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Home / Plumbers / Virginia

How to become a plumber in Virginia

Virginia licenses plumbers at the state level through DPOR.1 You start as an apprentice or trainee and work toward the exam.

92registered apprenticeship programs$29.07median an hour in Virginia

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 VA
92 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 VA
Community colleges nearby
Schools and cost
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. 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
    Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Board for Contractors
    Compare the ways in
  2. residential plumber5 yrs

    Six years of practical experience, or 40 hours of vocational training + 5 years, 80 + 4, 120 + 3, 160 hours + 2 years

    Time
    5 yrs
  3. Journeyman license5 yrs

    Four years of practical experience plus 240 hours of formal vocational training, or one year with an engineering bachelor's degree, two years with a two-year associate degree or certificate in a tradesman-related field, or longer experience with fewer training hours (160 hours + 5 years, 80 + 6, 40 + 7, none + 8 years)

    Time
    5 yrs
  4. Master license

    Hold a Virginia journeyman license in the trade for at least one year, or nine years of practical experience in the trade

  5. Run your own shop

    Master tradesman: held a valid journeyman license in the trade 1 year, or the residential tradesman license 3 years, or 9 years of practical experience (18VAC50-30-39 D). The firm's qualified individual must hold the Master tradesman license and have 1/3/5 years of experience for Class C/B/A (18VAC50-22-40, -50, -60).

    Issued by
    VA Board for Contractors (DPOR)
    Virginia contractor license
Already logging hours?

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

Virginia plumber license
Pay once you're working

$60,470

a year is the median for plumbers in Virginia ($29.07 an hour, May 2025).5

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Virginia Beach–Chesapeake$29.75
  2. Richmond$29.56
  3. Winchester$27.77
  4. Lynchburg$27.51
  5. Charlottesville$27.17
Virginia median $29.07 an hour

Questions

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

Yes. Virginia licenses plumbing contractors through the VA Board for Contractors (DPOR).3

Are plumbers in demand in Virginia?

Projections Central expects about 1,160 plumber openings a year in Virginia through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.4

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for plumbers in Virginia

Sources

  1. Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Board for Contractors (law.lis.virginia.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Board for Contractors: experience requirements (law.lis.virginia.gov, 2026-10-27)
  3. VA Board for Contractors (DPOR) contractor licensing (law.lis.virginia.gov, 2026-10-27)
  4. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  5. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Virginia, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)