How do you start as a plumber in Montana?
There are three ways in: a registered apprenticeship (215 programs in Montana), trade school (1 schools with plumber programs), 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 MT
- 215 registered programs
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
- In MT
- 1 schools with programs
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 Montana?
Log 7,500 hours of supervised work, then apply to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Board of Plumbers and pass the journeyman exam given by IAPMO.
Journeyman license from the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Board of Plumbers.
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
- Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Board of Plumbers
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 journeyman exam$270 application
Apply to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Board of Plumbers with your hours, then book the exam with IAPMO.
- Issued by
- Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Board of Plumbers
- Cost
- $270 application
Keep it currentEvery year
Renew every year. 4 code-related hours annually, in courses the board has approved in advance
- Issued by
- Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Board of Plumbers
- Time
- Every year
Run your own shop
To bid and contract on your own you need a plumbing contractor license or registration.
- Issued by
- Montana DLI Board of Plumbers
Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the Montana journeyman license.
$79,960
a year is the median for plumbers in Montana ($38.44 an hour, May 2025).4
Pay by city and percentile- Billings$39.27
- Bozeman$39.09
- Missoula$38.34
- Great Falls$37.07
More questions about becoming a plumber in Montana
How long does it take to become a plumber in Montana?
About 4 years of full-time work: the journeyman license requires 7,500 hours of supervised experience.2
Are plumbers in demand in Montana?
Projections Central expects about 200 plumber openings a year in Montana through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3
Find an apprenticeship near you
215 registered programs in Montana. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for plumbers in Montana
Sources
- Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Board of Plumbers (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov, 2026-10-27)
- Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Board of Plumbers: experience requirements (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov, 2026-10-27)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Montana, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)