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TexasTrades: Pay, Licensing, Apprenticeships and Lien Law

Texas licenses electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors at the state level. Cities and counties license general contractors.

What do the trades pay in Texas?

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

Electrician

Wiring, panels and fixtures

$28.16/hrTexas median

Plumber

Water, drain and gas lines

$28.77/hrTexas median

HVAC tech

Heating, cooling and ductwork

$27.77/hrTexas median

Roofer

New roofs and repairs

$22.13/hrTexas median

General contractor

Runs the job and the crews

$35.83/hrTexas median, construction supervisors

Is there work in Texas?

Construction jobs in Texas, September 2026: 921,600, up 1.7% from a year earlier.

BLS Current Employment Statistics, Sep 2026

New homes permitted in Texas, September 2026: 16,162, down 8.3% from a year earlier.

Census Building Permits Survey, Sep 2026
Active contractor licenses in the Texas state file: 62,937.TDLR license data and TSBPE plumber lists, Oct 27, 2026
Licensing

Who licenses contractors in Texas?

Texas licenses electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors at the state level. Cities and counties license general contractors. Roofers need no state license.2

Texas contractor license requirements

License examRenewalBond and insurance

License lookup

Check a Texas contractor

Enter the license number or business name. We read it from the state board's own file.

Texas doesn't license general contractors, roofers, remodelers or handymen, so they aren't in the TDLR file.

Texas license lookup: what a record shows

Getting paid · Texas

Miss a date, lose the lien

15th dayof the 3rd month after the month of work (2nd month on residential jobs): send the notice of claim.3
  • File the lien affidavit: the 15th day of the 4th month after the month you last furnished (3rd month on residential jobs)4
  • Sue to foreclose: 1 year after the last day you could file the lien affidavit5

Work out your dates Every Texas 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 Texas

Trade schools in Texas

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.

IBEW union locals

11 more IBEW locals

Electrical training centers (JATCs)

9 more centers

IEC chapters (open shop)

5 more chapters
Electrician apprenticeships in Texas

UA union locals

2 more UA locals

Training

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

PHCC chapters

2 more chapters
Plumber apprenticeships in Texas

SMART union locals

  • SMART Local 210San Antonio
  • SMART Local 1458Silsbee

Sheet metal training centers

PHCC chapters (heating, cooling, plumbing)

2 more chapters

ACCA member contractors near you

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

HVAC Technician apprenticeships in Texas

Carpenters union locals

  • Carpenters Local 429Arlington
  • Carpenters Local 551Pasadena
  • Carpenters Local 665Amarillo
  • Carpenters Local 1266Austin
  • Carpenters Local 1421Arlington
  • Carpenters Local 2232Pasadena

Training

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

Home builder associations

22 more chapters
General Contractor apprenticeships in Texas

Roofers union locals

  • Roofers Local 123Spring Branch

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 Texas

Trade schools: where to apply

All 65 trade schools in Texas

Sources

  1. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Texas, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)
  2. TDLR - Electricians (tdlr.texas.gov)
  3. Texas lien law: Prop. Code 53.056(a-1) (tcss.legis.texas.gov)
  4. Texas lien law: Prop. Code 53.052(a)-(d) (tcss.legis.texas.gov)
  5. Texas lien law: Prop. Code 53.158(a), (a-2) (tcss.legis.texas.gov)
  6. U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
  7. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (field of study and institution data) (collegescorecard.ed.gov)
  8. BLS Current Employment Statistics, Sep 2026 (bls.gov)
  9. Census Building Permits Survey, Sep 2026 (census.gov)
  10. TDLR license data and TSBPE plumber lists (Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) and State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE)) (data.texas.gov, Oct 27, 2026)
  11. TDLR - Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors (tdlr.texas.gov)
  12. TX State Board of Plumbing Examiners (tsbpe.texas.gov)