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How long it takes to get licensed, by trade and state
Pick a trade, a state and your hours a week to get the on-the-job hours to the first license, the years that takes at your pace, every tier with its exam and fee, and the renewal rule. The figures come from the SmartPathGuides state licensing layer (vintage 2026-09): 120 trade-and-state paths across 30 states, each with the pages it was read from.
A full-time year is 2,080 hours, 40 hours a week for 52 weeks: the figure the BLS wage survey uses to turn hourly pay into annual pay, and the basis for every years figure this site works out from hours. Where a state's own page gives the years for its hours, the site prints those as published. Where a state also sets a minimum number of years, the answer uses whichever is longer.
Every sourced path at 40 hours a week
31 of the 120 paths have a license that takes 2,000 or more on-the-job hours; the table gives the first such license on the main path (a separate, narrower license a state also offers, such as a residential-only one, is named on the state page). The rest state the requirement in years, as routes with different hours or in fewer than 2,000 hours, license the contractor rather than the worker, license locally, or (for the CDL) are earned by tests; the state page has the steps.
| Trade | State | First license on the main path needing 2,000+ on-the-job hours | Hours | Years at 40 a week | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricians | Alabama | Journeyman Electrician (statewide) | 8,000 | 4 (state minimum)1 | Every year ($35 for a journeyman; a journeyman license cannot be renewed late). |
| Electricians | Arizona | none recorded as one figure | Every two years (renewal $540 residential, $480 commercial, $650 dual). | ||
| Electricians | California | Residential Electrician (state certification) | 4,800 | 2.3 | Every 3 years for the state certification (the CSLB C-10 contractor license renews every 2 years), with 32 hours of continuing education. |
| Electricians | Colorado | Journeyman Electrician | 8,000 | 4 (state minimum) | Every three years (the first renewal after a license earned by exam needs no continuing education; at least 4 of the hours must be on National Electrical Code changes and no more than 4 on safety, from providers that have attested to the Board), with 24 hours of continuing education. |
| Electricians | Connecticut | E-2 Unlimited Electrical Journeyperson | 8,000 | 3.8 | Every year: electrical licenses expire September 30 ($120 for a journeyperson); continuing education is not required before the first renewal, and after that it is due by June 30 each year, with 4 hours of continuing education. |
| Electricians | Florida | none recorded as one figure | Biennial (renews August 31 of every even-numbered year), with 11 hours of continuing education. | ||
| Electricians | Georgia | none recorded as one figure | Biennial, with 4 hours of continuing education. | ||
| Electricians | Illinois | none recorded as one figure | Annual (the Chicago license). | ||
| Electricians | Indiana | none recorded as one figure | Every two years (Indianapolis contractor licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years). | ||
| Electricians | Kentucky | Electrician | 8,000 | 3.8 | Every two years, by the last day of the birth month in the second year, with at least six hours of continuing education a year ($100 for an electrician). |
| Electricians | Louisiana | none recorded as one figure | New Orleans electrical licenses are renewed every year. | ||
| Electricians | Maryland | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| Electricians | Massachusetts | Journeyman Electrician | 8,000 | 4 (state minimum) | Before the July 31st expiration date, with proof of 21 hours of continuing education completed in the three years before renewal ($78 for a journeyman, $117 for a master). |
| Electricians | Michigan | Electrical Journeyman | 8,000 | 4 (state minimum) | Annual for the journeyman and master licenses (the electrical contractor license renews every three years). |
| Electricians | Minnesota | none recorded as one figure | Every two years for a journeyworker, at the end of the month the license was first issued ($53); a master license expires the last day of February of each odd-numbered year ($93); at least 12 of the hours must relate to the National Electrical Code, with 16 hours of continuing education. | ||
| Electricians | Missouri | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| Electricians | New Jersey | Class A Journeyman Electrician | 8,000 | 3.8 | Every three years; electrical contractors complete 34 hours of continuing education and Class A journeymen and Class B wiremen 15 hours. |
| Electricians | New York | none recorded as one figure | 1 year, with 8 hours of continuing education. | ||
| Electricians | North Carolina | none recorded as one figure | Annual (each license expires one year after issuance), with 8 hours of continuing education. | ||
| Electricians | Ohio | none recorded as one figure | Annual, with 10 hours of continuing education. | ||
| Electricians | Oklahoma | Unlimited Electrical Journeyman | 8,000 | 3.8 | Every year: a license expires on the last day of the licensee's birth month, and from January 1, 2026, a journeyman or contractor license is renewed only after 12 hours of continuing education every three years, 6 of them on codes and revisions. |
| Electricians | Oregon | General Journeyman Electrician (J) | 8,000 | 3.8 | Every three years, with 24 hours of continuing education each cycle for a general journeyman or general supervising electrician, including code-change hours and a 4-hour Oregon rule and law course. |
| Electricians | Pennsylvania | none recorded as one figure | Annual (Philadelphia city license), with 8 hours of continuing education. | ||
| Electricians | South Carolina | none recorded as one figure | Every other year, by June 30 of odd-numbered years ($220; $50 late fee). | ||
| Electricians | Tennessee | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| Electricians | Texas | Journeyman Electrician | 8,000 | 3.8 | Annual, with 4 hours of continuing education. |
| Electricians | Utah | Journeyman Electrician | 8,000 | 3.8 | Due November 30 of even-numbered years, with 16 hours of continuing education. |
| Electricians | Virginia | none recorded as one figure | Every three years, with 3 hours of continuing education. | ||
| Electricians | Washington | Residential Specialty Electrician (02) | 4,000 | 1.9 | Every three years, on your birthdate, with 24 hours of continuing education. |
| Electricians | Wisconsin | none recorded as one figure | Every four years on June 30: journeyman licenses $100 and master licenses $200, each with 24 hours of continuing education; apprentice registrations yearly ($15). | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Alabama | none recorded as one figure | Every year: each certificate is an annual certificate. | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Arizona | none recorded as one figure | Every two years (renewal $540 residential, $480 commercial, $650 dual). | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | California | none recorded as one figure | Every two years (active licenses). | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Colorado | Journeyworker Plumber | 6,800 | 3.32 | Every two years (licenses expire on the last day of February of odd-numbered years), with at least 8 hours of continuing education in each year of the license period: at least 4 hours on codes in every 24 months, no more than 2 on safety, from providers that have attested to the Board. A license first earned by exam needs none until after its first renewal. |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Connecticut | P-2 Unlimited Journeyperson Plumber | 8,000 | 3.8 | Every year: plumbing and pipefitting licenses expire October 31 ($120 for a journeyperson); continuing education is not required before the first renewal, and after that unlimited journeypersons and unlimited contractors complete it every two years, with 5 hours of continuing education. |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Florida | none recorded as one figure | Biennial (renews August 31 of every even-numbered year), with 14 hours of continuing education. | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Georgia | none recorded as one figure | Biennial (renew by November 30 of even-numbered years), with 8 hours of continuing education. | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Illinois | Licensed Plumber | 5,600 | 4 (state minimum)3 | Annual (renew by April 30), with 4 hours of continuing education. |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Indiana | Journeyman Plumber | 6,400 | 4 (state minimum) | Every two years (journeyman and contractor licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years; apprentice registrations October 1 of even-numbered years). |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Kentucky | none recorded as one figure | Every year, by the last day of the birth month, with at least six hours of continuing education (sixty dollars for a journeyman). | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Louisiana | none recorded as one figure | Every year, before December 31 to avoid delinquent fees, with continuing education (5 hours for an active master). | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Maryland | Journey Plumber/Gas Fitter | 7,500 | 4 (state minimum) | not recorded |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Massachusetts | Journeyman Plumber | 6,800 | 4 (state minimum)4 | Every two years: licenses can be renewed from February 1st of every even-numbered year, by May 1st, with 12 hours of approved continuing education ($52 for a journeyman, $78 for a master). |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Michigan | Journey Plumber | 6,000 | 3 (state minimum) | Annual for the journey and apprentice registrations (the master license is issued for up to three years). |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Minnesota | none recorded as one figure | Journeyworker and master licenses expire Dec. 31 of odd-numbered years ($53 for a journeyworker, $93 for a master); at least 8 of the hours must relate to the State Plumbing Code, with 16 hours of continuing education. | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Missouri | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | New Jersey | none recorded as one figure | Every two years, with five credits of continuing education (not required at the first renewal). | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | New York | none recorded as one figure | Every 3 years, with 7 hours of continuing education. | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | North Carolina | Plumbing Contractor Class II (P-II) | 4,000 | 2 (state minimum)5 | Annual (all licenses expire December 31; renew in January). |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Ohio | none recorded as one figure | Annual, with 10 hours of continuing education. | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Oklahoma | none recorded as one figure | Every year: a license expires on the last day of the licensee's birth month, and a journeyman or contractor needs 6 hours of continuing education within the 36 months before the license expires. | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Oregon | Journeyman Plumber (JP) | 7,700 | 3.7 | Every three years (renewal fee $180, including a $30 fee to track continuing education), with 24 hours of continuing education. |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Pennsylvania | none recorded as one figure | Annual (varies by locality). | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | South Carolina | none recorded as one figure | Every other year, by June 30 of odd-numbered years ($220; $50 late fee). | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Tennessee | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Texas | Tradesman Plumber-Limited | 4,000 | 1.9 | Annual, with 6 hours of continuing education. |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Utah | Journeyman Plumber | 8,000 | 3.8 | Due November 30 of even-numbered years, with 12 hours of continuing education. |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Virginia | none recorded as one figure | Every three years, with 3 hours of continuing education. | ||
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Washington | Residential Specialty Plumber | 6,000 | 3 (state minimum) | Every three years, on your birthday ($242.70 for journey level and residential), with proof of continuing education. |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | Wisconsin | none recorded as one figure | Every four years on March 31: journeyman licenses $180 and master licenses $500, each with 24 hours of continuing education; apprentice registrations yearly ($15). | ||
| HVAC technicians | Alabama | none recorded as one figure | Every year, by December 31, with 4 hours of continuing education a year, except in the first year of certification and for an inactive contractor 65 or older. | ||
| HVAC technicians | Arizona | none recorded as one figure | Every two years for the contractor license (renewal $540 residential, $480 commercial, $650 dual); the EPA 608 credential does not expire. | ||
| HVAC technicians | California | none recorded as one figure | Every two years (the CSLB C-20 license; the EPA 608 credential does not expire). | ||
| HVAC technicians | Colorado | none recorded as one figure | Denver certificates are renewed every three years. | ||
| HVAC technicians | Connecticut | D-2 Limited Warm Air, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Journeyperson | 4,000 | 1.9 | Every year: heating, cooling and sheet metal work licenses expire August 31 ($120 for a journeyperson). |
| HVAC technicians | Florida | none recorded as one figure | Biennial (renews August 31 of every even-numbered year; the EPA 608 credential does not expire), with 14 hours of continuing education. | ||
| HVAC technicians | Georgia | none recorded as one figure | Biennial (licenses expire November 30 of odd-numbered years). | ||
| HVAC technicians | Illinois | none recorded as one figure | The EPA 608 credential does not expire. | ||
| HVAC technicians | Indiana | none recorded as one figure | Every two years (Indianapolis contractor licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years); the EPA 608 credential does not expire. | ||
| HVAC technicians | Kentucky | none recorded as one figure | Every year, by the last day of the birth month, with at least six hours of continuing education (fifty dollars for a journeyman). | ||
| HVAC technicians | Louisiana | none recorded as one figure | New Orleans journeyman mechanic licenses are renewed every year. | ||
| HVAC technicians | Maryland | HVACR Journeyman | 6,000 | 4 (state minimum) | The EPA 608 credential does not expire; state license renewal is set by the board. |
| HVAC technicians | Massachusetts | Journeyman Refrigeration Technician | 6,000 | 2.9 | On the Bureau's renewal notice, sent 60 days before the license expires ($50 for a technician, $20 for an apprentice). |
| HVAC technicians | Michigan | Michigan Mechanical Contractor License (state) | 6,000 | 2.96 | not recorded |
| HVAC technicians | Minnesota | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| HVAC technicians | Missouri | none recorded as one figure | The EPA 608 credential does not expire. | ||
| HVAC technicians | New Jersey | none recorded as one figure | Every two years ($160), with five credits of continuing education except at the first renewal (the EPA 608 credential does not expire). | ||
| HVAC technicians | New York | none recorded as one figure | The EPA 608 credential does not expire; New York City's Q-01 renews every three years. | ||
| HVAC technicians | North Carolina | NC Heating (HVAC) Contractor, H-1/H-2/H-3 (state) | 4,000 | 2 (state minimum)7 | Annual (licenses expire December 31; renew in January). |
| HVAC technicians | Ohio | none recorded as one figure | Annual. | ||
| HVAC technicians | Oklahoma | none recorded as one figure | Every year: a license expires on the last day of the licensee's birth month, and a journeyman or contractor needs 6 hours of continuing education within the 36 months before the license expires (EPA Section 608 credentials do not expire). | ||
| HVAC technicians | Oregon | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| HVAC technicians | Pennsylvania | none recorded as one figure | The EPA 608 credential does not expire; Pennsylvania has no statewide HVAC renewal (local rules vary). | ||
| HVAC technicians | South Carolina | none recorded as one figure | Every other year, by June 30 of odd-numbered years ($220; $50 late fee). | ||
| HVAC technicians | Tennessee | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| HVAC technicians | Texas | none recorded as one figure | Annual (the TDLR contractor license; the EPA 608 credential does not expire), with 8 hours of continuing education. | ||
| HVAC technicians | Utah | none recorded as one figure | Contractor licenses expire November 30 of odd-numbered years; contractors need 6 continuing education hours, 3 of them taught live. | ||
| HVAC technicians | Virginia | none recorded as one figure | Every three years (the EPA 608 credential does not expire), with 3 hours of continuing education. | ||
| HVAC technicians | Washington | HVAC/Refrigeration Restricted Specialty Electrician (06B) | 2,000 | 1.0 | Every three years, on your birthdate (the EPA 608 credential does not expire), with 24 hours of continuing education. |
| HVAC technicians | Wisconsin | none recorded as one figure | Every four years from issuance (HVAC Contractor $160, HVAC Qualifier $60); the EPA 608 credential does not expire. | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Alabama | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Arizona | none recorded as one figure | Up to every eight years ($15 for Class A or B). | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | California | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Colorado | none recorded as one figure | Every four years, with a valid DOT medical card on file. | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Connecticut | none recorded as one figure | Every four years ($70). | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Florida | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Georgia | none recorded as one figure | Every 8 years. | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Illinois | none recorded as one figure | Every 4 years (the DOT medical certificate renews separately). | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Indiana | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Kentucky | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Louisiana | none recorded as one figure | About every six years (a Class A CDL expires on the birthday nearest six years after issue). | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Maryland | none recorded as one figure | Every eight years for a standard CDL ($64 renewal); a CDL with a hazmat endorsement runs five years. | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Massachusetts | none recorded as one figure | Every five years ($75 for Class A). | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Michigan | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Minnesota | none recorded as one figure | Every four years ($60 to renew a Class A, $40 under age 21). | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Missouri | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | New Jersey | none recorded as one figure | Every four years, in person ($42). | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | New York | none recorded as one figure | Every 8 years (the standard New York license term; keep your DOT medical certification current separately). | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | North Carolina | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Ohio | none recorded as one figure | not recorded | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Oklahoma | none recorded as one figure | By the credential option chosen: a Class A renewal is $56.50 for the 4-year credential or $113 for the 8-year credential; a commercial learner permit cannot be renewed. | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Oregon | none recorded as one figure | Oregon driver licenses for U.S. citizens and permanent residents are valid for 8 years. | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Pennsylvania | none recorded as one figure | Every 4 years (every 2 years at age 65 and older). | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | South Carolina | none recorded as one figure | Every eight years (five with a hazardous materials endorsement). | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Tennessee | none recorded as one figure | Every eight years from the date of issue. | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Texas | none recorded as one figure | Every 8 years (ages 18 to 84). | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Utah | none recorded as one figure | Every five years, in person at a Driver License office by appointment (CDL holders cannot renew online), up to six months before expiration, with the $52.00 fee. | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Virginia | none recorded as one figure | Typically every eight years (the CDL expires on your birthday). | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Washington | none recorded as one figure | Every six or eight years ($163 for six years or $217 for eight, including the CDL). | ||
| Truck drivers (CDL) | Wisconsin | none recorded as one figure | Every eight years ($74, includes Class D). |
Years are the hours divided by 2,080, to one decimal, or the state's minimum years where that is longer. The trade-and-state pages round to the nearest half year and name the source and the date it was read for every figure. 1. Alabama, electricians: at least 4 years. Four years is the work-experience route; a completed non-DOL apprenticeship is entered as two years. 2. Colorado, plumbers and pipefitters: the pages read give this as 4 years (6,800 hours). 3. Illinois, plumbers and pipefitters: at least 4 years. That is the apprenticeship route; approved plumbing courses can replace part or all of it. 4. Massachusetts, plumbers and pipefitters: at least 4 years. The four-year floor is the education's: the 550 hours of theory must span at least four years. 5. North Carolina, plumbers and pipefitters: the hours are experience, not all of it on the job: up to half from technical training. 6. Michigan, HVAC technicians: the hours are experience, not all of it on the job: a completed 2-year HVAC program can credit up to 1 year. 7. North Carolina, HVAC technicians: the hours are experience, not all of it on the job: up to half of which may be academic or technical training. Welders, Lineworkers (power-line installers), Elevator installers, Ironworkers, Sheet metal workers, Carpenters, Brickmasons and blockmasons, Auto service technicians, Diesel mechanics, Heavy equipment operators and Machinists have no state licensing records here, so they are not in this table. What each path costs →