Colorado plumber license requirements

This guide summarizes what Colorado requires to work as a plumber, with a link to the state's own source for every requirement. Rules change; check the linked source before you apply.

Apprentices

Anyone employed in the plumbing trade is considered an apprentice and must be registered with the State Plumbing Board until they obtain a Colorado plumber's license. (source)

Journeyman level: experience and exam

Colorado's plumbing board lists 4 years (6,800 hours) of practical experience as the most it requires for a journeyworker plumber license. (source)

Plumbing exams are multiple-choice, given in English through PSI; Residential and Journeyworker examinees need an overall 70% to pass. (source)

Master level

Five full-time years (8,500 hours) of practical experience for a master plumber license. (source)

Contractor license

Plumbing contractors register with the State Plumbing Board and must have a responsible master plumber; both numbers must be displayed on vehicles, billing materials, bids and websites. (source)

Renewal, continuing education and fees

Plumbing licenses and plumbing contractor registrations expire on the final day of February of odd-numbered years (a two-year cycle). (source)

Residential, journeyworker and master plumbers must complete at least 8 hours of CE during each year (March 1 to February 28) of the two-year license period. (source)

Licensed in another state

Out-of-state plumbers may qualify for licensure by endorsement if their credentials and qualifications are substantially equivalent to Colorado's exam-route requirements. (source)

Check a license

Colorado's public license lookup: https://apps.colorado.gov/dora/licensing/Lookup/LicenseLookup.aspx

Pay for plumbers in Colorado

Statewide figures for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152), all employers, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS):

• Median hourly wage: $30.40 (BLS OEWS)
• Median annual wage: $63,240 (BLS OEWS)
• 10th percentile: $22.97 (BLS OEWS)
• 90th percentile: $48.19 (BLS OEWS)
• Estimated employment: 10,080 (BLS OEWS)

Release: May 2025 (source)

These are benchmarks, not job offers. A listing on Mountain West Trades shows the pay that employer posted.