How to become a plumber in New Jersey

The path in New Jersey, step by step

New Jersey licenses plumbing work at the state level through the New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Get the board-approved apprenticeship (sponsored by your employer) and register as a journeyman plumber.
2. Work one year (1,200 hours) as a journeyman in New Jersey.
3. Apply online to take the master plumber exam and pay the $100 fee.
4. Wait for board approval at its monthly meeting, then register for and pass the exam.
5. Pay the license fee and register your bona fide representative for the business.
6. Renew every two years by June 30 with five CE credits.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in New Jersey

New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey

The license to aim for: Master Plumber.

Trade exam. Yes. You must pass the licensing exam after the board approves your application.

Keeping it. Every two years. Licenses expire June 30 of odd-numbered years. Five credits of board-approved continuing education each two-year period.

Coming from another state. Possible if your state's standards are equal or comparable to New Jersey's and your state reciprocates with New Jersey.

What the New Jersey license costs

The fees the New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What plumbers earn in New Jersey

The median plumber in New Jersey earned $37.61 an hour in May 2025, 11th of 51 states, with 8,750 on payrolls. The national median was $30.67.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of plumbers in New Jersey earned under $29.72 an hour and a tenth under $23.42. At the top, a quarter earned over $51.36 and a tenth over $65.73.

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

Jobs ahead in New Jersey

New Jersey's labor market office projects jobs for plumbers growing from 9,730 in 2022 to 10,200 in 2032, a change of 4.8%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 900 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 4.8% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally, ranking 37th 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 New Jersey

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

Bond. The board's reinstatement form asks for a $3,000 surety bond for each biennial renewal cycle.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the New Jersey median of $37.61 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $136.64 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.