How to become a plumber in Rhode Island

The path in Rhode Island, step by step

Rhode Island licenses plumbing work at the state level through the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulation. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Register as an apprentice plumber and complete 8,000 hours of on the job training and 576 hours of instruction.
2. Apply with the $75 fee and pass the journeyperson plumber exam.
3. Work at least one year as a licensed journeyperson for a licensed master.
4. Apply with the $75 fee and pass the master plumber exam.
5. Renew every two years on your birthday.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in Rhode Island

Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island

The license to aim for: Master Plumber license.

Trade exam. Yes. State exams for journeyperson and master plumber.

Keeping it. Every two years, on your birthday.

What the Rhode Island license costs

The fees the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulation lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What plumbers earn in Rhode Island

The median plumber in Rhode Island earned $36.77 an hour in May 2025, 15th of 51 states, with 1,820 on payrolls. The national median was $30.67.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of plumbers in Rhode Island earned under $28.24 an hour and a tenth under $23.89. At the top, a quarter earned over $51.61 and a tenth over $53.06.

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

Jobs ahead in Rhode Island

Rhode Island's labor market office projects jobs for plumbers growing from 2,520 in 2022 to 2,820 in 2032, a change of 11.9%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 260 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 11.9% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally, ranking 15th 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 Rhode Island

To contract on your own in Rhode Island, the license is the Master Plumber license.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Rhode Island median of $36.77 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $135.16 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.