- Virginia requires a state contractor license from the Board for Contractors for jobs over $1,000, with the plumbing contractor (PLB) classification.
- The firm's qualifier needs one year of experience for Class C, three years for Class B and five years for Class A. A master tradesman applicant needs one year holding a journeyman license, or nine years of practical experience in the trade. A journeyman needs, for example, eight years of experience with no school, or fewer years with vocational training or a degree.
- Plan for two exams: the trade exam and a business and law exam.
- Pay runs from about $21.14 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of plumbers to $37.52 for the top tenth.
- Jobs are projected to grow 3.4% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally.
The path in Virginia, step by step
Virginia licenses plumbing work at the state level through the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Contractors. These are the steps it lays out, in order.
- Meet the experience rules and pass the journeyman plumbing exam, then hold the journeyman license for at least one year.
- Get board pre-approval and pass the master tradesman exam with PSI.
- Form your business and pick a license class (A, B or C) based on your job sizes.
- Have a member of responsible management finish the board-approved basic business course.
- Apply to the Board for Contractors with the PLB classification and your master as qualifier, and pay the fee plus the $25 Recovery Fund assessment.
The full license guide, with every fee and form: plumbing license in Virginia.
Finding an apprenticeship in Virginia
Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia
The license to aim for: Class A, B or C contractor license with the PLB classification, qualified by a Master Plumber.
Trade exam. Yes. The master tradesman exam is given by PSI with board pre-approval. The exam fee is $125 for a master and $100 for a journeyman.
Business exam. A member of responsible management completes a board-approved basic business course.
Keeping it. Contractor licenses expire two years from the last day of the month they were issued. Renewal is $220 (C), $260 (B) or $270 (A) plus a $30 Recovery Fund assessment. Plumbers with a tradesman license need 3 hours of approved continuing education to renew.
Coming from another state. The Board lists reciprocity and exam agreements with other states. Tradesmen can upgrade to a master license by exam or reciprocity. Ask the board for the terms.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Class C | Single jobs over $1,000 but under $30,000, and under $250,000 a year. |
| Class B | Single jobs of $30,000 to under $150,000, or $250,000 to under $1 million a year. |
| Class A | Single jobs of $150,000 or more, or $1 million or more a year. |
| PLB | Plumbing contractor: piping, fixtures, water heaters, boilers, drainage, and water supply systems. Does not include gas piping. |
What the Virginia license costs
The fees the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Contractors lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Class C initial license | $235 |
| Class B initial license | $380 |
| Class A initial license | $400 |
| Recovery Fund assessment with initial application | $25 |
| Original tradesman license | $150 |
| Master tradesman exam (PSI) | $125 |
What plumbers earn in Virginia
The median plumber in Virginia earned $29.07 an hour in May 2025, 38th of 51 states, with 13,780 on payrolls. The national median was $30.67.
At the bottom of the range, a quarter of plumbers in Virginia earned under $23.72 an hour and a tenth under $21.14. At the top, a quarter earned over $34.51 and a tenth over $37.52.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $21.14 | $43,970 |
| 25th percentile | $23.72 | $49,350 |
| Median | $29.07 | $60,470 |
| 75th percentile | $34.51 | $71,780 |
| 90th percentile | $37.52 | $78,050 |
Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: plumber salary in Virginia.
Jobs ahead in Virginia
Virginia's labor market office projects jobs for plumbers growing from 13,420 in 2022 to 13,880 in 2032, a change of 3.4%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 1,210 openings a year.
Jobs are projected to grow 3.4% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally, ranking 44th 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 Virginia
To contract on your own in Virginia, the license is the Class A, B or C contractor license with the PLB classification, qualified by a Master Plumber.
Bond. Class A firms need a $45,000 net worth and Class B firms $15,000, or either can post a $50,000 surety bond instead.
Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Virginia median of $29.07 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $121.64 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.
Where this comes from
The license steps, fees and rules are from the official pages below, read on the date shown. Pay is the BLS May 2025 state estimate, the job outlook is Virginia's own long-term projection, and the apprenticeship details are from the U.S. Department of Labor. A detail an official page did not confirm is left out.
- Board for Contractors (checked 2026-10-08)
- Code of Virginia 54.1-1100 contractor classes (checked 2026-10-08)
- Code of Virginia 54.1-1103 license required (checked 2026-10-08)
- 18VAC50-22-100 fees (checked 2026-10-08)
- 18VAC50-22-140 renewal fees (checked 2026-10-08)
- Tradesmen program (checked 2026-10-08)
- 18VAC50-22-20 classification definitions (checked 2026-10-08)
- 18VAC50-30-39 tradesman exam qualifications (checked 2026-10-08)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 47-2152
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2022 to 2032 (state labor market offices) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Apprenticeship System (Office of Apprenticeship and State Apprenticeship Agencies) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, State Offices (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship Program (checked 2026-10-09)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (checked 2026-10-09)
Training, schools and certifications for every state: how to become a plumber.