Home › Trades › Plumbers and pipefitters › Florida
How to become a plumber in Florida
Florida does not license individual journeyman plumbers; counties issue those. The state licenses plumbing contractors through the DBPR as either Certified (statewide, via the state exam) or Registered (local license first, limited to that area). Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Florida earned a median $52,910 a year in May 2025 ($25.44 an hour).
Plumber licensing in Florida
The licensing authority is Florida DBPR, Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certified Plumbing Contractor (statewide) | Four years' field experience, one of them supervisory (up to three years of military service or accredited college credit can stand in for field experience), pass the state construction exam, and submit a credit report with a FICO score, and complete a board-approved 14-hour financial responsibility course if the score is below 660. Initial certification fee $245 when applying between May 1st of an even year and August 31st of an odd year, $145 otherwise. | — | Florida State Construction Exam (business & finance plus plumbing trade) | $245 through August 31, 2027 |
| Registered Plumbing Contractor (local) | Hold a local county or city plumbing license, then register with the state; works only in that jurisdiction and adjoining areas that accept the registration. | — | — | not published |
| Journeyman Plumber (county Certificate of Competency) | Not a state credential; each county examines and issues its own, and the holder works under a licensed plumbing contractor. | — | — | not published |
Reciprocity. Since June 1, 2021, a contractor licensed in a state with a Florida Construction Licensing Board reciprocity agreement can apply by reciprocity.
Renewal. Biennial (renews August 31 of every even-numbered year), with 14 hours of continuing education.
Licensing sources: DBPR Construction Industry FAQs (retrieved 2026-09-24) · Hillsborough County journeyman certificate (retrieved 2026-09-16) · Florida CILB: certified plumbing contractor application (retrieved 2026-09-24). Requirements change; confirm with Florida DBPR, Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) before you act.
The steps in order, with exams, fees and renewal → · 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 Florida?
Florida does not license individual journeyman plumbers; counties issue those. The state licenses plumbing contractors through the DBPR as either Certified (statewide, via the state exam) or Registered (local license first, limited to that area).
What does it cost to get licensed as a plumber in Florida?
The published fee in the table above is $245. Read each tier's requirements for any exam or license-issue fee charged on top. The Certified Plumbing Contractor (statewide) fee is $245 through August 31, 2027 and $145 after that.
How long does it take to become a plumber in Florida?
It depends on which credential you need and the training and testing each step takes; the full path is in the table above.
How much do plumbers make in Florida?
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Florida earned a median $52,910 a year in May 2025, $25.44 an hour. That median is 17% below the national figure of $63,800, and Florida ranks 48 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice plumbers make in Florida?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Florida under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, 770 apprentices started, at a median $17.91 an hour across the 768 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $26.00 an hour at completion (263 completers with an exit wage DOL counts). Wages are in that year's dollars.
What plumbers earn in Florida
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Florida earned a median $52,910 a year in May 2025, $25.44 an hour. 29,260 people held the job, 2.9 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 17% below the national figure of $63,800, and Florida ranks 48 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Florida
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.72 | $38,940 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $22.70 | $47,220 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $25.44 | $52,910 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $30.20 | $62,820 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $35.39 | $73,610 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $26.94 | $56,030 | 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 Florida
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL employs the most plumbers of the 22 metro areas based in Florida that BLS publishes, 5,930, at a median $57,760 a year. The best-paid is Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL at $59,780.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 5,930 | $57,760 | $40,360 | $75,010 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 4,180 | $52,000 | $41,610 | $66,830 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 4,040 | $55,380 | $39,900 | $72,950 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 2,380 | $58,920 | $40,020 | $75,310 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | 1,950 | $51,690 | $36,670 | $67,590 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | 1,390 | $58,150 | $40,100 | $75,840 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 940 | $59,780 | $41,800 | $73,820 |
| Naples-Marco Island, FL | 810 | $57,830 | $38,880 | $76,640 |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 740 | $51,220 | $38,130 | $69,430 |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | 730 | $50,990 | $39,320 | $74,090 |
| Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL | 710 | $50,490 | $37,380 | $75,910 |
| Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL | 650 | $49,670 | $37,810 | $69,390 |
| Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL | 510 | $47,800 | $32,000 | $69,700 |
| Gainesville, FL | 490 | $51,600 | $31,750 | $67,200 |
| Tallahassee, FL | 480 | $48,540 | $37,750 | $69,870 |
| Ocala, FL | 420 | $49,910 | $37,520 | $70,790 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | 370 | $52,020 | $43,730 | $74,920 |
| Punta Gorda, FL | 260 | $55,490 | $38,830 | $73,950 |
| Wildwood-The Villages, FL | 230 | $50,140 | $38,200 | $72,560 |
| Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL | 210 | $55,900 | $39,740 | $76,270 |
| Homosassa Springs, FL | 150 | $48,140 | $37,640 | $69,940 |
| Sebring, FL | 70 | $50,650 | $37,420 | $61,350 |
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.
Florida against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | West Virginia | $56,980 | 1,830 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $55,480 | 3,360 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $53,940 | 5,770 |
| 48 | Florida | $52,910 | 29,260 |
| 49 | Idaho | $52,380 | 3,090 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $51,620 | 1,760 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $48,660 | 3,370 |
The complete ranking is on the Plumbers and pipefitters page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Florida | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $52,910 | $63,800 |
| Median hourly | $25.44 | $30.67 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $38,940 | $44,150 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $73,610 | $108,420 |
| Employed | 29,260 | 465,840 |
Apprenticeships in Florida
U.S. Department of Labor records list 1,832 registered apprentices active in Florida 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, 770 apprentices started, at a median $17.91 an hour across the 768 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $26.00 an hour at completion (263 completers with an exit wage DOL counts).
Find a registered program: DOL's Apprenticeship Finder → · What those wages come to at your hours a week → · Every state's count and wages for this trade →
Wages are DOL's own hourly figures in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Which wages DOL counts, which titles count and how the state is assigned are on the data page.
Other trades in Florida
Electricians ($57,250) · HVAC technicians ($56,670) · Welders ($50,640) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($50,640) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($86,870) · Elevator installers ($104,730) · Ironworkers ($55,700) · Sheet metal workers ($49,640) · Carpenters ($49,870) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($52,760) · Auto service technicians ($48,260) · Diesel mechanics ($60,490) · Heavy equipment operators ($49,400) · Machinists ($57,140)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Florida.
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.