Home › Trades › Plumbers and pipefitters › Texas
How to become a plumber in Texas
Texas licenses plumbers through the TSBPE on a tiered path: register as an apprentice, then Tradesman Plumber-Limited, Journeyman, and Master. Each step has its own experience, training course, exam and fee, and is renewed annually. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Texas earned a median $59,840 a year in May 2025 ($28.77 an hour).
Plumber licensing in Texas
The licensing authority is Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumber's Apprentice (registration) | Entry-level registration; must be at least 16. No experience or exam. Hours worked before registering do not count toward the hours required for the Tradesman Plumber-Limited or Journeyman Plumber exams. | — | — | $15 |
| Tradesman Plumber-Limited | 4,000 hours of plumbing-trade experience and either a TSBPE-approved 24-hour course or enrollment in or completion of a training program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship; then pass the exam ($36 exam fee paid to the TSBPE, $35 to obtain the license). | 4,000 hrs (≈ 2 yrs) | Tradesman Plumber-Limited Examination | $71 |
| Journeyman Plumber | 8,000 hours of plumbing-trade experience and either a TSBPE-approved 48-hour course or enrollment in or completion of a training program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship; then pass the exam ($40 exam fee paid to the TSBPE, $40 to obtain the license). | 8,000 hrs (≈ 4 yrs) | Journeyman Plumber Examination | $80 |
| Master Plumber | Hold a journeyman license (in Texas or another state) for at least two years, or for at least one year plus the successful completion of a training program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship, then pass the exam. The TSBPE charges a $25 exam processing fee and $75 to obtain the license; the exam fee, $128.50, is payable to Pearson VUE on the day of the exam. | — | Master Plumber Examination (Pearson VUE) | $100 |
Reciprocity. TSBPE has no general reciprocity program, but a journeyman plumber licensed in another state can qualify to sit for the Texas Master Plumber exam.
Renewal. Annual, with 6 hours of continuing education.
Licensing sources: TSBPE License Types (retrieved 2026-09-16) · TSBPE Journeyman Plumber (retrieved 2026-10-03) · TSBPE Master Plumber (retrieved 2026-10-03) · Texas Occupations Code chapter 1301 (plumbers) (retrieved 2026-09-23) · TSBPE Plumber's Apprentice registration (retrieved 2026-09-24) · TSBPE Tradesman Plumber-Limited license (retrieved 2026-10-03). Requirements change; confirm with Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE) 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 Texas?
Texas licenses plumbers through the TSBPE on a tiered path: register as an apprentice, then Tradesman Plumber-Limited, Journeyman, and Master. Each step has its own experience, training course, exam and fee, and is renewed annually.
What does it cost to get licensed as a plumber in Texas?
The published fees in the table above run from $15 to $100 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 Texas?
You can be licensed as Tradesman Plumber-Limited after 4,000 hours of on-the-job training; higher tiers take longer. The time-to-journeyman calculator turns the hours into years at your own hours a week.
How much do plumbers make in Texas?
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Texas earned a median $59,840 a year in May 2025, $28.77 an hour. That median is 6% below the national figure of $63,800, and Texas ranks 39 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice plumbers make in Texas?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Texas under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, 1,373 apprentices started, at a median $18.78 an hour across the 1,356 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $29.80 an hour at completion (347 completers with an exit wage DOL counts). Wages are in that year's dollars.
What plumbers earn in Texas
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Texas earned a median $59,840 a year in May 2025, $28.77 an hour. 44,090 people held the job, 3.1 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 6% below the national figure of $63,800, and Texas ranks 39 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Texas
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.40 | $38,270 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $22.78 | $47,380 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $28.77 | $59,840 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $35.63 | $74,100 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $39.37 | $81,890 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $29.22 | $60,780 | 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 Texas
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX employs the most plumbers of the 25 metro areas based in Texas that BLS publishes, 11,980, at a median $61,250 a year. The best-paid is Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX at $62,810.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 11,980 | $61,250 | $39,350 | $82,230 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 10,980 | $61,300 | $39,920 | $85,680 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 5,260 | $62,810 | $40,810 | $80,920 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 3,190 | $58,180 | $37,240 | $78,530 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 1,250 | $62,220 | $45,640 | $85,380 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 1,160 | $59,390 | $37,870 | $74,870 |
| El Paso, TX | 640 | $53,560 | $35,600 | $88,370 |
| Lubbock, TX | 550 | $48,950 | $36,400 | $80,100 |
| Midland, TX | 510 | $60,700 | $41,580 | $80,760 |
| Waco, TX | 490 | $57,550 | $37,530 | $76,030 |
| Amarillo, TX | 440 | $55,970 | $35,030 | $74,420 |
| Longview, TX | 420 | $54,320 | $37,080 | $76,360 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | 400 | $49,780 | $35,760 | $76,380 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 360 | $46,110 | $30,370 | $62,130 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | 340 | $56,620 | $35,980 | $74,940 |
| Abilene, TX | 320 | $51,790 | $35,360 | $76,250 |
| Odessa, TX | 290 | $61,870 | $39,460 | $78,210 |
| Tyler, TX | 280 | $49,060 | $35,510 | $72,100 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 250 | $46,850 | $32,670 | $63,820 |
| Sherman-Denison, TX | 200 | $54,320 | $35,480 | $76,810 |
| San Angelo, TX | 160 | $48,050 | $35,690 | $68,490 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | 150 | $48,480 | $34,130 | $75,610 |
| Wichita Falls, TX | 130 | $49,210 | $36,490 | $72,960 |
| Laredo, TX | 120 | $46,350 | $32,600 | $69,750 |
| Victoria, TX | 120 | $60,320 | $37,590 | $75,120 |
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.
Texas against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | New Mexico | $61,440 | 2,830 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $60,970 | 4,110 |
| 38 | Virginia | $60,470 | 13,780 |
| 39 | Texas | $59,840 | 44,090 |
| 40 | Alabama | $58,670 | 6,950 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $58,600 | 9,270 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $57,970 | 6,050 |
The complete ranking is on the Plumbers and pipefitters page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $59,840 | $63,800 |
| Median hourly | $28.77 | $30.67 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $38,270 | $44,150 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $81,890 | $108,420 |
| Employed | 44,090 | 465,840 |
Apprenticeships in Texas
U.S. Department of Labor records list 3,448 registered apprentices active in Texas 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, 1,373 apprentices started, at a median $18.78 an hour across the 1,356 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $29.80 an hour at completion (347 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 Texas
Electricians ($58,570) · HVAC technicians ($57,760) · Welders ($53,340) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($56,290) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($78,940) · Elevator installers ($102,140) · Ironworkers ($52,240) · Sheet metal workers ($54,240) · Carpenters ($48,900) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($56,410) · Auto service technicians ($48,310) · Diesel mechanics ($58,810) · Heavy equipment operators ($50,460) · Machinists ($59,180)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Texas.
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.