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Home / Plumbers / Oregon

How to become a plumber in Oregon

3,850 hours of supervised work, then the state exam.2 Oregon licenses plumbers through BCD.1

3,850hours of work before the exam
$46.66median an hour in Oregon

Pick your way in

Every route ends at the same place: 3,850 logged hours and the state exam.

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In OR
10 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 OR
1 schools with programs
Compare 1 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

Journeyman license from BCD.

  1. 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
    Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD)
    Compare the ways in
  2. Log 3,850 hours3,850 hrs

    About 2 years of full-time work under a licensed plumber. Plus 576 classroom hours. Keep your own log of hours and pay stubs.

    Issued by
    Your employer signs off
    Time
    3,850 hrs
    What counts as hours
  3. Pass the journeyman exam

    Apply to BCD with your hours, then book the exam.

    Issued by
    Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD)
    Exam, fees and code book
  4. Keep it currentEvery 3 years

    Renew every 3 years. 24 hours per renewal: 4 Oregon rule and law, 4 code change and 16 code-related.

    Issued by
    Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD)
    Time
    Every 3 years
    Renewal and continuing education
  5. Run your own shop

    PB license: none stated beyond a qualifying full-time signing supervisor.

    Issued by
    Oregon Building Codes Division (electrical, plumbing, mechanical)
    Oregon contractor license
Already logging hours?

Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the Oregon journeyman license.

Oregon plumber license
Pay once you're working

$97,050

a year is the median for plumbers in Oregon ($46.66 an hour, May 2025).5

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Portland–Vancouver$48.56
  2. Bend$44.39
  3. Eugene–Springfield$40.82
  4. Albany$40.68
  5. Salem$38.76
Oregon median $46.66 an hour

Questions

How long does it take to become a plumber in Oregon?

About 2 years of full-time work: the journeyman license requires 3,850 hours of supervised experience.2

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

Yes. Oregon licenses plumbing contractors through the Oregon Building Codes Division (electrical, plumbing, mechanical).3

Are plumbers in demand in Oregon?

Projections Central expects about 640 plumber openings a year in Oregon through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.4

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for plumbers in Oregon

Sources

  1. Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) (apps.oregon.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD): experience requirements (oregon.gov, 2026-10-27)
  3. Oregon Building Codes Division (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) contractor licensing (apps.oregon.gov, 2026-10-27)
  4. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  5. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Oregon, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)