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How to become a plumber in Wisconsin

Wisconsin requires a state license or registration to install plumbing (DSPS): plumbing apprentices register while in an apprentice contract, journeyman plumbers complete a recognized plumbing apprenticeship and pass the exam, and master plumbers add at least 1,000 hours a year for three years as a licensed journeyman or hold an approved engineering degree. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Wisconsin earned a median $81,210 a year in May 2025 ($39.04 an hour).

State license for workers

Required

a passage on the pages read says so

On-the-job hours

No single figure

no license here is recorded with one on-the-job hours figure of 2,000 or more; the table gives what each asks

Published fees, first steps

$30

for Plumbing Apprentice; published fees only, and the table names other amounts that are not in this sum

Median pay

$81,210

$39.04 an hour, May 2025

Plumber licensing in Wisconsin

The licensing authority is Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS). 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
Plumbing Apprentice (registration)	Entered into a plumbing apprentice contract recognized under Wis. Stat. chapter 106; registered apprentices install or modify plumbing under the general supervision of a licensed master plumber. There is no exam. DSPS lists a $15 credential fee and a $15 application fee. The registration renews yearly for $15.	—	—	$30
Journeyman Plumber	Complete a plumbing apprenticeship program recognized under Wis. Stat. chapter 106 or the US Department of Labor, then pass the journeyman exam, which has two parts (open book, passing score 70%); journeymen work under the general supervision of a licensed master plumber, master plumber-restricted or utility contractor. Out-of-state applicants qualify for the Wisconsin journeyman exam after a five-year apprenticeship including at least 576 hours of plumbing instruction, or after an apprenticeship, a journeyman exam passed in another state and at least five years of practice under another state's journeyman license, where that state's licensing is substantially similar to Wisconsin's and the applicant has had no disciplinary action on that license or any equivalent license. The DSPS page lists that second route among pathways that do not require the Wisconsin exam, but its application summary for the route requires passing the journeyman examination, and Wisconsin Statutes section 145.09(2m) accepts these applicants for the journeyman examination. DSPS lists a $180 credential fee, a $10 application fee and a $20 exam fee for each part, paid to DSPS. Plumbing exams are given only at Pearson centers in Wisconsin, where the candidate also pays Pearson $90 for each part. The license renews every four years for $180, with 24 hours of continuing education.	—	Journeyman plumber exam	$230
Master Plumber	At least 1,000 hours of plumbing work a year for at least three years as a licensed Wisconsin journeyman plumber, or a degree in civil engineering, mechanical engineering or another approved plumbing-related engineering curriculum from an accredited engineering university or college; pass both parts of the master exam (open book, passing score 70%). Out-of-state applicants qualify for the exam with a five-year out-of-state apprenticeship including at least 576 hours of plumbing instruction and at least 1,000 hours a year for at least three years as a licensed journeyman plumber, or with a current plumbing license and at least 8 years of plumbing experience, including 1,000 hours a year for at least three years under the laws of another state, city, town or village. DSPS lists a $500 credential fee, a $20 application fee and a $30 exam fee for each part, paid to DSPS. Plumbing exams are given only at Pearson centers in Wisconsin, where the candidate also pays Pearson $95 for each part. The license renews every four years for $500, with 24 hours of continuing education.	—	Master plumber exam	$580

Renewal. Every four years on March 31: journeyman licenses $180 and master licenses $500, each with 24 hours of continuing education; apprentice registrations yearly ($15).

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 Wisconsin?

What does it cost to get licensed as a plumber in Wisconsin?

The published fees in the table above run from $30 to $580 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 Wisconsin?

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 Wisconsin?

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Wisconsin earned a median $81,210 a year in May 2025, $39.04 an hour. That median is 27% above the national figure of $63,800, and Wisconsin ranks 7 of 51 by pay for this trade.

How much do apprentice plumbers make in Wisconsin?

In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Wisconsin under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, 89 apprentices started, at a median $22.91 an hour across the 89 whose starting wage DOL counts. Of those who completed that year, 24 have an exit wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs. Wages are in that year's dollars.

What plumbers earn in Wisconsin

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Wisconsin earned a median $81,210 a year in May 2025, $39.04 an hour. 10,210 people held the job, 3.5 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 27% above the national figure of $63,800, and Wisconsin ranks 7 of 51 by pay for this trade.

Median annual

$81,210

$39.04 an hour

Rank by pay

of 51 with a published median

Employed in WI

10,210

3.5 per 1,000 jobs

Location quotient

1.16

1.00 = national concentration

The full wage spread in Wisconsin

Point	Hourly	Annual	Meaning
10th percentile	$24.05	$50,020	A tenth of the workforce earns less than this.
25th percentile	$29.53	$61,430	A quarter earn less.
Median	$39.04	$81,210	Half earn less, half earn more.
75th percentile	$49.79	$103,560	A quarter earn more.
90th percentile	$57.72	$120,070	A tenth earn more than this.
Mean	$40.73	$84,720	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 Wisconsin

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI employs the most plumbers of the 13 metro areas based in Wisconsin that BLS publishes, 2,760, at a median $84,700 a year. The best-paid is Eau Claire, WI at $92,720.

Metro	Employed	Median annual	10th pct	90th pct
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI	2,760	$84,700	$56,520	$124,470
Madison, WI	1,590	$85,160	$48,310	$123,270
Appleton, WI	890	$91,750	$52,910	$119,880
Green Bay, WI	730	$90,570	$53,590	$120,070
Fond du Lac, WI	280	$77,310	$47,110	$124,720
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN	280	$82,610	$49,770	$105,590
Wausau, WI	260	$86,750	$50,380	$103,440
Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI	240	$77,070	$50,070	$116,240
Oshkosh-Neenah, WI	230	$86,320	$53,340	$110,900
Eau Claire, WI	210	$92,720	$51,240	$103,150
Kenosha, WI	150	$77,340	$51,440	$112,750
Sheboygan, WI	150	$91,530	$48,960	$109,950
Janesville-Beloit, WI	140	$79,070	$47,700	$108,020

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 Wisconsin: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI and Duluth, MN-WI.

Wisconsin against its neighbors on the pay ladder

#	State	Median annual	Employed
4	Minnesota	$94,410	10,720
5	Alaska	$93,920	1,200
6	Massachusetts	$93,880	13,460
7	Wisconsin	$81,210	10,210
8	Washington	$81,030	12,470
9	Michigan	$80,190	14,120
10	Montana	$79,960	1,860

The complete ranking is on the Plumbers and pipefitters page.

Against the national figure

Figure	Wisconsin	United States
Median annual	$81,210	$63,800
Median hourly	$39.04	$30.67
10th percentile, annual	$50,020	$44,150
90th percentile, annual	$120,070	$108,420
Employed	10,210	465,840

Apprenticeships in Wisconsin

U.S. Department of Labor records list 229 registered apprentices active in Wisconsin 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, 89 apprentices started, at a median $22.91 an hour across the 89 whose starting wage DOL counts. Of those who completed that year, 24 have an exit wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs.

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 Wisconsin

Electricians ($76,540) · HVAC technicians ($61,710) · Welders ($58,410) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($58,610) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($105,820) · Elevator installers ($77,640) · Ironworkers ($92,820) · Sheet metal workers ($77,760) · Carpenters ($61,660) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($80,120) · Auto service technicians ($54,350) · Diesel mechanics ($62,450) · Heavy equipment operators ($75,280) · Machinists ($59,110)

See all 15 ranked by pay in Wisconsin.

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.