How do you start as a plumber in Maryland?
There are three ways in: a registered apprenticeship (8 programs and 10 companies in Maryland), trade school, or a helper or trainee job with a licensed plumbing contractor.
Every route ends at the same place: 7,500 logged hours and the state exam.
Earn while you learn
A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.
- Pay
- From day one
- In MD
- 8 programs + 10 companies
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
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 do you get a plumber license in Maryland?
Log 7,500 hours of supervised work, then apply to the Maryland State Board of Plumbing and pass the journey-level exam given by PSI Examination Services.
Journey-level certificate from the Maryland State Board of Plumbing.
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
- Maryland State Board of Plumbing
Log 7,500 hours7,500 hrs
About 4 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
- 7,500 hrs
Pass the journey-level exam$31.50 application
Apply to the Maryland State Board of Plumbing with your hours, then book the exam with PSI Examination Services.
- Issued by
- Maryland State Board of Plumbing
- Cost
- $31.50 application
Keep it currentEvery 2 years$43.50 renewal
Renew every 2 years. None to keep a Maryland plumbing license (8 hours a year only for a plumbing inspector card)
- Issued by
- Maryland State Board of Plumbing
- Time
- Every 2 years
- Cost
- $43.50 renewal
Run your own shop
Master: journey license 2 years + 3,750 training hours
- Issued by
- State Board of Plumbing
Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the Maryland journey-level certificate.
$65,400
a year is the median for plumbers in Maryland ($31.44 an hour, May 2025).3
Pay by city and percentile- Baltimore–Columbia$30.38
- Salisbury$29.78
- Lexington Park$27.74
- Hagerstown–Martinsburg$26.50
More questions about becoming a plumber in Maryland
How long does it take to become a plumber in Maryland?
About 4 years of full-time work: the journey-level certificate requires 7,500 hours of supervised experience.1
Do you need a license to work on your own as a plumber in Maryland?
Yes. Maryland licenses plumbing contractors through the State Board of Plumbing.1
Are plumbers in demand in Maryland?
Projections Central expects about 1,110 plumber openings a year in Maryland through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2
Find an apprenticeship near you
8 programs and 10 companies in Maryland. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for plumbers in Maryland
Sources
- Maryland State Board of Plumbing (labor.maryland.gov, 2026-10-27)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Maryland, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)