How to become a plumber in Idaho

The path in Idaho, step by step

Idaho licenses plumbing work at the state level through the Idaho Plumbing Board, Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL). These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Register with DOPL as a plumbing apprentice.
2. Log 8,000 supervised hours and finish 576 hours at a board-approved apprenticeship school, or log 16,000 hours.
3. Apply for the journeyman certificate and pass the board exam.
4. Apply for the plumbing contractor certificate. After approval you get exam information.
5. Pass the contractor exam, file proof of a $2,000 compliance bond and pay the $147 license fee.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in Idaho

Idaho 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 Idaho 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 Idaho

The license to aim for: Plumbing Contractor certificate of competency.

Trade exam. A board-designated exam for the journeyman certificate, and another board-designated exam for the contractor certificate.

Keeping it. Proof that your compliance bond is renewed is needed to renew. Check with the board for the renewal period.

Coming from another state. Journeyman applicants licensed in Montana or Oregon can apply through a reciprocity pathway.

What the Idaho license costs

The fees the Idaho Plumbing Board, Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What plumbers earn in Idaho

The median plumber in Idaho earned $25.18 an hour in May 2025, 49th of 51 states, with 3,090 on payrolls. The national median was $30.67.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of plumbers in Idaho earned under $22.21 an hour and a tenth under $18.96. At the top, a quarter earned over $33.48 and a tenth over $39.72.

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

Jobs ahead in Idaho

Idaho's labor market office projects jobs for plumbers growing from 2,400 in 2022 to 2,950 in 2032, a change of 22.9%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 280 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 22.9% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally, ranking 2nd 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 Idaho

To contract on your own in Idaho, the license is the Plumbing Contractor certificate of competency.

Bond. Compliance bond of $2,000 for the contractor certificate.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Idaho median of $25.18 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $114.81 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.