How to become a plumber in North Dakota

The path in North Dakota, step by step

North Dakota licenses plumbing work at the state level through the North Dakota State Plumbing Board. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Work four years as a registered apprentice under a master plumber.
2. Apply for and pass the journeyman plumber exam.
3. Work two years (3,400 hours) as a licensed journeyman.
4. Apply to the board and pay the $50 exam fee, then pass the master plumber exam.
5. Pay the license fee and keep your license number on all ads.
6. Renew every year by December 31 and keep up your continuing education.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in North Dakota

North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota

The license to aim for: Master Plumber.

Trade exam. Yes. The master plumber exam has four parts, 100 closed book multiple choice questions plus open book parts, with five hours allowed. Bring the 2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code and a calculator.

Keeping it. Every year. Licenses expire on December 31. Master and journeyman plumbers need two to four credit hours of continuing education within a two-year period.

Coming from another state. The board may license nonresidents without exam when they come from states with similar requirements that offer the same to North Dakota plumbers.

What the North Dakota license costs

The fees the North Dakota State Plumbing Board lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What plumbers earn in North Dakota

The median plumber in North Dakota earned $30.56 an hour in May 2025, 28th of 51 states, with 1,620 on payrolls. The national median was $30.67.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of plumbers in North Dakota earned under $23.92 an hour and a tenth under $21.89. At the top, a quarter earned over $36.95 and a tenth over $40.17.

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

Jobs ahead in North Dakota

North Dakota's labor market office projects jobs for plumbers growing from 1,330 in 2022 to 1,470 in 2032, a change of 10.5%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 130 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 10.5% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally, ranking 17th 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 North Dakota

To contract on your own in North Dakota, the license is the Master Plumber.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the North Dakota median of $30.56 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $124.26 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.