Plumbing Apprenticeships in Washington: Programs, Requirements and How to Apply

Washington is a State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) state: registered apprenticeship programs there are registered by a state agency acting for the U.S. Department of Labor, not by DOL's federal Office of Apprenticeship.

Our research confirmed union locals by name — the five UA locals and the two SMART sheet metal locals listed below — but no Washington employer program, association chapter or community-college apprenticeship appeared in the sources we read, so treat any such program as unverified until you check it.

Whichever program you approach, ask whether it is registered.

Yes, and the state credential comes first.

L&I requires certification to work in the plumbing trade, and apprentices work on a plumber trainee certificate: at least 16 years old, $60 for a certificate valid 12 months, work under the direct supervision of a certified plumber, and 8 hours of approved continuing education yearly to renew it.

Trainees report supervised hours yearly on notarized affidavits, and hours from out-of-state employers or out-of-state apprenticeship programs do not count.

Registering with an apprenticeship program is a separate step — completing a registered program earns a completion certificate issued by the registration agency, and that certificate is not a trade license.

The UA locals listed in Washington are Local 26 (Western Washington), Locals 32 and 699 (Seattle), Local 44 (Spokane) and Local 598 (Pasco).

Nationally, the UA says its apprenticeships are registered with DOL and typically last five years, covering plumbing, pipefitting, HVACR, welding and fire protection.

Our research confirmed these locals by name but did not confirm which trades each covers or whether each runs a plumbing apprenticeship, so a listed local is not necessarily a plumbing local — ask the local what it trains.

Related but distinct: SMART's Washington locals — Local 66 (Seattle) and Local 55 (Pasco) — train sheet metal workers, not plumbers.

Our research also did not capture the locals' intake windows, entrance exams or application fees.

If you are in Tacoma, Vancouver or any city our sources listed no local for, start with the nearest UA local or the state apprenticeship agency and ask where to apply.

Our research confirmed no Washington merit-shop or employer plumbing apprenticeship program by name.

Nationally, ABC (Associated Builders and Contractors) describes itself as founded on the merit shop philosophy and reports more than 24,000 members, and PHCC (Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association) offers apprenticeship content through an online learning academy — but which chapters run registered programs is decided chapter by chapter and was not verified for Washington.

If an employer offers to train you, the test is registration: ask the sponsor or the state apprenticeship agency whether the program is registered before you sign on, and keep in mind that hours from out-of-state employers or out-of-state programs do not count toward L&I certification.

Our research did not name the Washington colleges or training centers that deliver classroom instruction for plumbing apprenticeships, so confirm the classroom side with your sponsor.

Federally, DOL recommends — but does not require — a minimum of 144 hours of related technical instruction per year of apprenticeship; whether Washington adds a state classroom mandate for apprentices is not established in our research.

The one classroom number our research confirmed for Washington plumber trainees is on the certification side: 8 hours of approved continuing education yearly to renew the trainee certificate.

Start with the trainee certificate: Washington requires certification to work in the plumbing trade, and the hours that count toward journey level are trainee hours — hours from out-of-state employers or out-of-state programs do not count.

Apply to L&I's Plumber Certification Program as a plumber trainee: at least 16 years old, $60, certificate valid 12 months, hours reported yearly on notarized affidavits.

Then choose the route: a union apprenticeship if a local near you runs one — the UA locals listed in Washington are Locals 26, 32, 699, 44 and 598, and which run plumbing apprenticeships is not confirmed — or a registered employer or association program if you find one; ask the sponsor for its application steps, deadlines and fees.

Federally, a registered apprentice must be at least 16 years old unless a higher minimum age is set by law; the occupation must require at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning; pay follows a progressively increasing schedule tied to skill; and any probationary period may not exceed 25% of the program length or 1 year, whichever is shorter.

At completion you earn a completion certificate from the registration agency; the certificate is not a trade license.