How Do You Get a Plumbing License in Minnesota?
Yes: Minnesota licenses plumbing work statewide through the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI).
Only licensed plumbers, DLI-registered unlicensed plumbers, and people enrolled in DLI-registered apprenticeships may do plumbing work, and the unlicensed work under direct supervision at all times by a licensed journeyworker or master.
The ladder runs registered unlicensed plumber ($14 to file, no experience), journeyworker (four years and 7,000 hours), master.
Exams are given by DLI — $50 to apply, 5.5 hours — and journeyworker and master licenses renew December 31 of odd-numbered years with 16 hours of CE.
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At a glance
Yes.
Only DLI-licensed plumbers, DLI-registered unlicensed plumbers, and people enrolled in a DLI-registered apprenticeship may do plumbing work in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI).
Registered unlicensed plumber (the former apprentice registration), journeyworker plumber, master plumber, restricted journeyworker and restricted master licenses, plus the plumbing contractor license.
Journeyworker: four years and 7,000 hours, including at least 2,000 hours water distribution, 2,000 hours drain-waste-vent and 1,000 hours fixture installation.
Master: at least one year as a licensed journeyworker.
Plumbing exams are given by DLI, including at its St. Paul office: $50 to apply, all plumbing exams run 5.5 hours, and a failed exam means a 30-day wait to reapply.
Journeyworker and master licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years: $53 and $93 to renew, with 16 hours of CE each two-year period, at least 8 on the State Plumbing Code.
Registered unlicensed plumbers renew June 30 with 2 hours of code CE (initial filing: $14).
No license-for-license reciprocity found in our research.
An out-of-state license that required at least four years of experience and an exam qualifies you to sit the Minnesota journeyworker exam — exam eligibility, not a transfer.
Our research recorded DLI's license and registration lookup (dli.mn.gov/license-and-registration-lookup) but did not confirm how it covers plumbers — confirm with DLI.
The Minnesota plumbing license ladder
- Registered Unlicensed PlumberEntry level
The entry registration — the name that replaced the old apprentice registration: no experience needed, a $14 initial filing fee, renewal every June 30 with 2 hours of code CE, and plumbing work only while directly supervised at all times by a licensed journeyworker or master.
- Journeyworker PlumberJourneyman
Reached by exam: a registered unlicensed plumber with four years and 7,000 hours of practical experience (with category minimums) can sit DLI's 5.5-hour exam; other routes in are completing a DLI-registered apprenticeship or holding a qualifying out-of-state license.
- Restricted Journeyworker PlumberJourneyman
A journeyworker-level license valid only in cities and towns with a population under 5,000.
- Master PlumberMaster
The top worker license, open after at least one year as a licensed journeyworker — or an equivalent master license from another state, or a restricted master license plus five years as a Minnesota plumbing contractor.
- Restricted Master PlumberMaster
A master-level license valid only in cities and towns with a population under 5,000.
- Plumbing ContractorContractor
The license required to contract for plumbing (a restricted variant covers towns under 5,000): $188 to apply for and renew, a responsible licensed individual holding an active master plumber license, and a December 31 expiry in odd-numbered years.
Does Minnesota require a state plumbing license?
Yes.
Minnesota requires a state credential to do plumbing work: only DLI-licensed plumbers, DLI-registered unlicensed plumbers, or people enrolled in a DLI-registered apprenticeship may do plumbing, and the unlicensed groups must be directly supervised at all times by a licensed journeyworker or master.
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) administers every credential on the ladder.
What are the Minnesota plumbing license levels, and what can each legally do?
DLI's worker credentials are the registered unlicensed plumber, the journeyworker plumber and the master plumber, plus restricted journeyworker and restricted master licenses valid only in cities and towns under 5,000 population.
The registered unlicensed plumber is the entry point: no experience is needed, and the holder must be directly supervised at all times by a licensed journeyworker or master, and must be a W-2 employee of a licensed plumbing contractor or registered plumbing employer.
Journeyworker and master plumbers are the licensed workers who provide that supervision.
Contracting is its own step: a plumbing contractor license (or a restricted plumbing contractor license for towns under 5,000) is required to contract for plumbing, it costs $188 to apply for and renew, and it expires December 31 of odd-numbered years.
“Your work is directly supervised at all times by a licensed journeyworker or master plumber.”
What does each Minnesota plumbing license level require (hours, training, fees)?
The registered unlicensed plumber needs no experience and pays a $14 initial filing fee; the registration renews every June 30 with 2 hours of code continuing education, and the holder must be a W-2 employee of a licensed plumbing contractor or registered plumbing employer.
A registered unlicensed plumber can take the journeyworker exam after four years and 7,000 hours of practical experience — at least 2,000 hours water distribution, 2,000 hours drain-waste-vent and 1,000 hours fixture installation — with no more than 1,750 hours counted per calendar year; completing a DLI-registered apprenticeship is another route to the same exam.
The master exam opens after at least one year as a licensed journeyworker, an equivalent master license from another state, or a restricted master license plus five years as a Minnesota plumbing contractor.
Our research captured the renewal fees but not the initial journeyworker and master license fees, so check with DLI before you apply.
“There is no work experience required to register as a registered unlicensed plumber and the initial filing fee is $14.”
Who gives the Minnesota plumbing exam, and what is on it?
DLI gives Minnesota's plumbing exams, including at its St. Paul office.
The application fee is $50 and all plumbing exams run 5.5 hours.
If you fail, you must wait 30 days before reapplying.
Our research does not describe the content outline of the journeyworker or master exams, so use DLI's exam schedule page and any candidate materials DLI publishes to see what a given exam covers.
“All plumbing exams: 5.5 hours”
How do you renew a Minnesota plumbing license, and how many CE hours does it require?
Journeyworker and master plumber licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years.
Renewing costs $53 for a journeyworker and $93 for a master, and both must complete 16 hours of approved continuing education in each two-year license period, at least 8 hours on the State Plumbing Code.
The registered unlicensed plumber is on its own cycle: the registration renews every June 30 with 2 hours of code CE, and the initial filing fee is $14.
“must complete 16 hours of approved continuing education (CE) in each two-year license period. At least eight hours must pertain to the State Plumbing Code”
Does Minnesota accept plumbing licenses from other states?
Our research found no license-for-license reciprocity for Minnesota plumbing licenses.
A current plumber's license from another state — one whose licensing jurisdiction required at least four years of practical plumbing experience and an examination — qualifies you to sit the Minnesota journeyworker exam, and you still have to pass it.
The master rule works the same way: an equivalent master license from another state is one of the routes into the master exam.
Confirm your specific situation with DLI before you count on any waiver.
“Have a current plumber’s license from another state where the licensing jurisdiction requires at least four years of practical plumbing experience and an examination to qualify for licensure.”
How do you look up a Minnesota plumbing license?
Our research recorded DLI's license and registration lookup (dli.mn.gov/license-and-registration-lookup) but did not confirm how it covers plumbers and did not find a plumbing-specific search page.
Start from the portal, and check any license before you hire someone who claims a Minnesota plumbing license, or before you take a job from a contractor you have not checked.
Do you need a separate credential for medical gas, backflow or water conditioning work?
Several specialty credentials sit outside the plumber ladder.
DLI issues medical gas certifications, which carry 4 hours of approved continuing education each license period beginning with the initial renewal.
It also issues backflow (RPZ) tester and rebuilder credentials, which require current ASSE 5110/5130 certification, and water conditioning licenses.
Which plumbing code does Minnesota enforce?
The 2020 Minnesota Plumbing Code (chapter 4714) took effect December 17, 2021.
It incorporates by reference the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code with Minnesota amendments.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Minnesota 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 Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) publishes.
For the rest of the picture in Minnesota, see HVAC licensing in Minnesota, plumbing apprenticeships in Minnesota, plumbing contractor licensing in Minnesota, and plumber pay in Minnesota.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a journeyman (journeyworker) plumber in Minnesota?
Plan on at least four years.
Minnesota calls the worker license a journeyworker plumber license, and a registered unlicensed plumber can take the journeyworker exam after four years and 7,000 hours of practical plumbing experience — including at least 2,000 hours water distribution, 2,000 hours drain-waste-vent and 1,000 hours fixture installation, with no more than 1,750 hours counted per calendar year.
Completing a DLI-registered apprenticeship is another route to the same exam, and at least one more year as a licensed journeyworker makes you eligible for the master exam.
How much does a Minnesota plumbing license cost?
The entry registration is $14 to file, and the plumbing exam application is $50.
Once licensed, renewal is $53 every two years for a journeyworker and $93 for a master, both expiring December 31 of odd-numbered years.
Our research did not capture the initial journeyworker and master license fees, so check DLI's plumbing licensing pages before you apply.
Do you need a license to do plumbing work in Minnesota?
Yes.
Only DLI-licensed plumbers, DLI-registered unlicensed plumbers, and people enrolled in a DLI-registered apprenticeship may do plumbing work, and unlicensed workers must be directly supervised at all times by a licensed journeyworker or master.
Running your own plumbing business takes the separate plumbing contractor license, which requires a responsible licensed individual who holds an active master plumber license.
Does Minnesota have plumbing license reciprocity with other states?
Our research found no license-for-license reciprocity.
What Minnesota does offer is exam eligibility: a current plumber's license from another state whose licensing jurisdiction required at least four years of practical plumbing experience and an examination qualifies you to sit the Minnesota journeyworker exam, and an equivalent out-of-state master license is one route to the master exam.
You still pass Minnesota's test either way.
Confirm your situation with DLI before you apply.
What is a registered unlicensed plumber in Minnesota?
It is the entry credential — the name that replaced the old 'apprentice' registration.
There is no work experience required to register and the initial filing fee is $14.
You renew every June 30 with 2 hours of code continuing education, work while directly supervised at all times by a licensed journeyworker or master, and must be a W-2 employee of a licensed plumbing contractor or registered plumbing employer.
More Minnesota Resources
Sources
- DLI — Plumbing License Basics (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- DLI — Registered Unlicensed Plumbers (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- DLI — Plumbing License Experience Requirements (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- DLI — License Exam Schedule (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- DLI — Continuing Education Requirements for Plumbers (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- DLI — Plumbing License Types and Credentials (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- DLI — 2020 Minnesota Plumbing Code (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- DLI — Plumbing Contractor Licensing Basics (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 Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI).