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Home / Plumbers / Texas

How to become a plumber in Texas

8,000 hours of supervised work, then the state exam.2 Texas licenses plumbers through TSBPE.1

8,000hours of work before the exam
$28.77median an hour in Texas

Pick your way in

Every route ends at the same place: 8,000 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 TX
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 TX
9 schools with programs
Compare 9 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 TSBPE.

  1. Start as an apprentice or trainee$15 registration

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

    Issued by
    Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE)
    Cost
    $15 registration
    Compare the ways in
  2. Log 8,000 hours8,000 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
    8,000 hrs
    What counts as hours
  3. Pass the journeyman exam$40 exam

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

    Issued by
    Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE)
    Cost
    $40 exam
    Exam, fees and code book
  4. Keep it currentEvery year$40 renewal

    Renew every year. 6 hours (journeyman/master); 2 hours medical gas

    Issued by
    Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE)
    Time
    Every year
    Cost
    $40 renewal
    Renewal and continuing education
  5. Run your own shop

    Master: hold a Journeyman license for 2 years, or 1 year plus a US DOL-approved apprenticeship program. Journeyman: 48-hour training program or approved apprenticeship.

    Issued by
    TX State Board of Plumbing Examiners
    Texas contractor license
State fees to get licensed: $55, not counting school or tools.3
Already logging hours?

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

Texas plumber license
Pay once you're working

$59,840

a year is the median for plumbers in Texas ($28.77 an hour, May 2025).5

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Austin–Round Rock$30.20
  2. Beaumont–Port Arthur$29.92
  3. Houston–Pasadena$29.47
  4. Dallas–Fort Worth$29.45
  5. Midland$29.18
Texas median $28.77 an hour

Questions

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

About 4 years of full-time work: the journeyman license requires 8,000 hours of supervised experience.2

How much does a plumber license cost in Texas?

State fees to get licensed: $55, not counting school or tools.3

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

Yes. Texas licenses plumbing contractors through the TX State Board of Plumbing Examiners.1

Are plumbers in demand in Texas?

Projections Central expects about 4,220 plumber openings a year in Texas through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.4

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for plumbers in Texas

Sources

  1. Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE) (tsbpe.texas.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE): experience requirements (tsbpe.texas.gov, 2026-10-27)
  3. Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE): fees (tsbpe.texas.gov)
  4. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  5. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Texas, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)