- Journeyman plumber: a completed 4 year apprenticeship, or 576 classroom hours plus 3,850 commercial and 3,850 residential hours, or 7,700 commercial and 7,700 residential hours of experience.
- Plan for a trade exam.
- Licenses run on set cycles. All PB licenses next renew July 1, 2029, and all JP licenses next renew April 1, 2029. Many licenses need continuing education to renew.
Do you need a state license in Oregon?
Oregon licenses plumbing work at the state level through the Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD), with a Construction Contractors Board license. Below is what the board asks for, in the order you will run into it.
Oregon license types for plumbing work
Oregon splits the work into 2 licenses. Pick the one that matches the jobs you take, since working outside its scope is the same as working without one.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Plumbing Business (PB) | Lets a business advertise, furnish labor and materials, and install, change and repair plumbing |
| Journeyman Plumber (JP) | Individual license to do all plumbing installations, alterations and remodels |
Steps to get licensed in Oregon
- Earn your journeyman plumber license through an apprenticeship or documented experience.
- Pass the open book journeyman exam with 75 percent or better.
- Get a Construction Contractors Board license for the business.
- Register your business name with the Oregon Secretary of State.
- Apply to the Building Codes Division for the Plumbing Business license.
- Renew on the license cycle and keep up continuing education.
Experience and other requirements
Experience. Journeyman plumber: a completed 4 year apprenticeship, or 576 classroom hours plus 3,850 commercial and 3,850 residential hours, or 7,700 commercial and 7,700 residential hours of experience.
The license to apply for. Plumbing Business (PB) license.
Oregon plumbing exams
Trade exam. Yes, for the journeyman plumber license: a 4 hour, 64 question open book exam. Passing is 75 percent.
Business and law exam. No separate BCD business exam found. The CCB license that most applicants need has its own training and exam.
What it costs in Oregon
We could not confirm the current fee schedule on an official page. Check with the board before you budget: Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD), with a Construction Contractors Board license.
Insurance and bond
Insurance. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Bond. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Renewal and licenses from other states
Renewal. Licenses run on set cycles. All PB licenses next renew July 1, 2029, and all JP licenses next renew April 1, 2029. Many licenses need continuing education to renew.
Reciprocity. Journeyman plumber reciprocity with Idaho and Montana.
Good to know in Oregon
- The Plumbing Business license does not let the holder work as a journeyman plumber without an individual license.
- BCD contractor licenses generally require an active Construction Contractors Board license.
- Register your business name with the Oregon Secretary of State.
After you are licensed
The license lets you take the work. Getting the work is the next job.
- Register the business. If you work under a name other than your own, register it where your state asks (often the Secretary of State, sometimes the county), and keep the name the same on your license, your truck and your invoices.
- Claim your Google Business Profile. It is the listing people see when they search for a plumber near them. Fill in your service area, hours and real photos of your work.
- Put up a website that shows the license. Customers look for it before they call. Koira builds a contractor website for you and keeps it current.
- See where you stand. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where this comes from
Every fact on this page comes from the Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD), with a Construction Contractors Board license and the official pages below, checked October 8, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the board before you file.
More for your trade: how plumbing companies run on Koira.