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

How to become a plumber in Missouri

Missouri has no state license for individual plumbers; cities and counties license them. The state licenses plumbing contractors through the Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors (Div. of Professional Registration).1

46registered apprenticeship programs$32.11median an hour in Missouri

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 MO
46 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 MO
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. Get hired or start training

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

    Compare the ways in
  2. Run your own shop

    To bid and contract on your own you need a plumbing contractor license or registration.

    Issued by
    Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors (Div. of Professional Registration)
    Missouri contractor license
Pay once you're working

$66,790

a year is the median for plumbers in Missouri ($32.11 an hour, May 2025).4

Pay by city and percentile
  1. St. Louis$37.02
  2. Kansas City$36.61
  3. St. Joseph$32.83
  4. Cape Girardeau$31.34
  5. Joplin$30.95
Missouri median $32.11 an hour

Questions

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

Missouri has no state plumbing contractor license; cities and counties license contractors.2

Are plumbers in demand in Missouri?

Projections Central expects about 640 plumber openings a year in Missouri through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for plumbers in Missouri

Sources

  1. No state plumbing license. Plumbing licensing is done by cities and counties. (pr.mo.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors (Div. of Professional Registration) contractor licensing (kcmo.gov)
  3. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  4. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Missouri, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)