Plumbing Contractor License in Indiana: Requirements, Qualifier, Bond and Exams
Yes: Indiana licenses plumbing contractors statewide through the Indiana Plumbing Commission, part of the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency.
The contracting credential is the Plumbing Contractor license, and a corporation also needs its own Plumbing Corporation license tied to the licensed Plumbing Contractor it names as responsible.
The qualifier needs four years in an apprenticeship program, another state's plumbing license, or four years in the plumbing business under a licensed plumbing contractor, plus the contractor exam.
The contractor license expires December 31 of every odd year and renews for $100, and Indiana offers no reciprocity.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Yes.
Indiana licenses plumbing contractors statewide through the Indiana Plumbing Commission, and acting as a plumbing contractor without a license is unlawful.
The Indiana Plumbing Commission, part of the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA).
Plumbing Contractor for the individual who qualifies the work; a corporation additionally needs the Plumbing Corporation license tied to its licensed Plumbing Contractor.
A licensed Plumbing Contractor: four years in an apprenticeship program, another state's plumbing license, or four years in the plumbing business under a licensed plumbing contractor, plus the contractor exam.
A corporation names its responsible licensed Plumbing Contractor at each renewal.
The plumbing contractor exam, registered for through PROV after Plumbing Commission approval; candidates may take the exam seven times within a two-year period.
Not established in our research — we found no bond or insurance minimum on the Commission's licensing page.
Ask the Commission before you bid.
$50 to apply; $100 to issue in even years ($50 in odd years); $100 to renew, with the license expiring December 31 of every odd year.
The Plumbing Corporation license is $50 to apply and $100 to renew.
None.
Reciprocity is not available for journeyman and contractor plumbers; out-of-state plumbers apply, are reviewed by the board and must pass the Indiana exam.
The Indiana plumbing license ladder
- Plumbing ApprenticeEntry level
The entry rung of the ladder: at least 17 years old and registered in a Plumbing Commission-approved apprenticeship program, with a $10 application fee.
- Journeyman PlumberJourneyman
The worker license your field crew runs on: 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, and the qualifier credential behind a plumbing business: 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 entity-level 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 license plumbing contractors statewide, or only locally?
Yes — statewide.
Indiana licenses plumbers through the Indiana Plumbing Commission, part of the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA), with four license types: plumbing apprentice, journeyman plumber, plumbing contractor and plumbing corporation.
The license a contracting business runs on is the plumbing contractor license, held by the individual who qualifies the work; a corporation holds the plumbing corporation license, tied to that licensed Plumbing Contractor.
This page covers what the business needs; the individual license ladder — apprentice, journeyman plumber, plumbing contractor — is the individual Indiana plumbing license topic.
“It is unlawful to act in the capacity of a plumbing contractor or journeyman plumber without a license.”
Which agency issues the license, and what are the classes?
The Indiana Plumbing Commission, which sits within the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA), issues the licenses.
The contracting class is the Plumbing Contractor license — the credential an individual needs to become a plumbing contractor.
A corporation contracts on two credentials at once: it holds its own Plumbing Corporation license, tied to a licensed Plumbing Contractor, and it must name that responsible licensed Plumbing Contractor on file with its license in order to renew.
Our research found these four license types and no separate contractor subclass; confirm the current license list with the Commission.
Who can be the qualifier, and what experience do they need?
Indiana's qualifier is the licensed Plumbing Contractor.
To become one, you need four years in an apprenticeship program, a plumbing license from another state, or four years in the plumbing business under the direction of a licensed plumbing contractor — then pass the contractor exam.
On a corporation's license, the state's term for that person is the responsible licensed Plumbing Contractor: named on file with the license and confirmed at each renewal.
There is no master plumber license above the contractor license in Indiana's ladder, so your qualifier holds the top individual plumbing credential the state issues.
“Corporations must confirm and indicate the responsible licensed Plumbing Contractor on file with their license in order to renew.”
Which exams must you pass, and is there a business-and-law exam?
One exam is on record for the license itself: the contractor exam, which completes the contractor requirements above.
Mechanically, the Plumbing Commission approves your application first, and 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 name a separate business-and-law exam for Indiana plumbing contractors, and it does not describe what the contractor exam covers, so confirm the exam lineup and content with the Commission before you book study time.
What bond and insurance are required?
Our research did not find bond or insurance minimums for the Plumbing Contractor license on the Commission's licensing page, and Indiana's plumbing statute, IC 25-28.5, was not read in our research, so it may set requirements the Commission's page does not show.
Treat that as a gap in our research, not a confirmed absence: ask the Commission what bond or insurance, if any, it requires before you bid or apply.
HVACHires' separate guide to contractor license bonds and insurance explains how these instruments work in states that do require them.
What does it cost, and how often is it renewed?
Plumbing Contractor licenses are $50 to apply.
Issuance is $100 in even years and $50 in odd years, the renewal fee is $100, and the license expires December 31 of every odd year.
The Plumbing Corporation license is $50 to apply and $100 to renew.
Your crew's credentials renew on the same calendar: Journeyman Plumber licenses also expire December 31 of every odd year, with a $30 renewal fee.
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 your licenses come up.
Does Indiana have reciprocity with 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 another state's license does buy is eligibility: for the contractor license, a plumbing license from another state is one of the three accepted experience routes, so it can substitute for the four-year requirements when you qualify.
The license itself does not transfer, and no agreement waives the Indiana exam.
“Reciprocity is not available for journeyman and contractor plumbers.”
What happens if your qualifier leaves?
Two rules are on record.
First, a corporation confirms and names its responsible licensed Plumbing Contractor with the license at each renewal, so a missing qualifier surfaces when the license comes up.
The renewal date on record is the individual Plumbing Contractor license's — it expires December 31 of every odd year; our research did not capture the Plumbing Corporation license's renewal date, so confirm it with the Commission.
Second, if the 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.
That relief is written for death or incapacity, not a resignation; for a qualifier who simply leaves, our research did not find an Indiana replacement deadline, so ask the Commission what window applies.
Because a replacement must meet one of the experience routes and pass the contractor exam, line up the next licensed contractor before the current one walks — HVACHires' qualifying agent guide covers how businesses find and keep one.
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 contractor 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 contractor licensing in Indiana and plumbing licensing in Indiana.
The Plumber Hiring Market in Indiana Right Now
The plumber openings you are competing with, from the 19 active 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, so posting a range helps yours stand out.
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.
See the listings →Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to be a plumbing contractor in Indiana?
Yes.
Indiana makes it unlawful to act in the capacity of a plumbing contractor without a license, and the Indiana Plumbing Commission — part of the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency — licenses plumbing contractors statewide.
The individual needs four years in an apprenticeship program, a plumbing license from another state, or four years in the plumbing business under a licensed plumbing contractor, plus the contractor exam.
A corporation additionally needs a Plumbing Corporation license tied to its licensed Plumbing Contractor.
How much does an Indiana plumbing contractor license cost?
The application fee is $50.
Issuance runs $100 in even years and $50 in odd years; the license expires December 31 of every odd year, and the renewal fee is $100.
A corporation's Plumbing Corporation license is $50 to apply and $100 to renew.
Crew licenses renew on the same calendar — Journeyman Plumber licenses also expire December 31 of odd years, at $30 to renew.
Our research did not capture a separate exam fee, so ask the Commission.
Does Indiana have plumbing contractor license reciprocity with other states?
No. Reciprocity is not available for journeyman and contractor plumbers, so an out-of-state plumbing license does not transfer.
An out-of-state plumber applies, is reviewed by the board and must pass the Indiana exam.
What another state's license does count for is eligibility: a plumbing license from another state is one of the accepted experience routes to becoming a plumbing contractor.
Is there a master plumber license in Indiana?
No. Indiana's plumbing ladder runs plumbing apprentice, journeyman plumber, plumbing contractor and plumbing corporation — the individual ladder tops out at the Plumbing Contractor license, not a master license.
That also makes the contractor license the credential your qualifier holds: it is the top rung.
If a job posting or another state's form asks for a master plumber, the closest Indiana credential is the Plumbing Contractor license, so ask which requirement actually applies.
What happens if the responsible plumbing contractor on an Indiana corporation's license leaves?
The corporation must confirm and indicate the responsible licensed Plumbing Contractor on file with its license in order to renew.
The expiry date on record is the individual contractor license's — December 31 of every odd year; the Plumbing Corporation license's renewal date is not in our research.
If the 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.
For a resignation, our research did not find a replacement deadline; ask the Commission.
More Indiana Resources
Sources
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).