6Verified from the board0Board page checked0Research-seeded, not yet verified
Newest check Aug 28, 2026 · Sources: Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE) ↗
Re-checked every 6 h · full re-verify quarterly · Changes ↓
Rows checked against Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE) (tsbpe.texas.gov) ↗ · newest Aug 28, 2026 · full re-verify quarterly · heartbeat every 6 h · how labels work
Who licenses plumbing here
State-licensed
Texas licenses plumbers at the state level — the ladder below is the state board's.
Scope derived by the importer from the dataset author's notes (derived:is_state_licensed); the board pass confirms it.
No experience
Texas 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.
apprentice (registration)
apprentice · Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE)
tradesman plumber-limited
specialty · Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE)
journeyman
journeyman · Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE)
master
master · Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE)
responsible master plumber
master · Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE)
Your next gate
apprentice (registration)
| 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 | Dallas–Fort Worth (6)Houston (4)Austin (6)San Antonio (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 | Alamo CollegesAustin Community CollegeDallas College (Cedar Valley / North Lake)Houston Community 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 |
Texas 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 Texas →
Yes — the first state gate is the apprentice (registration) (Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE)). It is a registration with no hours or exam; you can start the week you are hired.
8,000 hrs (≈ 4 yrs) of documented experience plus 48 classroom hours, then the TSBPE exam.
Texas 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.
The statewide median is $59,840 per year (BLS OEWS May 2025); metros in the state run from Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio — each has its own pay page.
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.
tier structureverified
Texas electrician (11 individual + 3 business types, collapsed to 4 tiers) and ACR (registered technician / certified technician / contractor) tier structures verified against TDLR pages fetched 2026-08-28. Hours and fees on 8 Texas rows remain research-seeded until the TDLR subpages are re-verified.
Permalink #2026-08-28-licenses-tx-tdlrBackfilled at launch