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Home / Plumbers / Maine

How to become a plumber in Maine

4,000 hours of supervised work, then the state exam.1 Maine licenses plumbers through the Maine Plumbers' Examining Board.1

4,000hours of work before the exam
$30.77median an hour in Maine

Pick your way in

Every route ends at the same place: 4,000 logged hours and the state exam.

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

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

Pay
From day one
In ME
6 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 ME
6 schools with programs
Compare 6 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

Journeyman license from the Maine Plumbers' Examining Board.

  1. Start as an apprentice or trainee$100 registration

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

    Issued by
    Maine Plumbers' Examining Board
    Cost
    $100 registration
    Compare the ways in
  2. Log 4,000 hours4,000 hrs

    About 2 years of full-time work under a licensed plumber. Keep your own log of hours and pay stubs.

    Issued by
    Your employer signs off
    Time
    4,000 hrs
    What counts as hours
  3. Pass the journeyman exam$65 exam

    Apply to the Maine Plumbers' Examining Board with your hours, then book the exam with Prov.

    Issued by
    Maine Plumbers' Examining Board
    Cost
    $65 exam
    Exam, fees and code book
  4. Keep it currentEvery 2 years$200 renewal

    Renew every 2 years. None listed.

    Issued by
    Maine Plumbers' Examining Board
    Time
    Every 2 years
    Cost
    $200 renewal
    Renewal and continuing education
  5. Run your own shop

    Master exam: at least 1 year and 2,000 hours as a licensed journeyman, or 4 years and 8,000 hours as a licensed trainee under a master plumber.

    Issued by
    Plumbers' Examining Board (OPOR)
    Maine contractor license
State fees to get licensed: $165, not counting school or tools.1
Already logging hours?

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

Maine plumber license
Pay once you're working

$64,000

a year is the median for plumbers in Maine ($30.77 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Portland–South Portland$31.01
  2. Lewiston–Auburn$29.88
  3. Bangor$28.92
Maine median $30.77 an hour

Questions

How long does it take to become a plumber in Maine?

About 2 years of full-time work: the journeyman license requires 4,000 hours of supervised experience.1

How much does a plumber license cost in Maine?

State fees to get licensed: $165, not counting school or tools.1

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

Yes. Maine licenses plumbing contractors through the Plumbers' Examining Board (OPOR).1

Are plumbers in demand in Maine?

Projections Central expects about 220 plumber openings a year in Maine through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for plumbers in Maine

Sources

  1. Maine Plumbers' Examining Board (maine.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Maine, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)