How to become a plumber in Arkansas

The path in Arkansas, step by step

Arkansas licenses plumbing work at the state level through the Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (Committee of Plumbing Examiners). These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Register as an apprentice plumber under an Arkansas master plumber.
2. Build at least four years of experience and pass the journeyman exam.
3. Reach at least five years of experience.
4. Send the master plumber application with the $125 fee and employer affidavits if needed.
5. Pass the master exam and pay the $200 license fee.
6. Renew every year by February 1.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: plumbing license in Arkansas.

Finding an apprenticeship in Arkansas

Arkansas has no recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, so the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship registers and oversees programs there through a state field office. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Arkansas Apprenticeship Office as the contact.

Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.

Across the country. Most plumbers learn the trade in a 4 or 5 year apprenticeship, with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training plus some classroom instruction each year.

License levels and exams in Arkansas

The license to aim for: Master Plumber license.

Trade exam. Yes. The master plumber exam has four sections (drawings, code questions, venting and combustion air, and gas pipe sizing).

Keeping it. Every year. Master, journeyman and apprentice licenses expire December 31 and must be renewed by February 1. Renewal includes continuing education hours.

Coming from another state. The Committee of Plumbing Examiners may approve an exam applicant who holds a master or journeyman license from another state that uses a national model code and a national exam.

What the Arkansas license costs

The fees the Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (Committee of Plumbing Examiners) lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What plumbers earn in Arkansas

The median plumber in Arkansas earned $23.39 an hour in May 2025, the lowest median of 51 states, with 3,370 on payrolls. The national median was $30.67.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of plumbers in Arkansas earned under $18.82 an hour and a tenth under $16.06. At the top, a quarter earned over $29.12 and a tenth over $33.11.

Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: plumber salary in Arkansas.

Jobs ahead in Arkansas

Arkansas's labor market office projects jobs for plumbers growing from 3,340 in 2022 to 3,520 in 2032, a change of 5.4%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 310 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 5.4% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally, ranking 35th of the 50 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters.

Starting your own plumber business in Arkansas

To contract on your own in Arkansas, the license is the Master Plumber license.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Arkansas median of $23.39 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $111.67 per billable hour. Try your own in the plumber labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start a plumbing business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.