
  3. State Construction Industry Licensing Board - Master/Journeyman Plumbers contractor licensing (sos.ga.gov)
  4. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  5. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Georgia, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)