How Do You Get a Plumbing License in Arkansas?
Yes: Arkansas licenses plumbers statewide through the Arkansas Department of Health.
You register as an apprentice plumber under a master plumber, sit the journeyman exam with 4 years of experience (or its equivalent), and move up to master with 5 years plus one full year as a licensed journeyman.
Journeyman and master licenses expire December 31 each year, gas fitting and backflow carry separate credentials, and the Department of Health publishes a public license lookup.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Yes.
The Arkansas Department of Health licenses plumbers statewide.
The Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing & Natural Gas section, with the Committee of Plumbing Examiners overseeing plumber licensing.
Apprentice, Journeyman and Master Plumber, plus restricted licenses for gas fitter, water and sewer service line, hospital maintenance and governmental maintenance work.
4 years of experience (or its equivalent) for the journeyman exam; 5 years plus one full year as a licensed journeyman for the master exam.
The State Committee of Plumbing Examiners approves exam applicants; the vendor and the exam content were not identified in our research — ask the board.
Journeyman and master licenses expire December 31 each year; apprentices renew at $25 per year.
CE hours were not identified in our research.
Out-of-state plumbers licensed where laws are substantially similar may be approved to sit Arkansas's exam; automatic licensure exists for qualifying new residents and uniformed-service members.
The Department of Health's public plumbing license search at adhplumbinghvacrlookup.arkansas.gov.
The Arkansas plumbing license ladder
- Apprentice PlumberEntry level
Registers with the Department of Health for $25 per year, naming the Arkansas master plumber you work under, and enrolls in the state Apprentice Plumber training program.
- Journeyman PlumberJourneyman
The exam license for plumbers with 4 years of experience (or its equivalent), at a $75 application plus a $75 license fee.
- Master PlumberMaster
The senior exam license: 5 years of experience and one full year as a licensed journeyman, at a $125 application plus a $200 license fee.
- Restricted Plumber LicensesSpecialty
Limited licenses for defined scopes of work — gas fitter, water and sewer service line, hospital maintenance, governmental maintenance — each with its own requirements.
Does Arkansas require a state plumbing license?
Yes.
Arkansas licenses plumbers statewide through the Arkansas Department of Health: plumbing sits in the department's Plumbing & Natural Gas section, with the Committee of Plumbing Examiners overseeing plumber licensing.
The state licenses apprentice, journeyman and master plumbers, plus a set of restricted licenses for defined kinds of work.
These are licenses held by individuals: apprentices register with the Department of Health and name the master plumber they work under.
What are the Arkansas plumbing license levels, and what can each legally do?
The Department of Health's ladder runs apprentice, journeyman and master plumber.
An apprentice plumber must be registered under an Arkansas master plumber and enrolled in the state Apprentice Plumber training program, and apprentices who complete the program can be considered for the journeyman exam.
Journeyman and master are exam licenses: the journeyman exam requires 4 years of experience (or its equivalent), and the master exam requires 5 years plus one full year as a licensed journeyman.
Alongside the three main levels, Arkansas issues restricted plumber licenses limited to gas fitter, water and sewer service line, hospital maintenance and governmental maintenance work.
The documents we read list no separate state plumbing contractor license from the Department of Health: plumbing work is contracted under a master plumber license, and the business-side rules are the employer's side of this.
What does each level require: hours, training and fees?
Experience is the gate.
The journeyman plumber exam requires 4 years of experience or its equivalent; the master plumber exam requires 5 years, and you must have held the journeyman license one full year before you sit for it.
Apprentices register with the Department of Health for $25 per year and name the master plumber they work under.
The Department of Health's January 2026 fee schedule lists $75 application plus $75 license for journeyman and $125 application plus $200 license for master, with both licenses expiring December 31 each year.
Applicants who are not enrolled in the Arkansas Plumbing Apprenticeship Program must document their plumbing and gas fitting work history with notarized affidavits from current or former employers, and only legal work history counts.
“An applicant for the Master Plumber examination shall have a minimum of five (5) years’ experience and an applicant for Journeyman Plumber examination licensing shall have a minimum of four (4) years’ experience or its equivalent.”
Who gives the Arkansas plumbing exam, and what is on it?
The State Committee of Plumbing Examiners approves applicants for the master, journeyman and restricted plumber examinations.
The Arkansas Plumbing and Fuel Gas Codes the program works from are state editions published by the International Code Council (ICC).
The documents we read do not name the exam vendor, the code edition year or the exam's content, so confirm the current exam format with the Department of Health's Plumbing & Natural Gas section before you schedule.
How do you renew, and how many CE hours does Arkansas require?
Journeyman and master plumber licenses expire December 31 each year, and apprentices renew their registration annually at $25.
The Department of Health documents we read do not state a continuing-education requirement for journeyman or master plumbers; we did not find CE hours in them.
Renewal rules change, so confirm the current CE expectation with the Plumbing & Natural Gas section before your renewal is due.
Does Arkansas accept licenses from other states?
The pathway the Arkansas rules describe runs through the state's own exam.
The State Committee of Plumbing Examiners may approve an applicant who is currently licensed where the laws are substantially similar to sit the master, journeyman or restricted plumber examination.
Arkansas also provides automatic licensure to qualifying new residents and uniformed-service members.
If you hold a license in another state, ask the Committee which route applies to you before you apply.
“The State Committee of Plumbing Examiners shall approve an applicant for Master or Journeyman or Restricted Plumber examination provided that the applicant is currently licensed”
How do you look up an Arkansas plumbing license?
The Department of Health publishes a public license search for plumbing licensees at adhplumbinghvacrlookup.arkansas.gov.
Search it before you hire a plumber, and before you take a job with a contractor who says their license covers your work.
Gas fitting and backflow: separate Arkansas credentials
Gas fitting has its own restricted licenses: Gas Fitter at a $75 application plus a $75 license, Gas Fitter Supervisor at $125 plus $200, and Gas Fitter Trainee at $25, and they expire June 30 rather than December 31.
Backflow work is credentialed separately too: an Assembly Testing Technician credential runs 2 years and an Assembly Repair Technician credential is lifetime, with no state fee listed in the schedule we read.
Liquid propane is different again: LP-gas licensing in Arkansas sits with the Arkansas Liquefied Petroleum Gas Board, not the plumbing program.
The Arkansas Plumbing and Fuel Gas Codes the plumbing program uses are state editions published by the International Code Council (ICC).
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Arkansas board pages, statutes, rules and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state plumbing licensing series, current as of September 2026.
It is not a substitute for the instructions the Arkansas Department of Health (Plumbing & Natural Gas section, Committee of Plumbing Examiners) publishes.
For the rest of the picture in Arkansas, see HVAC licensing in Arkansas, plumbing apprenticeships in Arkansas, plumbing contractor licensing in Arkansas, and plumber pay in Arkansas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to do plumbing work in Arkansas?
Yes.
The Arkansas Department of Health licenses plumbers statewide, through its Plumbing & Natural Gas section and the Committee of Plumbing Examiners.
You register as an apprentice under a master plumber, then sit the journeyman exam with 4 years of experience (or its equivalent) and the master exam at 5 years with one full year as a licensed journeyman.
Restricted licenses cover gas fitting, service lines, hospital and governmental maintenance.
How much does an Arkansas plumbing license cost?
As of January 2026: apprentice registration is $25 per year; the journeyman plumber license is a $75 application plus a $75 license fee; and the master plumber license is a $125 application plus a $200 license fee.
Journeyman and master licenses expire December 31 each year, so budget for annual renewal.
Gas fitter licenses are separate: $75 plus $75 for Gas Fitter, $125 plus $200 for Gas Fitter Supervisor, and $25 for a Gas Fitter Trainee.
Does Arkansas accept out-of-state plumber licenses?
Not automatically.
For an out-of-state plumber, the route the rules describe runs through Arkansas's exam: the State Committee of Plumbing Examiners may approve an applicant who is currently licensed where the laws are substantially similar to sit the master, journeyman or restricted plumber examination.
Separately, Arkansas grants automatic licensure to qualifying new residents and uniformed-service members.
Ask the Committee which route applies to you before you apply.
How many continuing education hours do Arkansas plumbers need to renew?
Our research did not find a continuing-education requirement for journeyman or master plumbers in the Department of Health documents we read; the exam vendor, code edition year and CE hours were not identified in them.
That is not the same as a rule saying no CE applies.
Before your December 31 renewal, ask the Plumbing & Natural Gas section what it currently requires so your license does not lapse.
Can you work on gas lines with an Arkansas plumbing license?
Gas fitting in Arkansas is its own restricted license, not part of the journeyman or master plumber license: Gas Fitter, Gas Fitter Supervisor and Gas Fitter Trainee, which expire June 30.
If you work with liquid propane, LP-gas licensing sits with the Arkansas Liquefied Petroleum Gas Board, outside the plumbing program.
Backflow work is credentialed separately as well, through the Assembly Testing Technician and Assembly Repair Technician credentials.
More Arkansas Resources
Sources
- Arkansas Department of Health: Plumbing Licensing Rules (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Arkansas Department of Health: Instructions for Plumber Exam Applications (2026) (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Arkansas Department of Health: Plumbing & Natural Gas licensing page (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Arkansas Department of Health: Apprentice Plumber Application (retrieved 2026-09-29)
Sourced from the documents listed above.
Verified September 2026.
This is career information, not legal advice.
Confirm current rules with the Arkansas Department of Health (Plumbing & Natural Gas section, Committee of Plumbing Examiners).