Who licenses plumbers in Kentucky?
Kentucky’s Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction has a Division of Plumbing and publishes the state licensing and permit rules. The department directory lists the Division of Plumbing as the state contact. Kentucky DHBC directory
The state system distinguishes apprentice experience, journeyman licensure and master licensure. The master credential carries permit responsibility; the journeyman performs covered work under a licensed master with a valid permit.
Apprentice, journeyman and master requirements
A journeyman applicant needs at least two consecutive years as an apprentice, or a department-approved plumbing or Kentucky-code course plus at least one apprentice year. 815 KAR 20:030
The main master route requires holding a valid journeyman license for at least two years within the five years immediately before applying and being actively employed in plumbing under a licensed master for at least two years. The regulation also contains Kentucky-engineer and out-of-state routes. Build the work record while supervisors and projects are still verifiable; the experience-verification guide provides a document checklist.
Exam fees, sections and passing scores
The examination registration requires Form PLB-3, a recent passport-size color photograph and a nonrefundable fee: $50 for journeyman or $150 for master. 815 KAR 20:030
The journeyman exam includes a practical section in which the applicant demonstrates plumbing installation ability. Regular master and journeyman exams are scheduled in February, May, August and November, with special exams possible when the department directs.
Licensure requires at least 75% on each journeyman exam portion or at least 80% on each master exam portion. A passing examination score remains valid for three years.
Renewal fees, timing and continuing education
After the exam, the journeyman license application requires a $60 license fee, while the master application requires $250. Renewal uses the same $60 journeyman and $250 master split. 815 KAR 20:030
For timing, 815 KAR 20:030 says an initial journeyman or master license expires on the final day of the licensee’s birth month after a prorated initial term of seven to 18 months. The renewal filing requires the applicable fee, proof of continuing education, Form DHBC L-1 and, for a master, proof of insurance required by KRS 318.030. File against the expiration shown on the credential rather than treating the fee payment as the whole renewal.
815 KAR 2:010 requires at least six hours of approved continuing education before license renewal when the annual requirement applies. The required annual hours are not required for a licensee’s first renewal if the initial license was issued within 12 months of renewal. When hours are required, they generally must be completed during the 12 months before renewal. 815 KAR 2:010 The plumbing subsection allows courses on business, job safety, the Kentucky State Plumbing Code or subjects directly related to the plumbing trade.
This is a filing checklist, not a substitute for the operative insurance provision. The renewal regulation cross-references KRS 318.030 instead of restating the master-plumber coverage terms. Read that statute and the current DHBC renewal form before arranging the certificate. Keep exam, initial-license and recurring-license costs in separate budget lines; the contractor-license cost guide helps avoid treating the exam fee as the full cost.
Who can obtain the plumbing permit?
Kentucky issues a permit to construct, install or alter plumbing, sewerage or drainage only to a licensed master plumber or a homeowner who satisfies the owner-occupancy, affidavit, personal-work and other conditions in the rule. 815 KAR 20:050
A journeyman cannot perform that construction, installation or alteration unless the work is under a licensed master plumber’s supervision and a valid permit. That makes the master license the operating credential for permit responsibility, not simply the next pay grade.
Out-of-state licenses do not transfer
Kentucky DHBC answers the portability question directly: another state’s plumbing license does not authorize licensed plumbing work in Kentucky. The valid out-of-state license can make the holder eligible to take the Kentucky test without meeting the years-of-experience requirement, but every other requirement still applies. Kentucky plumbing FAQ
For a master application, 815 KAR 20:030 separately describes an out-of-state route based on holding another state’s plumbing license for at least two years within the prior five years. Read the current application rule and DHBC instructions together rather than assuming reciprocity.
Frequently asked questions
Who licenses plumbers in Kentucky?
The Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction includes the Division of Plumbing, which is the state contact for plumbing licensing and permits.
How do I qualify for the journeyman license?
Use two consecutive apprentice years, or a department-approved course plus at least one apprentice year, then satisfy the exam and application requirements.
What score do I need?
At least 75% on each journeyman exam portion or 80% on each master exam portion.
Can a journeyman obtain the plumbing permit?
No. The rule issues it to a licensed master plumber or a homeowner who meets the listed conditions. Journeyman work covered by the rule occurs under a master and valid permit.
Does an out-of-state plumbing license let me work in Kentucky?
No. DHBC says it can make the holder eligible to test without the years-of-experience requirement, but all other Kentucky requirements remain.
How much continuing education does a Kentucky plumber need for renewal?
Six approved hours when the annual requirement applies, generally completed during the 12 months before renewal. The annual hours are not required for a first renewal if the initial license was issued within 12 months of renewal.