Idaho plumber license requirements

This guide summarizes what Idaho 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

Plumbing journeyman candidates must apply for and maintain an active apprentice registration with DOPL. (source)

Journeyman level: experience and exam

8,000 hours of work experience plus 4 years of approved schooling, or 16,000 hours of work experience. (source)

Journeyman plumber applicants must pass the IAPMO exam (registered through PSI) before applying to DOPL. (source)

Master level

Idaho has no master plumber license; the plumbing classifications are contractor, journeyman and apprentice (plus specialty classes). (source)

Contractor license

A plumbing contractor certificate of competency requires a journeyman certificate, passing a board-designated exam and a $2,000 compliance bond. (source)

Renewal, continuing education and fees

Plumbing certificates of competency are issued for three years and expire three years from the date of issue. (source)

$22.50 application fee. (source)

Licensed in another state

Idaho's universal licensure law requires licensing authorities to offer licensure to people holding a current, valid, unrestricted license from another U.S. state who demonstrate competency. (source)

Check a license

Idaho's public license lookup: https://edopl.idaho.gov/OnlineServices/?link=PubSearch

Pay for plumbers in Idaho

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: $25.18 (BLS OEWS)
• Median annual wage: $52,380 (BLS OEWS)
• 10th percentile: $18.96 (BLS OEWS)
• 90th percentile: $39.72 (BLS OEWS)
• Estimated employment: 3,090 (BLS OEWS)

Release: May 2025 (source)

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