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

How to become a plumber in Ohio

Ohio does not license individual plumbers. You learn on the job or in school, and the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) licenses plumbing contractors who run their own business.1

24registered apprenticeship programs$30.45median an hour in Ohio

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 OH
24 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 OH
8 schools with programs
Compare 8 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

    5 years as a tradesperson in the trade immediately before applying, or a registered Ohio engineer with 3 years' construction business experience in the trade, or other experience the section accepts; age 18+, US citizen or legal alien.

    Issued by
    Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB)
    Ohio contractor license
Pay once you're working

$63,330

a year is the median for plumbers in Ohio ($30.45 an hour, May 2025).4

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Toledo$32.18
  2. Cincinnati$31.33
  3. Akron$30.50
  4. Columbus$30.41
  5. Cleveland$30.30
Ohio median $30.45 an hour

Questions

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

Yes. Ohio licenses plumbing contractors through the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB).2

Are plumbers in demand in Ohio?

Projections Central expects about 1,380 plumber openings a year in Ohio through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for plumbers in Ohio

Sources

  1. Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), Ohio Department of Commerce: commercial contractor licenses only (com.ohio.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) contractor licensing (codes.ohio.gov, 2026-10-27)
  3. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  4. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Ohio, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)