How to become a plumber in Maryland

The path in Maryland, step by step

Maryland licenses plumbing work at the state level through the Maryland State Board of Plumbing, Maryland Department of Labor. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Get an apprentice plumber/gas fitter license (age 16 or older) and work under a licensed master.
2. After four years and 7,500 hours plus 32 hours of backflow training, pass the PSI journey exam.
3. Hold the journey license two years and log 3,750 more hours under a master.
4. Apply through PSI with proof of hours and backflow certification, and pass the master exam.
5. Apply for the master license within one year and file insurance to be insured to contract.
6. Renew every two years.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in Maryland

Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

The license to aim for: Master Plumber/Gas Fitter license.

Trade exam. Yes. A comprehensive written exam given by PSI. You must send proof of hours, your backflow certification and your driver's license.

Keeping it. Every two years from the date of issue. Maryland plumbing licenses have no continuing education requirement. A license lapsed more than four years means a new application and exam.

Coming from another state. Reciprocal master or journey licenses for plumbers licensed in Baltimore County, WSSC or DC, and master plumber/gas fitter reciprocity with Delaware.

What plumbers earn in Maryland

The median plumber in Maryland earned $31.44 an hour in May 2025, 21st of 51 states, with 11,420 on payrolls. The national median was $30.67.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of plumbers in Maryland earned under $26.34 an hour and a tenth under $21.94. At the top, a quarter earned over $45.62 and a tenth over $52.13.

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

Jobs ahead in Maryland

Maryland's labor market office projects jobs for plumbers growing from 12,320 in 2022 to 13,060 in 2032, a change of 6%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 1,160 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally, ranking 33rd 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 Maryland

To contract on your own in Maryland, the license is the Master Plumber/Gas Fitter license.

Insurance. To contract work, a licensee needs at least $400,000 per occurrence: $300,000 general liability and $100,000 property damage. Umbrella policies do not count, and the Maryland State Board of Plumbing must be the certificate holder.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Maryland median of $31.44 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $125.80 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.