How Do You Get a Plumbing License in Vermont?
You get a Vermont plumbing license from the Plumber's Examining Board, administered through the Division of Fire Safety — Vermont licenses plumbers statewide.
You qualify for the Plumbing Journeyman (PJ) exam by documenting a plumbing apprenticeship verified by the Vermont Apprenticeship Council, or equivalent training and experience the Board accepts.
For the Plumbing Master (PM) exam, you need a Vermont journeyman license held at least 12 months, or equivalent training and experience.
Vermont also issues three specialist licenses: P1 Water Heater, P2 Heating System and P3 Water Treatment.
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At a glance
Yes.
Vermont licenses plumbers statewide — Plumbing Master, Plumbing Journeyman and three specialist licenses.
The Plumber's Examining Board, administered by the Division of Fire Safety.
Plumbing Master (PM), Plumbing Journeyman (PJ), and specialists P1 Water Heater, P2 Heating System and P3 Water Treatment.
Journeyman exam candidates document an apprenticeship verified by the Vermont Apprenticeship Council, or equivalent the Board accepts.
Master exam candidates need a Vermont journeyman license held at least 12 months, or equivalent training and experience.
The DFS licensing page links ICC for plumbing testing and a 2026 Prov bulletin — the exact vendor split is not confirmed in our research.
Every two years: $120 master, $90 journeyman, $50 specialist, plus 8 hours of Board-approved training in the previous 24 months.
Endorsement for plumbers licensed in good standing in another US jurisdiction for at least three years.
The DFS Licensing MasterList on data.vermont.gov.
The Vermont plumbing license ladder
- Plumbing Journeyman(PJ)Journeyman
Exam candidates document a plumbing apprenticeship verified by the Vermont Apprenticeship Council, or equivalent training and experience acceptable to the Board.
- Plumbing Master(PM)Master
Master exam candidates must have held a Vermont journeyman plumber license for at least 12 months, or show equivalent training and experience.
- Water Heater Specialist(P1)Specialty
A specialist license for water heater work; specialists may work only in the specialty named on their license.
- Heating System Specialist(P2)Specialty
Covers installation, replacement and repair of residential, industrial or commercial hydronic space heating systems, with steam systems limited to 15 PSIG.
- Water Treatment Specialist(P3)Specialty
A specialist license for water treatment work; specialists may work only in the specialty named on their license.
Does Vermont require a state plumbing license?
Yes.
Vermont licenses plumbers statewide through the Plumber's Examining Board, administered by the Division of Fire Safety, which runs the state's trade licensing.
The Division's licensing page lists the licenses: Plumbing Master, Plumbing Journeyman and three specialist licenses — P1 Water Heater, P2 Heating System and P3 Water Treatment.
The statute exempts plumbing and specialty work performed by an owner, or the owner's regular employees, in the owner-occupied, freestanding single-family dwelling from the license requirement.
Per the Division's plumbing page, Vermont currently adopts the 2021 International Plumbing Code, with the Vermont Plumbing Rules, 2025 edition.
What are the Vermont plumbing license levels, and what can each legally do?
The Division's licensing ledger lists Vermont's plumbing levels as Plumbing Master (PM), Plumbing Journeyman (PJ) and three specialist licenses: P1 Water Heater, P2 Heating System and P3 Water Treatment.
Under the statute, specialists may work only in the specialty named on their license: the Heating System Specialist (P2) license covers installation, replacement and repair of residential, industrial or commercial hydronic space heating systems, with steam systems limited to 15 PSIG.
The statute also ties hiring to licensing: a specialty plumbing business may hire or employ only people licensed in that specialty, and employing unlicensed workers for plumbing carries fines up to $1,000 per offense.
What does each Vermont plumbing license require: hours, training, exam and fees?
To sit the journeyman plumber exam, you document a plumbing apprenticeship that includes both instruction and practice in work processes, verified by the Vermont Apprenticeship Council, or equivalent training and experience acceptable to the Board.
For the master plumber exam, you must have held a Vermont journeyman plumber license for at least 12 months, or show equivalent training and experience.
Statutory fees are $120 for a master plumber license, $90 for a journeyman plumber license and $50 for a specialist license, and the same amounts apply at renewal.
Service members and veterans can qualify for the journeyman license without an exam with the 12K Plumber designation and a minimum of 8,000 hours and four years of active-duty field work.
The exact apprenticeship hours for the journeyman route are not stated in the sources we read; ask the Board what it accepts as equivalent training and experience.
“documents apprenticeship in plumbing that includes both instruction and practice in work processes as verified by the Vermont Apprenticeship Council”
Who gives the Vermont plumbing exam, and what is on it?
The Division of Fire Safety's licensing page links ICC for plumbing testing and publishes a 2026 Prov bulletin, which our research reads as Vermont plumbing exams being ICC exams delivered through Prov — though the exact vendor split is not confirmed.
The sources we read do not describe the exam's content outline; the Division's licensing page links the testing information.
How do you renew a Vermont plumbing license, and how many CE hours does it require?
Vermont plumbing licenses are valid for two years.
Renewal takes evidence of 8 hours of continued training or instruction approved by the Board, completed within the previous 24-month period, and the renewal fees are the same as the original license fees: $120 master, $90 journeyman, $50 specialist.
On top of the training hours, the Division's plumbing page says every new or renewing Vermont trade license or certification — plumbing, electrical, gas and oil — has required the Vermont Energy Goals education module since July 1, 2021.
“applicants for license renewal shall provide to the Board evidence of completion of eight hours of continued training or instruction, approved by the Board, within the previous 24-month period.”
Does Vermont accept plumbing licenses from other states?
Vermont must issue plumbing licenses by endorsement to people who have been licensed in good standing in another jurisdiction within the United States for at least three years.
That is an endorsement rule written into the plumbing statute, not a named list of partner states; our research did not find named-state plumbing reciprocity agreements for Vermont.
Contact the Board through the Division of Fire Safety to confirm what an endorsement application needs from your current state.
“who have been licensed in good standing in another jurisdiction within the United States for at least three years”
How do you look up a Vermont plumbing license?
Vermont publishes a master list of trade license and certification holders — the DFS Licensing MasterList on data.vermont.gov.
Search it to confirm a plumber's license before you rely on it, or to check that your own license appears once issued.
Do Vermont plumbers need a separate gas certification?
Plumbing is not the only state credential a Vermont plumber may need.
Everyone who inspects, installs or services propane (LP) or natural gas systems must hold a Division of Fire Safety gas certification: Natural Gas Installer, LP Gas Installer, or both.
The Natural Gas Installer certification requires completing the American Gas Association course of study, and renewal takes 8 hours of related instruction in the previous 3 years, at least 2 hours of it on CO leakage prevention/appliance safety inspection.
Our research did not surface a separate statewide backflow credential for Vermont; ask the Division of Fire Safety where a project involves backflow work.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Vermont 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 Division of Fire Safety, Plumber's Examining Board publishes.
For the rest of the picture in Vermont, see HVAC licensing in Vermont, plumbing apprenticeships in Vermont, plumbing contractor licensing in Vermont, and plumber pay in Vermont.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to become a journeyman plumber in Vermont?
The statute bases journeyman exam eligibility on a documented plumbing apprenticeship — both instruction and practice in work processes — verified by the Vermont Apprenticeship Council, or on equivalent training and experience acceptable to the Board.
The sources we read do not state a fixed hour total for that apprenticeship, so your timeline depends on your program or on how the Board assesses your experience.
Confirm the route with the Board through the Division of Fire Safety before you commit to one.
Can a homeowner do their own plumbing in Vermont?
It depends who is doing the work, and where.
Vermont's plumbing statute exempts plumbing and specialty work performed by an owner, or the owner's regular employees, in the owner-occupied, freestanding single-family dwelling.
That is the exemption our research recorded; for anything else, assume the license requirement applies and confirm with the Division of Fire Safety.
How much does a Vermont plumbing license cost?
Vermont's statutory fees are $120 for a master plumber license, $90 for a journeyman plumber license and $50 for a specialist license, and the same amounts apply at renewal.
Licenses run on two-year cycles, and each renewal also requires evidence of 8 hours of Board-approved training completed in the previous 24 months.
Does Vermont have reciprocity for out-of-state plumbers?
Vermont's plumbing statute requires licensure by endorsement: the state must issue plumbing licenses to people who have been licensed in good standing in another US jurisdiction for at least three years.
It is a statutory endorsement rule rather than a list of named partner states.
Contact the Plumber's Examining Board through the Division of Fire Safety to confirm what the endorsement application requires.
What is a Vermont P1, P2 or P3 plumbing specialist license?
Vermont issues three specialist licenses: P1 Water Heater, P2 Heating System and P3 Water Treatment.
A specialist may work only in the specialty named on the license.
The Heating System Specialist (P2) license covers installation, replacement and repair of residential, industrial or commercial hydronic space heating systems, with steam systems limited to 15 PSIG.
A specialty plumbing business may employ only people licensed in its specialty.
More Vermont Resources
Sources
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety — trade licensing (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Vermont General Assembly — 26 V.S.A. ch. 39, Plumbers (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety — plumbing (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety — gas certifications (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 Division of Fire Safety, Plumber's Examining Board.