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How to become a plumber in Connecticut
Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection says persons performing plumbing jobs must have the appropriate Connecticut license. The P-2 unlimited journeyperson plumber license takes a registered apprenticeship or equivalent experience and training, and an exam; a P-2 works only while employed by a licensed contractor. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Connecticut earned a median $77,280 a year in May 2025 ($37.16 an hour).
Plumber licensing in Connecticut
The licensing authority is Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (Plumbing and Piping Work Examining Board). The pages each row was read from are listed under the table, with the date each was read.
| License | What it takes | Experience | Exam | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered apprentice (Connecticut Department of Labor) | Apprenticeship rests on an employer-employee relationship: a sponsor employer registers its apprentices with the Connecticut Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship Training through e-Apprenticeship. In the licensed trades, registered apprenticeship lets an employer hire workers other than licensed journeypersons. The pages read do not publish a registration fee. | — | — | not published |
| P-2 Unlimited Journeyperson Plumber | Complete a registered apprenticeship program, which the Department's chart of trade licenses lists at 8,000 on-the-job training hours and 576 related instruction hours, or equivalent experience and training: proof of 576 classroom hours, with transcripts, degrees and diplomas (work experience does not replace classroom hours), and 8,000 hours of on-the-job training, with notarized letters from employers. Then the exam: the journeyperson application fee is $90, nonrefundable, and the exam vendor charges its own fee at registration. A P-2 holder may do all plumbing and piping work, only while employed by a licensed contractor. Plumbing and pipefitting licenses expire every year on October 31; the journeyperson renewal fee is $120. An unlimited journeyperson completes 5 continuing education credit hours every two years, finishing them 3 months before renewal; none are required before the first renewal. Failing to complete the continuing education may bring civil fines and suspension or revocation of the license. | 8,000 hrs (≈ 4 yrs) | Connecticut P-2 journeyperson license exam (through the exam vendor) | $90 |
| P-1 Unlimited Plumbing Contractor | Two years as an unlimited licensed journeyperson or equivalent experience and training, then the contractor exam; the contractor application fee is $150, nonrefundable, and the contractor renewal fee is $150. An unlimited contractor completes 5 continuing education credit hours every two years. | — | Connecticut P-1 contractor license exam (through the exam vendor) | $150 |
Reciprocity. Connecticut has no reciprocal agreements with any other jurisdiction. The Department takes journeyperson applications under an equivalent out-of-state license.
Renewal. 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.
Licensing sources: Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection: plumbing and pipefitting work (retrieved 2026-10-03) · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection: plumbing licenses and scope of work (retrieved 2026-10-03) · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection: plumbing journeyperson, equivalent experience and training (retrieved 2026-10-03) · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection: what other license or registration does my contractor need? (retrieved 2026-10-03) · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection: careers in the trades license types (retrieved 2026-10-03) · Connecticut Department of Labor: apprenticeship registration (retrieved 2026-10-03) · Connecticut Department of Labor: apprenticeship overview (retrieved 2026-10-03) · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection: plumber continuing education (retrieved 2026-10-03). Requirements change; confirm with Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (Plumbing and Piping Work Examining Board) before you act.
Years to this license at your hours a week → · Every fee here, itemised and totalled → · Compare time and cost across trades and states →
Common questions
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Connecticut?
Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection says persons performing plumbing jobs must have the appropriate Connecticut license. The P-2 unlimited journeyperson plumber license takes a registered apprenticeship or equivalent experience and training, and an exam; a P-2 works only while employed by a licensed contractor.
What does it cost to get licensed as a plumber in Connecticut?
The published fees in the table above run from $90 to $150 depending on the tier. Read each tier's requirements for any exam or license-issue fee charged on top.
How long does it take to become a plumber in Connecticut?
You can be licensed as P-2 Unlimited Journeyperson Plumber after 8,000 hours of on-the-job training. The time-to-journeyman calculator turns the hours into years at your own hours a week.
How much do plumbers make in Connecticut?
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Connecticut earned a median $77,280 a year in May 2025, $37.16 an hour. That median is 21% above the national figure of $63,800, and Connecticut ranks 14 of 51 by pay for this trade.
What plumbers earn in Connecticut
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Connecticut earned a median $77,280 a year in May 2025, $37.16 an hour. 5,410 people held the job, 3.2 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 21% above the national figure of $63,800, and Connecticut ranks 14 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Connecticut
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $21.96 | $45,670 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $27.68 | $57,570 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $37.16 | $77,280 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $45.40 | $94,440 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $49.52 | $102,990 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $36.25 | $75,400 | The average. Pulled up by the top earners. |
Annual figures are the hourly rate times 2,080 hours, BLS's full-time year. Overtime is inside the survey's earnings but not separated out.
Pay by metro area in Connecticut
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT employs the most plumbers of the 5 metro areas based in Connecticut that BLS publishes, 1,850, at a median $77,190 a year. The best-paid is Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT at $79,700.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 1,850 | $77,190 | $43,260 | $102,180 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | 1,000 | $79,700 | $46,940 | $119,250 |
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | 870 | $76,980 | $47,250 | $99,470 |
| New Haven, CT | 770 | $77,620 | $46,220 | $102,840 |
| Waterbury-Shelton, CT | 670 | $76,880 | $47,040 | $102,990 |
Metropolitan statistical areas as BLS publishes them in the same May 2025 estimates. A metro that crosses a state line is listed only under its primary state, so part of a neighboring state's metro can sit outside this table. Areas outside any metro are not shown.
Connecticut against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | New Jersey | $78,240 | 8,750 |
| 12 | Hawaii | $78,060 | 2,500 |
| 13 | New York | $77,490 | 23,210 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $77,280 | 5,410 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $76,470 | 1,820 |
| 16 | Indiana | $76,320 | 11,280 |
| 17 | California | $72,830 | 47,660 |
The complete ranking is on the Plumbers and pipefitters page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Connecticut | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $77,280 | $63,800 |
| Median hourly | $37.16 | $30.67 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $45,670 | $44,150 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $102,990 | $108,420 |
| Employed | 5,410 | 465,840 |
Apprenticeships in Connecticut
U.S. Department of Labor records list 56 registered apprentices active in Connecticut in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024) under the occupation titles DOL maps to plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (SOC 47-2152). The file's fiscal 2024 records largely stop after February 2024. In fiscal 2023, the latest year the file holds in full, 24 apprentices started; 23 have a starting wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs here. Of those who completed that year, 6 have an exit wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs.
Find a registered program: DOL's Apprenticeship Finder → · Every state's count and wages for this trade →
Which wages DOL counts, which titles count and how the state is assigned are on the data page.
Other trades in Connecticut
Electricians ($77,540) · HVAC technicians ($76,610) · Welders ($64,880) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($60,490) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($126,850) · Ironworkers ($62,400) · Sheet metal workers ($78,750) · Carpenters ($64,060) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($67,960) · Auto service technicians ($60,220) · Diesel mechanics ($67,300) · Heavy equipment operators ($78,750) · Machinists ($62,130)
See all 14 ranked by pay in Connecticut.
The pay and employment figures on this page are the May 2025 BLS estimates, apart from the apprenticeship figures, which are DOL's; the licensing detail is read from the pages listed in the licensing section, each with the date it was read. See how the numbers are built.