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How to become a plumber in Minnesota
Minnesota's Department of Labor and Industry licenses plumbers: to do plumbing work you must be at least 18, licensed by DLI, registered as an unlicensed plumber or enrolled in a DLI-registered apprenticeship, and a W-2 employee of a licensed plumbing contractor or registered plumbing employer (or a licensed owner or officer of a licensed plumbing contractor or restricted plumbing contractor). The journeyworker license takes four years of practical plumbing experience as a registered unlicensed plumber, a completed DLI-registered apprenticeship or one of two other routes, and an exam; the master license takes a year of practical plumbing experience as a licensed journeyworker, or one of two other routes, and its own exam. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Minnesota earned a median $94,410 a year in May 2025 ($45.39 an hour).
Plumber licensing in Minnesota
The licensing authority is Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). 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 Unlicensed Plumber | At least 18 and a W-2 employee of a licensed plumbing contractor or registered plumbing employer; register with DLI ($14) or enroll in a DLI-registered apprenticeship program. The work must fall within the employer's scope and be directly supervised at all times by a licensed journeyworker or master plumber. Registrations expire June 30 each year and renew with two hours of continuing education, a $19 fee and a work experience verification form. | — | — | $14 |
| Journeyworker Plumber | One of: at least four years of recorded practical plumbing experience as a DLI-registered unlicensed plumber, including 2,000 hours of water distribution, 2,000 of drain, waste and vent and 1,000 of fixture installation; a completed DLI-registered apprenticeship program; a current Minnesota restricted journeyworker or restricted master plumber license and at least two years of experience gained while holding it (the page also asks restricted license holders for four years of experience, including 1,000 hours of water distribution, 1,000 of drain, waste and vent and 500 of fixture installation); or a current plumber's license from a state that requires four years of experience and an exam. A year of experience is at least 1,750 hours, and no more than 1,750 are credited for a calendar year; no more than two years from another state count unless you first get that state's license. The licensed master plumber responsible for the work certifies the experience; experience in military service, a DLI-approved plumbing class or another state's apprenticeship program is certified by the military officer, the school or that state's plumbing agency. Then the exam (a 30-day wait after a failed attempt). Exam fee $50; the license fee follows: a $20 base fee for a one-year journeyworker license or $40 for two, plus a $4 or $8 board fee. | — | Journeyworker plumber exam | $50 exam, then the license fee (by length) |
| Master Plumber | One of: at least one year of practical plumbing experience as a licensed journeyworker plumber; a current master plumber license from another state whose requirements DLI finds equivalent to Minnesota's; or a current Minnesota restricted master plumber license and five years of verifiable experience in business as a plumbing contractor in Minnesota. Then the master exam. Exam fee $50; the license fee follows: a $40 base fee for a one-year master license or $80 for two, plus a $4 or $8 board fee. | — | Master plumber exam | $50 exam, then the license fee (by length) |
Renewal. 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.
Licensing sources: Minnesota DLI: plumbing license basics (retrieved 2026-09-24) · Minnesota DLI: plumbing license experience requirements (retrieved 2026-09-24) · Minnesota DLI: continuing education requirements for plumbers (retrieved 2026-09-24) · Minnesota Statutes 326B.46 (plumber licenses) (retrieved 2026-09-24) · Minnesota Statutes 326B.092 (license fees) (retrieved 2026-09-24). Requirements change; confirm with Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) 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 Minnesota?
Minnesota's Department of Labor and Industry licenses plumbers: to do plumbing work you must be at least 18, licensed by DLI, registered as an unlicensed plumber or enrolled in a DLI-registered apprenticeship, and a W-2 employee of a licensed plumbing contractor or registered plumbing employer (or a licensed owner or officer of a licensed plumbing contractor or restricted plumbing contractor). The journeyworker license takes four years of practical plumbing experience as a registered unlicensed plumber, a completed DLI-registered apprenticeship or one of two other routes, and an exam; the master license takes a year of practical plumbing experience as a licensed journeyworker, or one of two other routes, and its own exam.
What does it cost to get licensed as a plumber in Minnesota?
The published fee in the table above is $14. 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 Minnesota?
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 Minnesota?
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Minnesota earned a median $94,410 a year in May 2025, $45.39 an hour. That median is 48% above the national figure of $63,800, and Minnesota ranks 4 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice plumbers make in Minnesota?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Minnesota under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, 277 apprentices started, at a median $22.49 an hour across the 272 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $40.67 an hour at completion (75 completers with an exit wage DOL counts). Wages are in that year's dollars.
What plumbers earn in Minnesota
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Minnesota earned a median $94,410 a year in May 2025, $45.39 an hour. 10,720 people held the job, 3.6 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 48% above the national figure of $63,800, and Minnesota ranks 4 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Minnesota
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $23.42 | $48,720 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $29.40 | $61,150 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $45.39 | $94,410 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $52.29 | $108,750 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $58.20 | $121,050 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $41.68 | $86,700 | 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 Minnesota
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI employs the most plumbers of the 5 metro areas based in Minnesota that BLS publishes, 6,730, at a median $101,630 a year.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 6,730 | $101,630 | $51,370 | $121,720 |
| St. Cloud, MN | 830 | $90,230 | $50,770 | $116,850 |
| Rochester, MN | 490 | $84,880 | $48,760 | $106,700 |
| Duluth, MN-WI | 420 | $85,060 | $46,300 | $109,350 |
| Mankato, MN | 130 | $74,450 | $48,870 | $114,890 |
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 Minnesota: Sioux Falls, SD-MN, Fargo, ND-MN, La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN and Grand Forks, ND-MN.
Minnesota against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $101,020 | 1,010 |
| 2 | Illinois | $99,950 | 16,750 |
| 3 | Oregon | $97,050 | 5,370 |
| 4 | Minnesota | $94,410 | 10,720 |
| 5 | Alaska | $93,920 | 1,200 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $93,880 | 13,460 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | $81,210 | 10,210 |
The complete ranking is on the Plumbers and pipefitters page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Minnesota | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $94,410 | $63,800 |
| Median hourly | $45.39 | $30.67 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $48,720 | $44,150 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $121,050 | $108,420 |
| Employed | 10,720 | 465,840 |
Apprenticeships in Minnesota
U.S. Department of Labor records list 1,039 registered apprentices active in Minnesota 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, 277 apprentices started, at a median $22.49 an hour across the 272 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $40.67 an hour at completion (75 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 Minnesota
Electricians ($78,160) · HVAC technicians ($76,350) · Welders ($60,280) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($61,990) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($104,180) · Elevator installers ($128,020) · Ironworkers ($95,320) · Sheet metal workers ($72,970) · Carpenters ($64,930) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($95,220) · Auto service technicians ($58,390) · Diesel mechanics ($66,840) · Heavy equipment operators ($79,130) · Machinists ($61,140)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Minnesota.
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.