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How to become a plumber in Kentucky
Kentucky's Division of Plumbing licenses master and journeyman plumbers, and no one may work in the trade of plumbing without a valid Kentucky journeyman or master license. An apprentice may assist a journeyman plumber, under the personal supervision of a licensed master or journeyman. A journeyman license takes at least two consecutive years of experience as an apprentice plumber, or an approved course and one year, and passing the department's examination. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Kentucky earned a median $64,160 a year in May 2025 ($30.84 an hour).
Plumber licensing in Kentucky
The licensing authority is Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (Division of Plumbing). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journeyman Plumber | At least 18, of good moral character, and a US citizen or a resident alien authorized to work in the United States. At least two consecutive years of experience as an apprentice plumber, or a department-approved course on plumbing practice or the Kentucky State Plumbing Code and at least one year as an apprentice; an apprentice assists, and works under the personal supervision of, a licensed master or journeyman plumber. The experience is shown with W-2 forms, an affidavit from the Kentucky-licensed master plumber employing you, or another state's plumbing license. Then the department's journeyman exam ($50): a written portion, a drawing portion and a practical portion, for which you bring the materials, each passed with at least 75 percent. The license fee is $60, prorated for a first license by the month you apply and your birth month, from $35 to $90. | — | Kentucky journeyman plumber exam (written, drawing and practical) | $50 exam, then $35 to $90 for the license by birth month |
| Master Plumber | At least 18, of good moral character, and a US citizen or a resident alien authorized to work in the United States. A journeyman plumber's license held for at least two years within the past five years, and at least two years actively employed in plumbing under the supervision of a licensed master plumber; or a Kentucky engineer license with enough mechanical engineering experience, as the department determines; or another state's plumbing license held for at least two years within the past five years; or at least four consecutive years of plumbing practice at a master plumber's level in a state that issues no plumbing license. An applicant qualifying through another state's license or practice must also have passed the Kentucky journeyman plumber exam. Then the master plumber exam ($150), passed with at least 80 percent on each portion, and the license fee, $250, prorated for a first license from $146 to $376. An active master plumber license needs proof of general liability insurance of at least $250,000 and of compliance with workers' compensation and unemployment insurance laws. | — | Kentucky master plumber exam | $150 exam, then $146 to $376 for the license by birth month |
Reciprocity. A plumbing license from another state does not allow its holder to work in Kentucky as a licensed plumber, but the holder may take the Kentucky exam without meeting the experience requirement.
Renewal. Every year, by the last day of the birth month, with at least six hours of continuing education (sixty dollars for a journeyman).
Licensing sources: Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction: Division of Plumbing (retrieved 2026-10-03) · Kentucky Division of Plumbing: frequently asked questions (retrieved 2026-10-03) · KRS 318.010 (definitions), Kentucky General Assembly (retrieved 2026-10-03) · KRS 318.020 (apprentices), Kentucky General Assembly (retrieved 2026-10-03) · KRS 318.030 (license and insurance required), Kentucky General Assembly (retrieved 2026-10-03) · KRS 318.040 (qualifications; examinations), Kentucky General Assembly (retrieved 2026-10-03) · KRS 318.054 (license expiration and renewal), Kentucky General Assembly (retrieved 2026-10-03) · 815 KAR 20:030 (plumbing licenses), Kentucky General Assembly (retrieved 2026-10-03) · 815 KAR 2:010 (continuing education requirements), Kentucky General Assembly (retrieved 2026-10-03) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction: master plumber license application (Form PLB-1) (retrieved 2026-10-03) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction: journeyman plumber license application (Form PLB-2) (retrieved 2026-10-03) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction: plumbing examination registration (Form PLB-3) (retrieved 2026-10-03). Requirements change; confirm with Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (Division of Plumbing) 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 Kentucky?
Kentucky's Division of Plumbing licenses master and journeyman plumbers, and no one may work in the trade of plumbing without a valid Kentucky journeyman or master license. An apprentice may assist a journeyman plumber, under the personal supervision of a licensed master or journeyman. A journeyman license takes at least two consecutive years of experience as an apprentice plumber, or an approved course and one year, and passing the department's examination.
What does it cost to get licensed as a plumber in Kentucky?
Fees are set by the issuing authority; each tier's fee, where published, is in the table above.
How long does it take to become a plumber in Kentucky?
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 Kentucky?
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Kentucky earned a median $64,160 a year in May 2025, $30.84 an hour. That median is 1% above the national figure of $63,800, and Kentucky ranks 24 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice plumbers make in Kentucky?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Kentucky under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, 289 apprentices started, at a median $21.10 an hour across the 281 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $36.81 an hour at completion (92 completers with an exit wage DOL counts). Wages are in that year's dollars.
What plumbers earn in Kentucky
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Kentucky earned a median $64,160 a year in May 2025, $30.84 an hour. 6,360 people held the job, 3.2 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 1% above the national figure of $63,800, and Kentucky ranks 24 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Kentucky
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $21.57 | $44,860 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $24.04 | $50,000 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $30.84 | $64,160 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $40.79 | $84,840 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $45.53 | $94,710 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $33.11 | $68,870 | 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 Kentucky
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN employs the most plumbers of the 6 metro areas based in Kentucky that BLS publishes, 2,780, at a median $74,680 a year. The best-paid is Paducah, KY-IL at $82,120.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 2,780 | $74,680 | $48,250 | $94,920 |
| Lexington-Fayette, KY | 810 | $61,870 | $45,280 | $96,190 |
| Paducah, KY-IL | 380 | $82,120 | $46,340 | $95,380 |
| Elizabethtown, KY | 180 | $59,250 | $41,500 | $93,340 |
| Owensboro, KY | 180 | $64,310 | $46,040 | $91,170 |
| Bowling Green, KY | 160 | $64,260 | $46,060 | $93,660 |
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. Listed under another state but reaching into Kentucky: Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN, Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH and Clarksville, TN-KY.
Kentucky against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Maryland | $65,400 | 11,420 |
| 22 | Kansas | $65,220 | 4,590 |
| 23 | Delaware | $64,720 | 1,590 |
| 24 | Kentucky | $64,160 | 6,360 |
| 25 | Maine | $64,000 | 2,710 |
| 26 | Iowa | $63,890 | 5,730 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $63,680 | 8,360 |
The complete ranking is on the Plumbers and pipefitters page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Kentucky | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $64,160 | $63,800 |
| Median hourly | $30.84 | $30.67 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $44,860 | $44,150 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $94,710 | $108,420 |
| Employed | 6,360 | 465,840 |
Apprenticeships in Kentucky
U.S. Department of Labor records list 730 registered apprentices active in Kentucky 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, 289 apprentices started, at a median $21.10 an hour across the 281 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $36.81 an hour at completion (92 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 Kentucky
Electricians ($59,720) · HVAC technicians ($58,620) · Welders ($51,470) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($56,340) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($77,020) · Elevator installers ($42,670) · Ironworkers ($64,060) · Sheet metal workers ($60,680) · Carpenters ($52,680) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($59,820) · Auto service technicians ($44,890) · Diesel mechanics ($55,480) · Heavy equipment operators ($57,780) · Machinists ($58,660)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Kentucky.
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.