How to become a plumber in Florida

The path in Florida, step by step

Florida licenses plumbing work at the state level through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Build four years of plumbing experience, including one year as a foreman.
2. Register with Professional Testing Inc and pass the Business and Finance and plumbing trade exams.
3. Get a credit report, electronic fingerprints, liability insurance, and workers compensation coverage or an exemption.
4. Apply to DBPR for certification and pay the $145 or $245 fee depending on the date.
5. Renew every two years with 14 hours of continuing education and the renewal fee.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in Florida

Florida runs Registered Apprenticeship through its own State Apprenticeship Agency, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor to register and oversee programs there. Its staff are state employees, and it may use the federal paperwork or forms of its own. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Florida State Apprenticeship Agency 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 Florida

The license to aim for: Certified Plumbing Contractor (CF).

Trade exam. Yes. A plumbing trade knowledge exam that includes isometric drawings, registered through Professional Testing Inc (PTI). You need at least 70 percent to pass.

Business exam. Yes. A Business and Finance exam, scheduled at Pearson VUE.

Keeping it. Every two years, with 14 hours of continuing education including workplace safety, business practices, workers compensation, and laws and rules. Certified licenses expire August 31 of even years.

What the Florida license costs

The fees the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What plumbers earn in Florida

The median plumber in Florida earned $25.44 an hour in May 2025, 48th of 51 states, with 29,260 on payrolls. The national median was $30.67.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of plumbers in Florida earned under $22.70 an hour and a tenth under $18.72. At the top, a quarter earned over $30.20 and a tenth over $35.39.

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

Jobs ahead in Florida

Florida's labor market office projects jobs for plumbers growing from 30,220 in 2022 to 34,230 in 2032, a change of 13.3%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 3,140 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 13.3% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally, ranking 8th 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 Florida

To contract on your own in Florida, the license is the Certified Plumbing Contractor (CF).

Insurance. Public liability of at least $100,000 and property damage of at least $25,000, plus workers compensation or an exemption.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Florida median of $25.44 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $115.27 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.