How to become a plumber in New York

The path in New York, step by step

There is no state plumbing license in New York. Each city's examining board of plumbers tests and certifies master plumbers. In New York City, the Department of Buildings licenses master plumbers. It asks for at least seven years of experience within the ten years before you apply, a $585 written exam and a $530 practical exam. NYC master plumber businesses need general liability, workers compensation and disability insurance. The training is the same as anywhere: learn the trade under someone experienced, ideally in a registered apprenticeship.

1. Find out which city or county licensing board covers where you will work.
2. Get the experience that board requires.
3. Apply for and pass the local master plumber exam.
4. Get the insurance the city requires and register your business.
5. Pull permits under your local license.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in New York

New York 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 New York 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.

Licenses and exams around New York

The license to aim for: None at state level (city master plumber license or certificate).

What plumbers earn in New York

The median plumber in New York earned $37.26 an hour in May 2025, 13th of 51 states, with 23,210 on payrolls. The national median was $30.67.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of plumbers in New York earned under $28.83 an hour and a tenth under $22.18. At the top, a quarter earned over $48.67 and a tenth over $62.70.

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

Jobs ahead in New York

New York's labor market office projects jobs for plumbers growing from 29,670 in 2022 to 30,900 in 2032, a change of 4.1%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 120 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 4.1% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally, ranking 39th 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 York

Each city's examining board of plumbers tests and certifies master plumbers. In New York City, the Department of Buildings licenses master plumbers. It asks for at least seven years of experience within the ten years before you apply, a $585 written exam and a $530 practical exam. NYC master plumber businesses need general liability, workers compensation and disability insurance.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the New York median of $37.26 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $136.02 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.