How to become a plumber in Texas

The path in Texas, step by step

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

1. Register as a Plumber's Apprentice and build 8,000 hours of plumbing experience.
2. Finish a 48-hour approved course or an approved apprenticeship, then pass the Journeyman Plumber exam.
3. Hold the Journeyman license for two years (or one year with an approved program).
4. Apply to the board, submit fingerprints, and pass the Master Plumber exam with Pearson VUE.
5. Pay the $75 license fee for your Master Plumber license.
6. Buy at least $300,000 of commercial general liability insurance and apply for the RMP designation for $225.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in Texas

Texas 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 Texas Office of Apprenticeship 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 Texas

The license to aim for: Master Plumber with Responsible Master Plumber (RMP) designation.

Trade exam. Yes. Pass the Master Plumber Examination. The exam fee of $128.50 is paid to Pearson VUE on exam day.

Keeping it. Licenses renew every year. All licensees need six hours of continuing professional education to renew. A license expired more than two years cannot be renewed and must be reinstated by starting over.

Coming from another state. A Master Plumber licensed in another state can qualify for the exam if they held a Journeyman Plumber license for at least two years, or one year plus an approved training program.

What the Texas license costs

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

What plumbers earn in Texas

The median plumber in Texas earned $28.77 an hour in May 2025, 39th of 51 states, with 44,090 on payrolls. The national median was $30.67.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of plumbers in Texas earned under $22.78 an hour and a tenth under $18.40. At the top, a quarter earned over $35.63 and a tenth over $39.37.

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

Jobs ahead in Texas

Texas's labor market office projects jobs for plumbers growing from 41,660 in 2022 to 47,190 in 2032, a change of 13.3%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 4,340 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 13.3% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally, ranking 8th 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 Texas

To contract on your own in Texas, the license is the Master Plumber with Responsible Master Plumber (RMP) designation.

Insurance. A Responsible Master Plumber must keep at least $300,000 of commercial general liability insurance and file a certificate of insurance.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Texas median of $28.77 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $121.11 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.