How Do You Get a Plumbing License in Indiana?
Yes: Indiana licenses plumbers statewide through the Indiana Plumbing Commission, part of the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency.
The ladder runs plumbing apprentice, journeyman plumber, plumbing contractor and plumbing corporation, with no master plumber license.
A journeyman applicant needs at least four years in an approved apprenticeship, another state's license, or four years of documented trade experience with an employer affidavit, must be at least 18, and passes the exam after Commission approval and registration with PROV.
Journeyman and contractor licenses expire December 31 of every odd year, and Indiana offers no reciprocity.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Yes.
Acting as a journeyman plumber or plumbing contractor without a license is unlawful; the state licenses apprentices, journeyman plumbers, plumbing contractors and plumbing corporations.
The Indiana Plumbing Commission, within the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA).
Plumbing Apprentice, Journeyman Plumber, Plumbing Contractor and Plumbing Corporation.
There is no master plumber license.
Journeyman: at least four years in an approved apprenticeship, another state's license, or four years of documented trade experience with an employer affidavit, at 18 or older.
Contractor: four years in an apprenticeship program, another state's plumbing license, or four years in the plumbing business under a licensed plumbing contractor.
After Plumbing Commission approval, you register with PROV (provexam.com).
Candidates may take the exam seven times within a two-year period.
Journeyman and contractor licenses expire December 31 of every odd year; apprentice licenses expire October 1 of even years.
CE was not found in our research — ask the Commission.
None for journeyman or contractor plumbers.
Out-of-state plumbers apply, are reviewed by the board and must pass the Indiana exam.
Start at the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency's site, in.gov/pla.
Our research did not capture a dedicated license-search URL.
The Indiana plumbing license ladder
- Plumbing ApprenticeEntry level
The starting credential: at least 17 years old and registered in a Plumbing Commission-approved apprenticeship program, with a $10 application fee.
- Journeyman PlumberJourneyman
The worker license: at least four years in an approved apprenticeship program, a plumbing license from another state, or four years of documented trade experience with an employer affidavit, at 18 or older, plus the exam.
- Plumbing ContractorContractor
The individual contracting license: four years in an apprenticeship program, a plumbing license from another state, or four years in the plumbing business under a licensed plumbing contractor, then the contractor exam.
- Plumbing CorporationOther
The license a corporation needs to contract for plumbing, tied to the licensed Plumbing Contractor it names as responsible and renewed with that confirmation.
Does Indiana require a state plumbing license?
Yes.
Indiana licenses plumbers statewide through the Indiana Plumbing Commission, which sits within the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA).
The Commission's license types are plumbing apprentice, journeyman plumber, plumbing contractor and plumbing corporation, and it is unlawful to act in the capacity of a plumbing contractor or journeyman plumber without a license.
“It is unlawful to act in the capacity of a plumbing contractor or journeyman plumber without a license.”
What are the Indiana plumbing license levels, and what can each legally do?
The state issues four plumbing credentials: the apprentice, journeyman plumber, plumbing contractor and plumbing corporation licenses.
An apprentice is at least 17 and registered in a Commission-approved apprenticeship program.
A journeyman plumber has met the experience rules and passed the exam; a plumbing contractor has done the same at the contractor level; a corporation contracting for plumbing needs the plumbing corporation license tied to its licensed plumbing contractor, named at each renewal.
The individual ladder tops out at contractor: Indiana issues no master plumber license.
One bridging rule: if a business's plumbing contractor licensee dies or becomes unable to operate the business, the Commission may issue an owner or officer a temporary plumbing contractor license in 6-month increments, at $25 per application or extension, for up to 2 years.
What are the requirements for each level: hours, training, exam and fees?
Apprentice: you must be at least 17 and registered in a Plumbing Commission-approved apprenticeship program, and the application fee is $10.
Before a 4-year apprenticeship counts as complete, the school must give each student a practical exam of copper, cast iron and plastic pipe assembly projects with 70% required on each.
Journeyman: at least four years in an approved apprenticeship program, a plumbing license from another state, or four years of documented trade experience backed by an employer affidavit, plus being at least 18 and passing the exam.
The journeyman fees are $30 to apply, then $30 to issue in even years ($15 in odd years).
Plumbing contractor: four years in an apprenticeship program, a plumbing license from another state, or four years in the plumbing business under a licensed plumbing contractor, then the contractor exam.
Its fees are $50 to apply and $100 to issue in even years ($50 in odd years), and the plumbing corporation license is $50 to apply.
Who gives the Indiana plumbing exam, and what is on it?
The Plumbing Commission approves your application first; you then register for the exam with PROV at provexam.com.
Candidates may take the exam seven times within a two-year period.
Our research does not describe what the Indiana plumbing exam covers; the Commission's licensing page and PROV's candidate information are the place to check before you schedule.
How do you renew, and how many CE hours does Indiana require?
Journeyman Plumber licenses expire December 31 of every odd year and the renewal fee is $30; plumbing contractor licenses expire the same day and renew for $100.
Apprentice licenses expire October 1 of every even year, renew for $10, and apprentices must confirm continued enrollment in an approved program at renewal.
Our research did not find a continuing-education requirement for Indiana plumbing licenses on the Commission's licensing page, so ask the Commission what applies before you renew.
“Journeyman Plumber licenses expire December 31st of every odd year and the renewal fee is $30.00.”
Does Indiana accept plumbing licenses from other states?
No. Reciprocity is not available for journeyman and contractor plumbers: an out-of-state plumber applies, is reviewed by the board and must pass the Indiana exam.
What an out-of-state license does count for is eligibility — a plumbing license from another state can replace the four-year apprenticeship requirement for both the journeyman exam and the contractor exam.
The license itself does not transfer.
“Reciprocity is not available for journeyman and contractor plumbers.”
How do you look up an Indiana plumbing license?
Start at in.gov/pla — the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency's site, which hosts both its license search and the Plumbing Commission's licensing information page this page's requirements come from.
Our research did not capture a dedicated license-search URL, so follow the agency's license search from that homepage.
Look up a license before you rely on it: to confirm a contractor's credentials before you hire, or your own once you hold it.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Indiana 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 Indiana Plumbing Commission, Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA) publishes.
For the rest of the picture in Indiana, see HVAC licensing in Indiana, plumbing apprenticeships in Indiana, plumbing contractor licensing in Indiana, and plumber pay in Indiana.
What Plumber Job Listings in Indiana Show Right Now
From the 19 active plumber listings on HVACHires as of October 7, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
- Mr. Rooter Plumbing8
- Comfort Systems USA3
- Mr. Plumber Indy2
Pay employers post
- 21% of plumber listings in Indiana state any pay at all.
Benefits listings name
- PTO / Paid Time Offnamed in 79%
- 401k Matchnamed in 53%
- Company Vehiclenamed in 53%
- Dental & Visionnamed in 47%
- Health Insurancenamed in 47%
Source: active plumber listings on HVACHires, updated daily. Pay figures use only listings that state pay (midpoint of each posted range), hourly and yearly counted separately. Benefits count listings that name the benefit; a listing that doesn’t mention one may still offer it.
Browse 19 jobs →Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to do plumbing work in Indiana?
Yes, to work at the journeyman or contractor level: Indiana makes it unlawful to act as a plumbing contractor or journeyman plumber without a license.
The Indiana Plumbing Commission, part of the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, issues four credentials: plumbing apprentice, journeyman plumber, plumbing contractor and plumbing corporation.
You start as an apprentice, which requires you to be at least 17 and registered in a Commission-approved apprenticeship program.
How long does it take to become a journeyman plumber in Indiana?
The apprenticeship route takes at least four years in a Plumbing Commission-approved program.
The alternatives are a plumbing license from another state, or four years of documented trade experience backed by an employer affidavit.
You must be at least 18 and pass the Indiana exam, which you register for with PROV after the Commission approves your application.
Before your apprenticeship counts as complete, your school must also pass you on a practical exam of copper, cast iron and plastic pipe assembly projects with 70% required on each.
Is there a master plumber license in Indiana?
No. Indiana's ladder runs apprentice, journeyman plumber, plumbing contractor and plumbing corporation — the individual ladder tops out at the plumbing contractor license, and the state issues no master plumber license.
To run plumbing work, the contractor license is the credential: four years in an apprenticeship program, another state's license, or four years in the plumbing business under a licensed plumbing contractor, plus the contractor exam.
A corporation needs the separate plumbing corporation license tied to its licensed contractor.
Does Indiana have plumbing license reciprocity with other states?
No. Reciprocity is not available for journeyman and contractor plumbers, so an out-of-state license does not transfer.
You apply as an out-of-state candidate, the board reviews your record, and you must pass the Indiana exam.
What an existing license does buy you is eligibility: a plumbing license from another state can substitute for the four-year apprenticeship requirement when you qualify for the journeyman or contractor exam.
How much does an Indiana plumbing license cost?
Application fees are $10 for an apprentice, $30 for a journeyman and $50 for a plumbing contractor.
Issuance runs $30 for a journeyman in even years ($15 in odd years) and $100 for a contractor in even years ($50 in odd years), because the licenses expire December 31 of every odd year.
Renewals are $30 journeyman, $100 contractor and $10 apprentice — apprentice licenses expire October 1 of even years.
A plumbing corporation license is $50 to apply and $100 to renew.
More Indiana Resources
Sources
- Indiana Professional Licensing Agency: Plumbing licensing information (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 Indiana Plumbing Commission, Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA).