How Do You Get a Plumbing License in Montana?

Yes.

Montana licenses plumbers statewide through the Board of Plumbers, part of the state Department of Labor & Industry: a person working in the field of plumbing as a master or journeyman plumber must first obtain a state license.

The board issues two classes of licensure, Journeyman and Master.

The statute carries exceptions, including work on an owner-occupied single-family home, plumbing at mines, mills and refineries, and plumbing on farms and ranches not served by public water or sewer.

And under a 1998 Montana Attorney General opinion, the license requirement reaches only work in an incorporated city or town, or in an area served by a public water supply or sewer system (or connected to one) — the statute was amended after that opinion, so confirm with the board where your work falls.

Montana's ladder is short: Journeyman Plumber, then Master Plumber.

The split turns on who controls the work.

A licensed journeyman plumber may perform work only in the employment of a licensed master plumber, unless board rule permits otherwise.

Only a licensed master may plan, estimate, bid, contract for and supervise plumbing work, and only masters may apply for and pull plumbing permits.

A journeyman license does not authorize running or advertising a plumbing business; a non-plumber may own a plumbing business, but the business must name a licensed master as its master plumber of record.

The license itself covers plumbing and potable-water piping, including water heaters and their vents — it is not an HVAC license.

Journeyman applicants need 5 years (7,500 hours) of legally obtained plumbing experience or a registered apprenticeship completion certificate, and the board's application checklist allows up to 2 years' credit for approved engineering or trade school or for steamfitting, hydronics and industrial piping experience.

The journeyman application fee is $270 by examination or $400 by out-of-state reciprocity, plus $100 for an optional temporary work permit while you wait for the exam (checklist updated February 9, 2023).

Master applicants need 4 years as a licensed journeyman, with 3 of those years — which may run concurrently — working with a licensed master plumber or in a supervisory capacity.

The statute counts one year of experience as 1,500 hours or more of work in a continuous 12-month period.

The master application fee is $380, plus $100 for a temporary journeyman work permit if you request one.

Apprentices as Montana's apprenticeship statute (MCA 39-6-101) defines them are exempt from Montana plumbing licensure while working under the supervision of a licensed plumber.

The Board of Plumbers approves your application first; the exam is then scheduled through IAPMO, and exam fees are paid directly to IAPMO.

The journeyman written exam is 100 multiple-choice questions on the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code as amended plus board statutes and rules — open book, with a 3-hour time limit.

Journeyman candidates also take a practical exam of three virtual diagrams, limited to 2.5 hours.

The master written exam is 125 multiple-choice questions on the same code and rules, open book with a 3-hour limit, and master candidates bring their own tabbed code book.

A minimum score of 70% is required on the journeyman written exam, the journeyman practical and the master written exam.

Montana plumbing licenses expire annually on September 1.

Each active licensee must complete 4 hours of board-approved continuing education each license year, and new licensees are exempt for their first renewal.

Our research did not find the current renewal fee amount, so confirm it with the board before you renew.

The board lists journeyman-only reciprocity agreements with Oregon, Idaho, North Dakota and South Dakota, and states plainly that Montana does not reciprocate a master license.

A journeyman coming in on reciprocity still applies to the board for a Montana license before working — the reciprocity application fee is $400, against $270 on the examination route.

A master licensed in another state would need to meet Montana's own master requirements — 4 years as a licensed journeyman (3 of them with a master or supervising), the $380 application and the master exam scheduled through IAPMO.

Ask the board how out-of-state journeyman years are counted.

The Department of Labor & Industry's public Licensee Lookup System covers Montana licensees, including plumbers.

Verify a license there at ebizws.mt.gov before you take a job with — or hire — anyone who says they hold a Montana plumbing license.

Montana issues a Medical Gas Endorsement for plumbers, which requires proof of completing a board-approved training program.

Beyond that endorsement, our research did not confirm whether Montana issues a separate statewide gas-fitter or backflow-tester credential — ask the Board of Plumbers which rules apply to the work you plan to do.