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

How to become a plumber in Iowa

Iowa licenses plumbers at the state level through DIAL.1 You start as an apprentice or trainee and work toward the exam.

201registered apprenticeship programs$30.72median an hour in Iowa

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 IA
201 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 IA
4 schools with programs
Compare 4 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$50 registration

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

    Issued by
    Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board (DIAL)
    Cost
    $50 registration
    Compare the ways in
  2. journeyperson4 yrs3 year period $180

    4 years of practical experience as an apprentice in a U.S. Department of Labor registered program (at least 36 months to sit the exam)

    Time
    4 yrs
    Cost
    3 year period $180
  3. Master license2 yrs3 year period $240

    Licensed journeyperson with 2 years of work experience in the discipline, or a master license from another jurisdiction

    Time
    2 yrs
    Cost
    3 year period $240
  4. Run your own shop

    Master license required (held or employed)

    Issued by
    Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board
    Iowa contractor license
Already logging hours?

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

Iowa plumber license
Pay once you're working

$63,890

a year is the median for plumbers in Iowa ($30.72 an hour, May 2025).5

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Cedar Rapids$40.01
  2. Davenport–Moline$36.69
  3. Des Moines–West Des Moines$36.08
  4. Ames$30.68
  5. Waterloo–Cedar Falls$29.91
Iowa median $30.72 an hour

Questions

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

Yes. Iowa licenses plumbing contractors through the Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board.3

Are plumbers in demand in Iowa?

Projections Central expects about 600 plumber openings a year in Iowa through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.4

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for plumbers in Iowa

Sources

  1. Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board (DIAL) (dial.iowa.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board (DIAL): experience requirements (dial.iowa.gov, 2026-10-27)
  3. Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board contractor licensing (dial.iowa.gov)
  4. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  5. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Iowa, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)