How to become a plumber in Florida
3Verified from the board0Board page checked0Research-seeded, not yet verified
Newest check Aug 28, 2026 · Sources: Florida DBPR — Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) ↗
Re-checked every 6 h · full re-verify quarterly · Changes ↓
What are the plumbing license tiers in Florida, and what does each require?
Rows checked against Florida DBPR — Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) (www2.myfloridalicense.com) ↗ · newest Aug 28, 2026 · full re-verify quarterly · heartbeat every 6 h · how labels work
Who licenses plumbing here
State licenses contractors · cities license journeymen
Florida licenses plumber contractors at the state level, but the journeyman and master cards come from your city or county. The state rungs below are the contractor tiers; the local rung is where you start.
Scope derived by the importer from the dataset author's notes (derived:author-notes); the board pass confirms it.
No experience
Florida publishes no statewide dollar threshold for unlicensed work in the pages we read; the contractor statute and your city decide. Electrical and plumbing work are excluded — they are licensed at any job size.
Journeyman / master: your city or county
In Florida the journeyman and master cards are issued by cities and counties, not the state. Your local building department sets the hours and exam; the state rungs below are the contractor tiers you reach afterwards.
Your city or county (journeyman / master cards) — not yet mapped ↗placeholder — not yet mapped
Research-seeded, not yet verifiedresearch dataset ↗Read in real Chrome 2026-08-28: CILB board page, CILB 5-M Certified Plumbing Contractor initial checklist, Construction Examinations page. Quotes: 'Plumbing Contractor: 14 hours of CE ... $205 (+$50 per qualified business) Registered: 8/31/ODD YEAR Certified: 8/31/EVEN YEAR'; 'Plumbing trade knowledge examinations are administered in paper and pencil format and are offered multiple times per year. Candidates approved to sit for these examinations will receive confirmation from Professional Testing, Inc.'; 'Applicants are required to have four years of experience or a combination of college and experience'. Correction: exam vendor is Professional Testing, Inc. (not Pearson VUE) for the plumbing trade exam. The seeded '≥1 yr supervisory' detail lives in application instructions not read. No state journeyman/master plumber in FL. Fee dollar amounts not on pages read.
Rows marked placeholder are research-seeded: the dataset names the jurisdiction pattern but has not mapped each city's tiers yet.
- Verified from the boardFlorida DBPR — Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) ↗
registered plumbing contractor (RF)
contractor · Florida DBPR — Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB)
- Experience
- —
- Class hours
- —
- Prerequisites
- Local competency card; jurisdiction-limited. Expires 8/31 ODD years; renewal $205 (+$50 per qualified business).
- Exam
- not stated on the pages read
- Fees
- — application · — exam · — license
- Renewal
- every 2 years · 14 CE hrs
- Verified from the boardFlorida DBPR — Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) ↗
certified plumbing contractor (CFC)
contractor · Florida DBPR — Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB)
- Experience
- —
- Class hours
- —
- Prerequisites
- Age 18+; 'four years of experience or a combination of college and experience' (CILB 5-M checklist); pass state exam first; personal credit report with FICO score; liability/property damage insurance; workers' comp or exemption within 30 days. Expires 8/31 EVEN years; renewal $205 (+$50 per qualified business). CE 14 hrs incl. 1 hr each: specialized/advanced module, workplace safety, business practices, workers' comp, laws & rules.
- Exam
- Professional Testing, Inc. — plumbing trade-knowledge exam is PAPER-AND-PENCIL, offered multiple times per year; business & finance part is CBT via Pearson VUE
- Fees
- — application · — exam (in the vendor bulletin) · — license
- Renewal
- every 2 years · 14 CE hrs
Where are you now? Find your next gate
Your next gate
registered plumbing contractor (RF)
- Hours
- not stated by the board / experience-based
- Exam
- not stated
- Fees (application / exam)
- — / —
Apprenticeship, trade school, or community college — which is cheapest in Florida?
| Route | Cost to you | Time | Counts toward the license? | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered apprenticeship (union JATC or IEC/ABC open-shop) | Paid from day one (~45% of journeyman scale in period 1) | 4–5 years | Yes — every hour | Tampa (6)Orlando (7)Jacksonville (2)Miami (4) |
| Community / technical college certificate | Tuition (public, usually the cheapest classroom route) | 12–24 months | Classroom hours in some states; the credential opens helper/apprentice doors | Florida State College at JacksonvilleHillsborough Community CollegeMiami Dade CollegeOrange Technical College |
| For-profit trade school | Tuition (often the most expensive) | 6–15 months | Same as community college — check the board | Not listed here until IPEDS completions are joined; no school is ranked by what it pays us |
No credentials yet?
Florida publishes no statewide dollar threshold for unlicensed work in the pages we read; the contractor statute and your city decide. Electrical and plumbing work are excluded — they are licensed at any job size. Start-here page for Florida →
Plumbing in Florida's metros
Questions people actually ask
Do I need a license to work as a plumber in Florida?
Florida licenses plumbing contractors at the state level (Florida DBPR — Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB)); the journeyman and master cards come from your city or county. You start as a helper or registered apprentice under a licensed contractor the week you are hired.
How long does it take to become a journeyman plumber in Florida?
Florida's journeyman card is issued by your city or county, so the hours depend on where you work — a registered apprenticeship (4–5 years, 8,000 hours) satisfies almost every jurisdiction.
What can I do for pay in Florida with no license at all?
Florida publishes no statewide dollar threshold for unlicensed work in the pages we read; the contractor statute and your city decide. Electrical and plumbing work are excluded — they are licensed at any job size.
What does a plumber make in Florida?
The statewide median is $52,910 per year (BLS OEWS May 2025); metros in the state run from Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami — each has its own pay page.
Apprenticeship, trade school, or community college?
A registered apprenticeship pays you from day one (about 45% of journeyman scale in period 1) and counts every hour toward the license; trade school costs tuition and counts only classroom hours in most states; a community-college certificate (6–24 months) is the cheapest classroom route and often feeds a sponsor. The sponsor pages list every option we can find for your metro.
What changed in this data?
No changes recorded yet for this page.