Home / Plumbers / North Dakota
Pick your way in
Every route ends at the same place: 1,900 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 ND
- 2 registered programs
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
- In ND
- 2 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
The license steps
Journeyman license from the North Dakota 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
- North Dakota State Board of Plumbing
Log 1,900 hours1,900 hrs
About 1 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
- 1,900 hrs
Pass the journeyman exam$50 application + $50 exam
Apply to the North Dakota State Board of Plumbing with your hours, then book the exam with North Dakota State Board of Plumbing.
- Issued by
- North Dakota State Board of Plumbing
- Cost
- $50 application + $50 exam
Keep it currentEvery year$100 renewal
Renew every year. 2 to 4 credit hours within each two-year period for master and journeyman plumbers
- Issued by
- North Dakota State Board of Plumbing
- Time
- Every year
- Cost
- $100 renewal
Run your own shop
To bid and contract on your own you need a plumbing contractor license or registration.
- Issued by
- ND State Plumbing Board
Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the North Dakota journeyman license.
$63,560
a year is the median for plumbers in North Dakota ($30.56 an hour, May 2025).5
Pay by city and percentile- Bismarck$33.81
- Fargo$30.46
- Grand Forks$30.26
- Minot$30.00
Questions
How long does it take to become a plumber in North Dakota?
About 1 years of full-time work: the journeyman license requires 1,900 hours of supervised experience.2
How much does a plumber license cost in North Dakota?
State fees to get licensed: $100, not counting school or tools.2
Do you need a license to work on your own as a plumber in North Dakota?
Check the ND State Plumbing Board before you bid work on your own.3
Are plumbers in demand in North Dakota?
Projections Central expects about 160 plumber openings a year in North Dakota through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.4
Find an apprenticeship near you
2 registered programs in North Dakota. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for plumbers in North Dakota
Sources
- North Dakota State Board of Plumbing (ndplumbingboard.gov, 2026-10-27)
- North Dakota State Board of Plumbing: experience requirements (ndlegis.gov, 2026-10-27)
- ND State Plumbing Board (ndplumbing.com)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, North Dakota, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)