How Do You Get a Plumbing License in Alabama?

Yes.

Alabama licenses plumbers and gas fitters statewide through the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board (PGFB), and the board structures both trades the same way: registered apprentice, journeyman and master levels in each of the two trades, plumbing and gas fitting.

The requirement reaches the bottom of the ladder — apprentice plumbers and gas fitters must register with the board, carry a current annual certificate, and work directly under the supervision of a journeyman or master.

The PGFB ladder has three certificates — registered apprentice, journeyman and master — in each trade, and plumbing and gas fitting are licensed as separate trades.

A registered apprentice works only under the direct supervision of a journeyman or master.

A certified journeyman works for an employer but cannot contract on their own, and the board's supervision ratio caps their crew: one journeyman or master for up to five apprentices on a residential jobsite, and up to three apprentices on a non-residential one.

The master certificate is what Alabama contracting is built on: every company doing plumbing or gas fitting must register with the PGFB before bidding or working and designate a Principal Master — an active employee who holds a master plumber or master gas fitter certificate and is actively and continuously connected with the business.

A company working both trades needs a separate Principal Master for each and must renew its registration annually.

The registered apprentice certificate is the entry point: you register with the PGFB, carry a current annual certificate and work under a journeyman or master, and apprentice registration costs $35 per year.

The journeyman exam requires a minimum of two years as a registered apprentice, or successful completion of a board-approved apprentice training program combined with registered apprentice time equal to two years; journeyman fees are a $110 exam fee, a $50 application fee and $75 per year for the certificate.

The master exam requires at least one year as a certified Journeyman Plumber; master fees are a $160 written exam plus a $100 business law exam, a $50 application fee and $175 per year for the certificate.

The PGFB administers its own exams, and since January 1, 2023 applicants have been tested on the 2021 International Plumbing Code or the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code.

From January 1, 2026, every master-level applicant — master plumber and master gas fitter — must also pass a business law exam, with the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, 14th edition plus an Alabama supplement, as the reference.

Pass, and you have 90 calendar days to obtain your certification before you have to retest.

Our research did not confirm which testing vendor administers the PGFB's exams, so check the board's exams page before you book.

Every PGFB certificate renews annually, in a renewal window of October 1 through December 31.

Certified plumbers and gas fitters — journeyman and master certificate holders — must complete 4 hours of continuing education annually, regardless of how many certifications they hold.

Continuing education also has a deadline inside the renewal window: the board's notice says CE for the 2027 renewals must be completed prior to November 1, 2026, to avoid a deficiency plan and deficiency fee.

Not by transfer.

Alabama does not grant out-of-state licensed plumbers a license outright: a licensed plumber from another state may sit for the Alabama exam if their home license was earned by examination with a minimum score of 70% and is active and in good standing.

The board does publish two formal reciprocation paths — one with the Alabama LP Gas Board at the master gas fitter level, and one leading to the Alabama Master Plumber certificate for holders of a Mississippi Board of Contractors plumbing license.

Confirm any out-of-state license directly with the PGFB before you rely on it.

The PGFB's credentials are searchable online at alpgfb.igovsolution.net, with separate individual and business lookups.

Use the individual lookup before you rely on anyone's claim to hold a journeyman or master certificate, and the business lookup before you go to work for a company that says it is registered with the board.

Gas fitting is licensed by the same board on its own parallel ladder: the PGFB issues registered apprentice, journeyman and master certificates in gas fitting just as it does in plumbing, and the business law exam requirement applies to master gas fitter applicants too.

Work on medical gas piping carries a separate endorsement: it requires a current third-party ASSE 6010 installer certification in addition to a PGFB apprentice, journeyman or master credential.

The board also maintains a reciprocation path with the Alabama LP Gas Board at the master gas fitter level.