IdahoTrades: Pay, Licensing, Apprenticeships and Lien Law

Idaho licenses electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors at the state level. General contractors and roofers register with the state.

What do the trades pay in Idaho?

Median hourly pay, May 2025¹. Pick a trade for training, pay and the license.

Electrician

Wiring, panels and fixtures

$30.29/hrIdaho median

Plumber

Water, drain and gas lines

$25.18/hrIdaho median

HVAC tech

Heating, cooling and ductwork

$27.04/hrIdaho median

Roofer

New roofs and repairs

$27.78/hrIdaho median

General contractor

Runs the job and the crews

$36.32/hrIdaho median, construction supervisors

Is there work in Idaho?

Construction jobs in Idaho, September 2026: 77,300, up 2.7% from a year earlier.

BLS Current Employment Statistics, Sep 2026

New homes permitted in Idaho, September 2026: 1,580, up 13.6% from a year earlier.

Census Building Permits Survey, Sep 2026

People working in these five trades in Idaho: 21,250.

BLS OEWS, May 2025

Licensing

Who licenses contractors in Idaho?

Idaho licenses electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors at the state level. General contractors and roofers register with the state.²

ElectricalState licenseDOPL
PlumbingState licenseDOPL
HVACState licenseDOPL
RoofingState registrationIdaho DOPL
General contractorState registrationIdaho DOPL

Idaho contractor license requirements

License exam Renewal Bond and insurance

License lookup

Check an Idaho contractor

Search the license on the board's own site.

How to check an Idaho license

Getting paid · Idaho

Miss a date, lose the lien

90 daysafter you complete your labor or furnish the materials: file the claim of lien.³

Sue to enforce: 6 months after the claim is filed⁴

Work out your dates Every Idaho lien rule

Training

Training near you

Apprentices are hired first and paid while they learn on the job and in class. Trade school comes first and charges tuition.

Apprenticeships in Idaho

Trade schools in Idaho

Near you

Where to train and find work near you

Union locals take apprenticeship applications and send members out to union contractors. Open-shop chapters run apprenticeship classes for the people their member contractors hire.

ElectricalPlumbingHVACCarpentryRoofing

IBEW union locals

IBEW Local 291Boise(208) 343-4861
IBEW Local 449Pocatello(208) 232-5263
IBEW Local 73Office in Spokane, WA(509) 326-2182
IBEW Local 77Office in Seattle, WA(206) 323-4505

Electrical training centers (JATCs)

Southwestern Idaho Electrical JATC12302 W. Explorer Drive Suite 130, Boise(208) 384-0538
Eastern Idaho Electrical JATC8450 S. 5th Ave, Pocatello(208) 232-4300

IEC chapters (open shop)

IEC of IdahoP.O. Box 16541 Boise(208) 608-4662

Electrician apprenticeships in Idaho

UA union locals

UA Local 296Meridian(208) 288-1296
UA Local 648Pocatello(208) 232-6806

Training

UA apprenticeships run through a joint committee of the local and union contractors. Call the local for the next application date.

PHCC chapters

No PHCC chapter lists an office in Idaho. PHCC chapter finder

Plumber apprenticeships in Idaho

SMART union locals

No SMART local has its office in Idaho. Search the SMART local union directory.

Sheet metal training centers

Southwest Central Idaho JATC5682 Albatros, Boise(208) 562-0237
Pocatello & Southeast Idaho Sheet Metal Workers JATC308 S. Main Street, Firth(208) 680-5912

PHCC chapters (heating, cooling, plumbing)

No PHCC chapter lists an office in Idaho. ACCA member contractors near you

Pipefitters and HVAC service techs also apprentice through the UA: UA locals in Idaho.

HVAC Technician apprenticeships in Idaho

Carpenters union locals

Carpenters Local 208Meridian

Training

Union carpentry apprenticeships run through the regional council's training centers. Carpenters regional council finder

Home builder associations

Idaho Home Builders Association6206 N Discovery Way Ste A, Boise
Building Contractors Association of SW Idaho6206 N Discovery Way Ste A, Boise(208) 971-6994
Portneuf Valley Home Builders Association770 E Chubbuck Rd., Chubbuck(208) 235-4251
North Idaho Building Contractors Assn.1928 N 4th St Ste A, Coeur D Alene(208) 765-5518
Building Contractors Assn. of the Wood River ValleyPO Box 2721, Hailey(208) 721-8461
Eastern Idaho BA2048 E 17th St Ste D, Idaho Falls(208) 552-7032

3 more chapters

Lewis Clark Building Contractors Association4007 Fairway Dr, Lewiston(208) 871-5811
Snake River Valley Contractors Association1607 N Park Centre Pl, Nampa(208) 475-3814
HBA of Magic ValleyPO Box 773, Twin Falls

General Contractor apprenticeships in Idaho

Roofers union locals

Roofers Local 200Pocatello

Training

Roofers locals run their apprenticeship through a joint committee with union contractors.

Contractor associations

The national trade group for roofing contractors is the National Roofing Contractors Association.

Roofer apprenticeships in Idaho

Trade schools: where to apply

Brigham Young University-Idaho525 S Center, Rexburg
Apply
Boise State University1910 University Dr, BoiseConstruction program
Apply
College of Southern Idaho315 Falls Ave., Twin FallsHVAC program Construction program
Apply
North Idaho College1000 West Garden Avenue, Coeur d'Alene
Apply
Lewis-Clark State College500 8th Ave, LewistonElectrical program Plumbing program HVAC program
Apply
College of Eastern Idaho1600 S 25th E, Idaho Falls
Apply

All 7 trade schools in Idaho

Sources

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Idaho, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)
Idaho DOPL - Contractor Registration (dopl.idaho.gov)
Idaho lien law: Idaho Code 45-507 (legislature.idaho.gov)
Idaho lien law: Idaho Code 45-510 (legislature.idaho.gov)
U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (field of study and institution data) (collegescorecard.ed.gov)
BLS Current Employment Statistics, Sep 2026 (bls.gov)
Census Building Permits Survey, Sep 2026 (census.gov)
DOPL - Public Works Contractors (dopl.idaho.gov)
DOPL - Electrical / Plumbing / HVAC boards (dopl.idaho.gov)