Massachusetts Plumber License: 6,800 Hours, PSI Exam

How to get licensed as a plumber in Massachusetts: 6,800 hours (Journeyman Plumber), PSI exam — verified from Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters.

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters, Division of Occupational Licensure (DOL), Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (official site) and last verified July 29, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

Who must hold a credential: Massachusetts licenses the INDIVIDUAL, at every level of the trade including the apprentice. The Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters describes its own function this way: it "[c]onducts exams and issue licenses for journeyman and master plumbers and gas fitters," "[r]egisters apprentice plumbers and gas fitters," and "[i]ssues corporate and partnership certificates for plumbing and gas." The statute is categorical — M.G.L. c. 142, § 3: "No person shall engage in the business as a master plumber or a master gas fitter or work as a journeyman plumber or as a journeyman gas fitter or as an apprentice plumber or as an apprentice gas fitter or as an undiluted liquefied petroleum gas installer or as a limited undiluted liquefied petroleum gas installer, nor solicit, by sign, listing or any other form of advertisement, work regulated or controlled by this chapter ... unless he is lawfully registered, or has been licensed by the examiners as provided in this chapter." So there is no working-under-the-boss's-licence route here: an employed plumber needs a personal journeyman licence, and even a first-day apprentice must be licensed BEFORE starting (§ 3A requires the application "before starting his apprenticeship"). § 14 closes the obvious loophole: "Sections one to sixteen, inclusive, shall apply to all persons learning the business of plumbing and gas fitting when they are sent out to do the work of a journeyman." A business licence for the corporation, LLC or partnership is required IN ADDITION to the individual licences, never instead of them (248 CMR 3.03(1)(a); M.G.L. c. 142, § 3B). Permits reinforce it: "Permits shall be issued to properly licensed individuals only. Permits may not be issued to apprentices" (248 CMR 3.05(1)(b)7.a).
No local plumbing licence — the state occupies the whole field: Unlike states that leave journeyman licensing to municipalities, Massachusetts preempts the field. 248 CMR 3.03(5): "These regulations, in conjunction with M.G.L. c. 142, shall be deemed to occupy the whole field of the licensing of plumbers, gas fitters, and undiluted liquefied petroleum gas installers in Massachusetts." M.G.L. c. 142, § 6: "Licenses and certificates issued by the examiners shall be valid throughout the commonwealth, but shall not be assignable or transferable," and § 2: "Sections one through twenty-two, except section twenty-one, shall apply to all cities and towns." § 3 adds that a licensed master or journeyman plumber "may carry on the work of a gas fitter throughout the commonwealth, notwithstanding any local ordinance, by-law, rule or regulation to the contrary, and may engage in the work of installing house drainage and connecting with common sewers without being required to have any local license therefor, but shall be subject to local regulations relative to permits and bonding requirements." What IS local: permits and inspections (§§ 11, 11A, 12; 248 CMR 3.05), and a master plumber's or master gas fitter's registration of name and business address with the local inspector of buildings or board of health, at a fee each town sets but which "in no event shall ... be greater than twenty dollars" (§ 6). § 11 also requires local plumbing inspectors to be practical plumbers with five continuous years of master or journeyman experience immediately preceding appointment, and provides that "[t]he approval of plumbing or gas fitting by any inspectors other than those provided for by this chapter shall not be a compliance therewith."
Apprentice hours paired with classroom hours — both are required, and they are paced against each other: The journeyman plumber requirement is conjunctive: 6,800 clock hours of qualifying practical work experience as a licensed apprentice AND 550 clock hours of plumbing and gasfitting theory, the education spread over "a period of no less than four years," with no more than 165 education hours credited in any calendar year (248 CMR 11.02(1)(a)1-2). The two are yoked together by 248 CMR 11.02(1)(a)3.a: "[f]or each year in which an apprentice obtains 165 clock hours of education (1½ tiers), that apprentice must accrue 1,700 clock hours of qualifying work experience as a licensed apprentice." The 550 hours are five consecutive Tiers of 110 clock hours; each Tier ends in a school- or instructor-designed examination and no student advances until the preceding Tier's hours and exam are done; Tiers need not all be taken at the same school, but an individual Tier must be completed with the same provider unless the Board permits otherwise (248 CMR 11.06(2)(b)). Four exceptions soften the pacing rule: an apprentice who loses employment while enrolled in a Tier may complete that Tier; "[a] licensed apprentice may complete all 220 hours of Tier 1 and Tier 2 in a single calendar year"; an unlicensed person may complete Tier 1 before licensure (they accrue no work experience); and the Board may allow more exceptions for good cause. The gas fitting track is paced differently — 5,100 hours and 330 education hours over no less than three years, at 110 education hours per 1,700 work hours.
Master plumber — one year AND 1,700 hours, plus Tier Five: 248 CMR 11.02(2)(a)1 requires "no less than one year practical experience totaling a minimum of 1,700 clock hours of experience as the holder of a Commonwealth of Massachusetts journeyman plumber license" — both the calendar year and the hour count, and the hours must be as a licensed journeyman, actively engaged in "installing repairing, or maintaining plumbing and gas fitting systems ... typical to the discipline of the plumbing and gas fitting industry only." The education element is "the 110 hour Tier Five of the five tier Plumber Educational Program," and "[i]ndividuals who completed this education as an apprentice shall not be required to complete any additional education" — so an apprentice who finished all five Tiers has already satisfied the master-level education.
Out-of-state and out-of-country applicants — and a conflict between the regulation and the Board's own policy page: 248 CMR 11.02(7)(a) lets applicants who obtained education or work experience in another state or country "submit to the Board a written request petitioning that such experience or education be considered for approval," and states the controlling limit: "Unless Massachusetts has a reciprocity agreement with the relevant jurisdiction, all applicants will be required to pass the relevant examination for the license being sought." For a licence from another U.S. jurisdiction, the current regulation requires a completed application and fee with "documentation sufficient to demonstrate that the requirements for obtaining and maintaining the license are substantially equivalent to the requirements in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," plus a statement certified by the Keeper of Records of the issuing jurisdiction that the licence "is current, in good standing, and that there is no pending disciplinary action." An international licence follows the same pattern with English translations. TWO OFFICIAL SOURCES DISAGREE, AND BOTH ARE LIVE: the Board's published policy statement "Substantially Equivalent License" (page dated 12/07/2017; policy enacted 12-28-2011, amended 04-24-2013) quotes 248 CMR 11.02(7)(a)1.a as also requiring "documentation sufficient to demonstrate that the out of state license has been active for not less than the three years immediately preceding the date of application" — a three-year-active condition that does NOT appear in the current 248 CMR 11.00 text effective April 30, 2021. The regulation is the operative law and the policy states it "shall be deemed to override any previous precedent," but the policy page has not been conformed to the 2021 regulation; confirm with the Board before relying on either figure.
Examination — 70% on each portion, and the retake clock: 248 CMR 11.03(3): a qualified applicant must "[r]eceive a score of no less than 70% on each portion of the examination," and one who fails a portion "shall be required to retake the portion they failed within one year from date of failure. Applicants who do not retest or pass the examination within one year from the most recent date of failure shall be required to retake all parts of the examination." Board approval of an applicant to take an examination is valid for one year, after which updated application materials may be required (248 CMR 11.03(1)(c)). Incomplete, illegible or unaccompanied applications "shall not be accepted and shall be returned to the applicant." A failed candidate may apply in writing to the Board's designated exam administrator to review the examination, on payment of the review fee and unaccompanied; the Board makes all final decisions on question validity, scores and licensure. Reasonable accommodations are available on request with a physician's documentation submitted with the application. VETERANS: M.G.L. c. 142, § 4 requires the examiners to "grant a credit of five per cent to the examination standing of each applicant who is a veteran," and 248 CMR 11.03(1)(b) requires a DD-214 showing induction and separation dates; § 4 also directs the examiners to "promulgate regulations to determine the allowable education and work hour credits for veterans and military personnel." Massachusetts publishes an unusual statutory alternative in § 4: "[t]he examiners may, without payment of any fee, issue a probationary license in force for six months to a person who, having worked as an apprentice, or under a verbal agreement for instruction, for not less than three years, presents an application therefor with the signed endorsement of his employer agreeing to be responsible for all work done under the license and to have the licensee, at the expiration of the license, present himself for examination as a journeyman." Mechanics per the Board's application pages: applications must be filed online through the eLIPSE portal (mailed applications "will be returned"); the Board reviews and approves or denies; PSI Exams then notifies the approved applicant, who registers online, picks a test site and takes the exam with scores available immediately; the LICENCE fee is paid at the test site on passing. Incomplete applications are held open 180 days, after which they are treated as abandoned and a new application and payment are required.
Documents the application requires: Journeyman plumber: a Board Education Verification Form signed by a school official; a Statement of Experience Form signed by the supervising master plumber, on which "[t]he Employer's Statement section cannot be modified after signature"; a 2x2 passport-style photo; and a notarized Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) Acknowledgement form (second page notarized). Master plumber: a Statement of Experience and Education Verification Form carrying the journeyman licence number, signed by a school official and by the plumbing instructor; a notarized CORI form; a 2x2 photo. Apprentice plumber: a Statement of Employing Master form, a notarized CORI Authorization form and a 2x2 photo. Reinstatement of an expired licence: the reinstatement application, any required continuing education certificates and a completed notarized CORI Acknowledgement form.
Insurance or bond — required to pull a permit as a self-employed contractor, with one alternative: M.G.L. c. 142, § 21A: "no licensed plumber or gas fitter, acting in the capacity of a self-employed contractor, shall be issued a permit for the performance of plumbing and gas fitting ... unless the licensee has a current liability insurance policy including completed operations coverage, which has been issued by an insurance company licensed to do business within the commonwealth, or other type of indemnity against liability providing substantially equivalent coverage, or a bond. The licensee shall check the appropriate block on the uniform application to perform plumbing and gas work." The alternative is in the statute itself: "[i]n lieu of such insurance requirement, plumbing and gas inspectors shall accept the signature of the owner or his agent on the uniform application for a permit to perform plumbing or gas work upon the property of said owner." Separately, an inspector may deny a permit where the applicant "has failed to provide evidence of workers compensation insurance if required by M.G.L. c. 152, §25C(6)" (248 CMR 3.05(1)(b)10.D). Note the statute sets no dollar minimum for the § 21A policy.
Permits and inspections: 248 CMR 3.05(1)(b)1: until a permit has been issued by the inspector, plumbing or gas fitting work "shall not be: a. installed; b. altered; c. removed; d. replaced; or e. repaired" — and the application must be made in writing to the inspector before work commences, stating the work to be performed, the building's location and the names of the people or companies for and by whom the work is to be done. A minimum of one permit is required for each building, and the inspector may require construction or engineered plans as a condition of granting a permit. M.G.L. c. 142, § 13 directs the examiners to "adopt a regulation requiring all cities and towns to use a uniform application for a permit to perform plumbing work." Jurisdiction splits three ways (248 CMR 3.05(1)(a)): State Inspectors handle buildings owned, used, leased or constructed by the Commonwealth (M.G.L. c. 142, § 21); Local Inspectors handle everything else; and for buildings owned or constructed by the United States Government, "[p]ermits and Inspections for those buildings are only required at the request of the Federal Government." An emergency exception lets a licensee install, repair or turn on a fixture or gas appliance temporarily before obtaining a permit, provided all 248 CMR testing has been performed, the licensee and gas supplier are satisfied the work will operate safely, and "the Inspector is notified and a regular inspection is made at the earliest opportunity and in no case later than the next working day." An inspector may not refuse a permit except on the grounds listed in 248 CMR 3.05(1)(b)10, which include an incomplete uniform application or unpaid fees, an invalid licence, missing or non-compliant plans, missing workers' compensation evidence, and unpaid local property taxes where the municipality has adopted that ground. § 12 forbids an inspector from inspecting or approving work done by himself, his employer, his employee or one employed with him.
Renewal mechanics and the May 1 deadline: M.G.L. c. 142, § 6: "Licenses shall be issued for two years and may be renewed every two years on or before May first, or in case of absence, sickness or other disability of the holder, on or before such later date as the examiners may permit, upon payment of the required fee." Miss it and the statute provides a deferred renewal: on payment of the fee and, at the examiners' discretion, a deferred renewal fee plus "such additional fees as would have been payable had such license been continuously renewed," the holder may receive a deferred renewal "which shall expire on the ensuing first day of May; provided, that such renewed license shall not constitute its holder a licensee for any period preceding its issue" — i.e. a deferred renewal does not retroactively make you licensed for the gap. The Board's published fee table sets a "Late Fee for all Renewals (Received after May 1st)" of $57. 248 CMR 3.03(6) adds that licensees must submit the renewal application and fees before the expiration date, must document completion of continuing education, must disclose in writing any finding against them by a court, another state or federal agency or another jurisdiction's licensing board within fifteen days of the finding ("[t]he provision of such disclosures shall be considered a condition of license renewal"), and must notify the Board of any address or email change within fifteen days. Renewals must be filed online; mailed renewals are returned. A Department of Revenue hold can make a licence unavailable for renewal in the portal.
Inactive licence: 248 CMR 11.04(3)(a)6.a: a licensee who does not wish to practise but wants to keep a licence may apply for an inactive licence. "This inactive license must be renewed every two years, but does not require completion of continuing education. While holding an inactive license, licensees shall no longer be eligible to engage in the profession of plumbing and gas fitting in the Commonwealth. Engaging in the profession of plumbing and gas fitting while holding an inactive license shall constitute unlicensed practice under M.G.L. c. 112, § 65(b)." One exception is written into the rule: "[t]he holder of an inactive license may, pursuant to a valid permit, perform plumbing and gas fitting in their owner occupied single family house." To practise again, the holder must reinstate the active licence "under the same provisions applicable to reinstating an expired license."
Discipline and penalties: M.G.L. c. 142, § 6 lets the examiners suspend or revoke a licence or certificate after notice and hearing for violating any statute, ordinance, by-law, rule or regulation relative to plumbing or gas fitting, for failing or refusing to comply with the examiners' rules and requirements, "or for other sufficient cause." § 7 requires the local inspector of buildings, otherwise the board of health, to notify the examiners of a licensee's violation. § 16 sets the criminal penalty for unlicensed work, for a master who "engages or employs any person to work as a journeyman or as an apprentice who has not been so licensed," and for a licensee violating §§ 1-15 or any ordinance or rule made under them, at "a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars"; a city or town neglecting to comply "shall forfeit fifty dollars to the commonwealth for each month during which such neglect continues." § 22 sets a fine of not more than fifty dollars for violating the hot-water-tank provisions of §§ 17-19. Grounds for Board sanctions are set out at 248 CMR 3.06 and the complaint process at 248 CMR 3.07.
The plumbing code the licence is measured against: The Uniform State Plumbing Code is 248 CMR 10.00, and its most recent change set took effect December 8, 2023. The Board's own guidance on enforcement: "Code changes are not generally enforced retroactively absent certain explicit language. Accordingly, these code changes only apply to jobs in which a plumbing permit was issued on or after the effective date. Ongoing jobs with a valid plumbing permit issued prior to the effective date of these code changes may adhere to the code in effect prior to the code changes. An installer is free to utilize the newer code changes in association with an ongoing job, however all work covered on the existing permit must then follow the new updated code, there are no provisions to allow a mixture of following old and new code language." Hardship or unusual circumstances are handled by a variance under 248 CMR 3.04(2). The Board also cautions that its FAQ on those changes "is an advisory only" and that "any unintended conflict between this FAQ and the regulations must be resolved in favor of the regulations." The other operative regulations — 248 CMR 3.00 (general provisions), 4.00 (Massachusetts Fuel Gas Code), 5.00 (amendments to NFPA 54) and 11.00 (education and experience standards) — all took effect April 30, 2021.
Education providers and instructors: 248 CMR 11.06(1): every school or programme — public, private, proprietary, occupational trade school, college or university — "must be certified by the Board in order to qualify for credit towards a Board issued license," and an uncertified programme gets no credit "unless the Board deems, in its discretion, that there was good cause for the program's failure to obtain certification." Instructors of plumbing courses must hold a master plumber licence; instructors of gas fitting or LP courses must hold either a master gas fitter or a master plumber licence, with a Board discretion to approve others of substantially equivalent or specialised competence. "All educational programs accepted by the Board for credit towards a license must meet the latest Board requirements regardless of when they were initially certified" — there is no grandfathering of curricula (248 CMR 11.06(3)(e)).

Legal basis

Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters, Division of Occupational Licensure (DOL), Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation administers plumber licensing in Massachusetts. Every figure below is verified against the board’s own official pages and dated. Who must personally hold a credential — the contractor, the business, or the individual worker — is set out under Requirements.

What it’s called

In Massachusetts the credential is an INDIVIDUAL licence issued by the Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters, part of the Division of Occupational Licensure (DOL) — previously the Division of Professional Licensure (DPL), a name that still appears inside the Board’s own regulations at 248 CMR 11.04(3)(a)3 and 11.06(2)(a)4. The tiers a searcher will meet are Apprentice Plumber, Journeyman Plumber and Master Plumber, with a parallel and separate Gas Fitter ladder (apprentice, journeyman, master gas fitter) plus Undiluted Liquefied Petroleum (LP) Gas Installer and Limited LP Gas Installer. A search for a “Massachusetts plumbing license,” “MA plumber license,” “Massachusetts journeyman plumber license” or “Massachusetts master plumber license” maps to one of those individual licences — there is no state “plumbing contractor licence” in the sense used by contractor-licensing states, and no municipal plumber licence, because 248 CMR 3.03(5) has the state occupy the whole field. What Massachusetts does add on top is a BUSINESS licence (also called a certificate of a plumbing corporation or a certificate of a plumbing partnership under M.G.L. c. 142, § 3B) held by the entity, whose qualifying person must be a master plumber; that is an addition to the individual licences, not a substitute. Two more naming traps: the education requirement is counted in “Tiers” of 110 clock hours, which is Massachusetts-specific vocabulary, and a licensed master or journeyman plumber may lawfully do gas fitting work statewide without a separate gas fitter licence (M.G.L. c. 142, § 3), so “do I need the gas licence too?” has a different answer here than in most states.

License types & fees

Type	Experience	Exam	Fee
Apprentice Plumber (licensed — required BEFORE the apprenticeship starts)	No prior experience. The licence comes first: M.G.L. c. 142, § 3A provides that "[e]very apprentice shall before starting his apprenticeship file an application, accompanied by the appropriate fee, with the examiners, requesting that he be issued an apprentice license," stating age, the date the apprenticeship commences, and the employer's name and address; on receipt "the examiners shall license said applicant as an apprentice." Employment is restricted: "A person may be employed as an apprentice plumber by a master plumber only," the apprentice works "under the direct supervision of a master plumber or a journeyman plumber or a master or a journeyman gas fitter," and while a master may employ more than one apprentice, "not more than one apprentice may work under the direct supervision of a master plumber, a master gas fitter or a journeyman plumber or a journeyman gas fitter." Under 248 CMR 11.02(1)(a)2.c, "[a]pprentices shall begin their education program within nine months of the initial issuance of their apprentice license." TIME LIMIT: 248 CMR 11.02(1)(c)1 — "[a]n apprentice license shall not be renewed (nor shall the licensee be eligible for a new license) after ten years from the date the license was initially granted on or after September 1, 2018, whichever comes later," with a petition for reinstatement for good cause. Permits may not be issued to apprentices (248 CMR 3.05(1)(b)7.a).	None to obtain the apprentice licence.	$14 non-refundable application fee; $40 renewal (every two years).
Journeyman Plumber	BOTH an experience requirement AND an education requirement must be met — they are cumulative, not alternatives (248 CMR 11.02(1)(a)). EXPERIENCE: "practical work experience that totals no less than 6,800 clock hours as a licensed apprentice working as an employee under the direct supervision of a Commonwealth of Massachusetts licensed master plumber or under the direct supervision of a Commonwealth of Massachusetts licensed journeyman plumber who is in the employ of a master plumber." A carve-out that surprises people: "Experience installing HVAC components for the installation of heating systems, steam piping and hydronic heat piping shall not be considered qualifying experience" — though "the Board shall have discretion to grant partial credit for relevant experience in a related trade." EDUCATION: a high school diploma or the equivalent, AND "550 clock hours of plumbing and gasfitting theory culminating in a school or instructor designed examination to ensure competency. This education must take place over a period of no less than four years and must meet the Board administrated requirements of 248 CMR 11.00. For each calendar year, no more than 165 hours of education may be credited for licensure purposes." The 550 hours are delivered as five consecutive Tiers of 110 clock hours each, each Tier ending in an examination, and a student may not advance a Tier until the preceding Tier's clock-hour and examination requirements are complete (248 CMR 11.06(2)(b)). PACING RULE: "[f]or each year in which an apprentice obtains 165 clock hours of education (1½ tiers), that apprentice must accrue 1,700 clock hours of qualifying work experience as a licensed apprentice" — subject to four exceptions: an apprentice who loses employment mid-Tier may finish that Tier; "[a] licensed apprentice may complete all 220 hours of Tier 1 and Tier 2 in a single calendar year"; an unlicensed individual (who by definition accrues no work experience) may complete Tier 1 before licensure; and the Board may permit further exceptions for good cause. VOCATIONAL ROUTE: a graduate of a Board-approved Public Comprehensive High School Career/Vocational Technical School Program on the CVTE framework "may be granted a maximum of the first three tiers, comprising 330 hours of educational theory credit," plus a maximum of 1,700 hours of experience credit accrued in a school shop or laboratory under licensed-plumber supervision, on a Board-approved off-campus project, or (after obtaining an apprentice licence) in a school-arranged co-op with a master plumber — with co-op hours documented as occurring outside normal school hours counting above and beyond the 1,700. CROSS-CREDIT: a Massachusetts journeyman or master gas fitter may petition to use up to 220 hours of gas fitting education and 3,400 hours of gas fitting work experience toward the journeyman plumbing licence; a Massachusetts apprentice gas fitter who holds no higher licence, up to 110 hours and 1,700 hours; a licensed or in-training undiluted liquefied petroleum gas installer, up to 110 hours and 1,700 hours. No credit is granted for education or work experience as a LIMITED undiluted liquefied petroleum gas installer.	Required. A score of no less than 70% on each portion (248 CMR 11.03(3)(a)). "A licensed apprentice shall not be permitted to attempt the journeyman license examination more than six times without special Board approval demonstrating good cause" (248 CMR 11.02(1)(b)). Administered by PSI Exams; the Board reviews and approves the application first, then PSI notifies the applicant to register online.	$31 non-refundable application fee, plus a $52 licence fee paid at the test centre after passing; $52 renewal (every two years).
Master Plumber	Hold a Massachusetts journeyman plumber licence, and then satisfy BOTH (248 CMR 11.02(2)(a)): EXPERIENCE — "no less than one year practical experience totaling a minimum of 1,700 clock hours of experience as the holder of a Commonwealth of Massachusetts journeyman plumber license," demonstrating that the applicant "has been actively engaged in or working at the business of installing repairing, or maintaining plumbing and gas fitting systems, apparatus, devices, fixtures or other appliances typical to the discipline of the plumbing and gas fitting industry only"; and EDUCATION — "the 110 hour Tier Five of the five tier Plumber Educational Program as approved by the Board and described in 248 CMR 11.06. Individuals who completed this education as an apprentice shall not be required to complete any additional education." A master plumber is defined by M.G.L. c. 142, § 1 as "a plumber having a regular place of business and who, by himself or journeyman plumbers in his employ, performs plumbing and gas fitting work." The master's licence "shall at all times be displayed conspicuously within his place of business" (§ 3), and the master must register name and business address with the local inspector of buildings, or otherwise the board of health, in each town where he wishes to do business (§ 6).	Required. 70% on each portion, same rules as the journeyman examination; administered by PSI Exams after Board approval of the application.	$31 non-refundable application fee, plus a $78 licence fee paid at the test centre after passing; $78 renewal (every two years). Local registration under § 6 carries a fee set by each town's board of health, but "in no event shall any such fee be greater than twenty dollars."
Gas Fitter licences (Apprentice, Journeyman, Master Gas Fitter) — a separate credential from the same Board	Apprentice gas fitter: as with plumbing, the licence is filed before the apprenticeship begins (§ 3A), and "[a] person may be employed as an apprentice gas fitter by a master gas fitter only." Journeyman gas fitter (248 CMR 11.02(3)(a)): "no less than 5,100-clock hours as a licensed apprentice" under the direct supervision of a licensed master gasfitter, or of a licensed journeyman gasfitter in the employ of a master gasfitter, installing, repairing or maintaining gas piping systems and appliances — with the same exclusion of experience "limited to installing HVAC components for the installation of heating systems, steam piping and hydronic heat piping" — AND a high school diploma or equivalent AND "330 clock hours of apprenticeship gasfitting educational theory" ending in a school or instructor examination, "over a period of no less than three years" (three consecutive Tiers of 110 clock hours). Its pacing rule differs from plumbing: "[f]or each year in which an apprentice obtains 110 clock hours of education, that apprentice must accrue 1700 clock hours of qualifying work experience." Master gas fitter (248 CMR 11.02(4)(a)): one year of practical experience totalling a minimum of 1,700 clock hours as the holder of a Massachusetts journeyman gas fitter licence, AND 50 clock hours of gas fitting theory in a master gas fitter educational programme — "however, applicants who have completed the 110 hour tier three of the three tier Gas Fitter Educational Program ... shall be exempt from having to obtain additional education." CROSSOVER FROM PLUMBING: "[w]hile not required to practice gas fitting, a journeyman or master plumber who desires a journeyman gas fitting license may obtain the license by submitting a completed application, paying the appropriate fee, and passing the requisite examination. Such applicants need not obtain additional education or work experience." And for the master tier: "a master plumber who desires a master gas fitting license may obtain the license by submitting a completed application and paying the appropriate fee. Such applicants need not obtain additional education or work experience." The reason the crossover is optional is M.G.L. c. 142, § 3: "[a]ny person so licensed as a master plumber or a journeyman plumber may carry on the work of a gas fitter throughout the commonwealth, notwithstanding any local ordinance, by-law, rule or regulation to the contrary."	Required for the journeyman and master gas fitter licences (70% on each portion), and for a plumber crossing over to a JOURNEYMAN gas fitting licence. For a master plumber crossing over to a MASTER gas fitting licence, 248 CMR 11.02(4)(a)3 states only that the licence may be obtained "by submitting a completed application and paying the appropriate fee" and requires no additional education or work experience.	Apprentice gasfitter: $9 non-refundable licence fee; $40 renewal. Journeyman gas fitter: $31 application plus $52 licence fee; $52 renewal. Master gas fitter: $31 application plus $97 licence fee; $97 renewal.
Undiluted Liquefied Petroleum (LP) Gas Installer, and Limited LP Gas Installer	LP installer (248 CMR 11.02(5)(a)): "practical work experience of no less than 3,400 clock hours over a period of no less than two years specifically in the discipline of undiluted liquefied petroleum gas installations" as an employee under the direct supervision of a Massachusetts licensed undiluted LP gas fitting installer or a licensed journeyman or master plumber or gas fitter, AND a high school diploma or the equivalent, AND "220 clock hours of undiluted liquefied petroleum gas educational theory" (two Tiers of 110 clock hours). Experience limited to installing HVAC components, steam piping, hydronic heat piping or other work falling under the gas fitting licence does not qualify. Notably, "individuals accruing experience under 248 CMR 11.02(5), who will be considered undiluted liquefied petroleum gas installers in training, are not required to hold a license in Massachusetts." Limited LP installer (248 CMR 11.02(6)): a ten-hour OSHA construction safety and health course, plus a minimum of 1,700 hours of work experience made up of 1,000 clock hours of general construction-site experience certified by a supervising individual holding a non-apprentice-level construction-related professional licence and 700 clock hours installing, connecting and moving undiluted LP salamanders, space heaters and related equipment in buildings under construction under the direct supervision of a licensed limited LP installer or a licensed journeyman or master plumber or gas fitter; those in training likewise need no licence.	Required for both. The limited LP installer must demonstrate competence "by a practical and written examination." Neither may attempt its examination more than six times without special Board approval for good cause.	LP Installer renewal $66; Limited LP Installer renewal $52 (every two years). Initial application and licence fees are published on the Board's per-licence application pages.
Plumbing business licence (corporation, LLC, partnership or LLP certificate) — held by the entity, in addition to every individual's licence	Required of the entity, not instead of the individual licences. 248 CMR 3.03(1)(a): "All corporations, LLC's, partnerships, or other such entities that have plumbing or gas-fitting employees are required to maintain a business license," and the entity must be a business organization recognised by the Secretary of the Commonwealth. "Individuals practicing under their own name or a DBA do not require a business license." The applicant must be a master plumber who is a listed officer of the corporation or a listed manager of the LLC; for a general partnership, limited partnership or LLP, "[a]ll partners ... shall possess current Master Plumber or Master Gas Fitter licenses." Statutory basis M.G.L. c. 142, § 3B. Permits follow the same logic: where a corporation or LLC seeks a permit, only the master plumber who is its officer or manager may be issued the permit (248 CMR 3.05(1)(b)7.b).	None for the entity; the qualifying individual must already hold the master licence.	$225 licence fee; $225 Corporation or Partnership renewal (every two years).

Who does NOT need this license — exemptions

Massachusetts has no general exemptions section in its plumbing licensing chapter and — unusually — NO HOMEOWNER EXEMPTION in the licensing law. M.G.L. c. 142, § 3 reaches every tier of the trade (“No person shall engage in the business as a master plumber or a master gas fitter or work as a journeyman plumber or as a journeyman gas fitter or as an apprentice plumber or as an apprentice gas fitter or as an undiluted liquefied petroleum gas installer or as a limited undiluted liquefied petroleum gas installer, nor solicit, by sign, listing or any other form of advertisement, work regulated or controlled by this chapter … unless he is lawfully registered, or has been licensed by the examiners”), § 2 applies §§ 1-22 (except § 21) to all cities and towns, § 14 extends §§ 1-16 to “all persons learning the business of plumbing and gas fitting when they are sent out to do the work of a journeyman,” and 248 CMR 3.05(1)(b)7.a provides that “[p]ermits shall be issued to properly licensed individuals only. Permits may not be issued to apprentices.” The carve-outs that DO exist, read in full: (1) GAS COMPANY EMPLOYEES — M.G.L. c. 142, § 3, final sentence: “This section shall not apply to authorized employees of any gas company organized under chapter one hundred and sixty-four; said employees shall not require a gas fitter’s license while performing work for said gas company.” Note its scope: it excuses the GAS FITTER’S licence, while performing work for that company. 248 CMR 3.05(1)(b)8.a carries it into permitting as the single exception to the licensed-individuals-only rule: “The only exception to this general requirement is for gas permits sought by a gas company as defined in M.G.L. c. 164, in such cases, a Permit may be issued to any employee of said company who is authorized to make binding representations on behalf of the company.” M.G.L. c. 142, § 3B likewise deems a gas company “a gas fitting corporation” for certificate purposes. (2) VOCATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ON-THE-JOB TRAINING — M.G.L. c. 142, § 3A, third paragraph: “Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, students in a vocational school accredited by the department of education, under the direct personal supervision of a master plumber or a journeyman who is certified as an instructor by the division of occupational education in said department shall be permitted to engage in an on-the-job training program, so-called, on installations approved by the examiners and conducted in cooperation with such a vocational school,” and “[t]he examiners may formulate rules and regulations relative to said on-the-job training program.” The permitting side is tightly controlled: a permit application “for work performed by students in a Board approved vocational school program” must include “explicit written approval by the Board for the work to be performed” (248 CMR 3.05(1)(b)3.d). (3) LP INSTALLERS AND LIMITED LP INSTALLERS IN TRAINING — 248 CMR 11.02(5)(a)1: “As of this time, individuals accruing experience under 248 CMR 11.02(5), who will be considered undiluted liquefied petroleum gas installers in training, are not required to hold a license in Massachusetts,” and the same is said of limited LP installers in training at 11.02(6)(b). Note the phrase “[a]s of this time” — the Board flags this as a position it may change. (4) FEDERAL BUILDINGS — 248 CMR 3.05(1)(a)3: “For those buildings owned or constructed by the United States Government, Permits and Inspections for those buildings are only required at the request of the Federal Government.” This is a permit-and-inspection exemption, not a licensing exemption. (5) THE INACTIVE LICENSEE’S OWN HOME — 248 CMR 11.04(3)(a)6.a: an inactive licensee may not practise, and doing so “shall constitute unlicensed practice under M.G.L. c. 112, § 65(b),” with one written exception: “The holder of an inactive license may, pursuant to a valid permit, perform plumbing and gas fitting in their owner occupied single family house.” This is the closest thing in the scheme to a homeowner allowance, and it is available only to someone who already holds a licence. (6) BUSINESS-LICENCE EXCEPTIONS (the entity is excused; the individuals are not) — 248 CMR 3.03(1)(b): “Businesses employing licensed plumbers or gas-fitters do not need to have a business license if they meet one of the following criteria: 1. A non-plumbing/gas-fitting business does not need a business license if it employs one or more licensed plumbers or gas-fitters and the only work performed by licensees is for the premises owned/leased and operated by that non-plumbing/gas-fitting business. Apprentices may only be employed by such business when under the supervision of a master licensee. 2. Businesses solely engaged in work regarding undiluted liquefied petroleum gas installation do not require a business license so long as all individuals doing the work hold the proper license.” 248 CMR 3.03(1)(a) adds that “[i]ndividuals practicing under their own name or a DBA do not require a business license.” Where a permit is sought for a business exempt under 3.03(1)(b), “a Permit may be issued to any properly licensed journeyman or master licensee employed by said business who agrees to be responsible for said work.” (7) THE IN-HOUSE / INSTITUTIONAL PROVISION, WHICH IS NOT A LICENSING EXEMPTION — M.G.L. c. 142, § 4A: “Master plumbers, journeymen, or apprentice plumbers, regularly employed by cities and towns or by institutions or corporations that are not engaged in the business of plumbing, may install such plumbing or make such repairs as may be required on the premises and property owned or leased and occupied by such cities, towns, institutions or corporations, provided that all such work performed by said plumbers shall be in compliance with the pertinent sections and provisions of this chapter.” Every person it names is a LICENSED plumber; it permits in-house work on the employer’s own property and expressly preserves the rest of the chapter. (8) CONTINUING-EDUCATION EXEMPTIONS (not licensing exemptions) — 248 CMR 11.04(3)(a) relieves from mandatory continuing education: an approved instructor who has taught, without duplication, courses fulfilling their own requirement for that cycle; a duly appointed Inspector, Assistant Inspector or Alternate Inspector of Plumbing and/or Gas Fitting under M.G.L. c. 142, § 11B who has completed the § 11 requirements; a State Inspector/Investigator or the Board’s Executive Director or Associate Executive Director; a licensee first licensed during the current renewal cycle — but “this exemption shall not relieve a journeyman plumber or gas fitter from the continuing education requirement during a renewal cycle in which they obtain a master’s license”; a licensee on active military duty meeting M.G.L. c. 112, § 1B, who must complete the cycle’s hours within 90 days of leaving active duty; and an inactive licensee. Apprentices are excluded from continuing education altogether by 11.04(1)(a). (9) A PERMIT-INSURANCE ALTERNATIVE RATHER THAN AN EXEMPTION — M.G.L. c. 142, § 21A requires a self-employed contractor to hold liability insurance with completed operations coverage, equivalent indemnity, or a bond to be issued a permit, but “[i]n lieu of such insurance requirement, plumbing and gas inspectors shall accept the signature of the owner or his agent on the uniform application for a permit to perform plumbing or gas work upon the property of said owner.” (10) AN EXEMPTION ABOUT PRODUCTS, NOT PEOPLE — M.G.L. c. 142, § 20: “The three preceding sections shall not apply to the sale or offering for sale of installed range boilers or to the sale or offering for sale of range boilers as junk” — i.e. the hot water tank marking, construction and safety-device requirements of §§ 17-19 do not reach those sales. Two further limits belong with this list. § 12 provides that an inspector may not inspect or approve work done by himself, his employer, his employee or one employed with him, and that in a city or town paying an inspector an annual salary that inspector “shall not engage or work at the business of plumbing or gas fitting; provided, however such an inspector may perform the work of a journeyman plumber or gas fitter outside the area over which he exercises jurisdiction as an inspector.” And § 11 provides that “[t]he approval of plumbing or gas fitting by any inspectors other than those provided for by this chapter shall not be a compliance therewith.”

Fees

From the Board’s live fee tables on mass.gov (all Board fees are non-refundable, and are set annually by the Commissioner/Secretary of Administration and Finance under M.G.L. c. 7, § 3B and 801 CMR 4.00, not by the Board — see M.G.L. c. 142, §§ 5 and 3B). PLUMBING: apprentice plumber $14 application; journeyman plumber $31 application plus $52 licence fee; master plumber $31 application plus $78 licence fee. GAS FITTING: apprentice gasfitter $9 licence fee; journeyman gas fitter $31 application plus $52 licence fee; master gas fitter $31 application plus $97 licence fee. BUSINESS: plumbing business licence $225. The licence fee for the journeyman and master tiers is paid AT THE TEST CENTRE after passing, to PSI Exams, and is separate from the application fee paid to the Board. RENEWALS (biennial): Plumber Apprentice $40; Plumber Journeyman $52; Plumber Master $78; Corporation or Partnership $225; Gas Fitter Apprentice $40; Gas Fitter Journeyman $52; Gas Fitter Master $97; Liquified Petroleum Installer $66; Limited Liquified Petroleum Installer $52; and a “Late Fee for all Renewals (Received after May 1st)” of $57. Note the apprentice oddity: the plumbing apprentice licence costs $14 to obtain but $40 to renew. Not set by the Board and not published in these tables: the examination review fee (248 CMR 11.03(4)(b)), and the local registration fee a master plumber or master gas fitter pays to each town’s board of health or inspector of buildings under M.G.L. c. 142, § 6, which each town sets but which “in no event shall … be greater than twenty dollars.” Active military members, their spouses and veterans may qualify for fee reductions under the Valor Act.

Exam

Administered by PSI Exams under the Board’s approval. The order of operations matters: the application (with the experience and education verification forms, CORI form and photo) is filed online through the eLIPSE portal with the non-refundable application fee; the Board reviews it and either approves or denies — a denied or incomplete application is returned with instructions; once approved, “you’ll be notified by PSI Exams and can register online to take the exam”; the candidate picks a test site and sits the exam, with “[s]cores … available immediately”; and on passing, the LICENCE fee is paid at the test site to get the licence. PSI accepts credit card (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover), money order, or a cashier’s check or company check “made payable to PSI Exams.” Scoring and retakes (248 CMR 11.03(3)): 70% or better is required on EACH portion; a failed portion must be retaken “within one year from date of failure,” and an applicant who does not retest or pass within one year of the most recent failure “shall be required to retake all parts of the examination.” A licensed apprentice may not attempt the journeyman examination more than six times without special Board approval for good cause (248 CMR 11.02(1)(b)); the same six-attempt limit applies to the undiluted and limited undiluted LP installer examinations. Board approval to sit is valid one year (248 CMR 11.03(1)(c)). Failed candidates may request an examination review from the Board’s designated exam administrator in writing, on payment of the review fee, and may not be accompanied during the review. Accommodations are available on request with physician documentation filed with the application. Veterans receive a five per cent credit to their examination standing (M.G.L. c. 142, § 4; 248 CMR 11.03(1)(b), which requires a DD-214). Statutory content of the examination, per § 4: master and journeyman plumber applicants are examined “as to his practical knowledge of plumbing, house drainage, plumbing ventilation, and gas fitting”; master and journeyman gas fitter applicants as to gas fitting, natural and manufactured gas and the installation of undiluted liquefied petroleum; and each applicant is also subjected to “a practical test satisfactory to the examiner.” § 4 requires frequent examinations in Boston and at other convenient places, with public notice.

Renewal & continuing education

Two years. M.G.L. c. 142, § 6: “Licenses shall be issued for two years and may be renewed every two years on or before May first, or in case of absence, sickness or other disability of the holder, on or before such later date as the examiners may permit, upon payment of the required fee.” 248 CMR 3.03(6)(a) states it flatly: “Licensees must renew their licenses every two years.” The renewal date is therefore a fixed calendar deadline – May 1 of each EVEN-NUMBERED year, with the renewal window opening on February 1 of that same year – and not an anniversary of issue. The Board’s renewal page states it directly: “Licenses are eligible for renewal on February 1st of every even-numbered year. The deadline for application submission is May 1st of the same year.” The statute itself does not name the year, so the even-year anchor comes from that page; without it a licensee cannot tell WHICH May 1 is theirs, and the Board charges a $57 late fee on any renewal received after May 1. A licence not renewed on time can receive a DEFERRED renewal under § 6 on payment of the fee plus, at the examiners’ discretion, a deferred renewal fee and “such additional fees as would have been payable had such license been continuously renewed”; that deferred renewal “shall expire on the ensuing first day of May” and does not make its holder a licensee for any period before it was issued. Inactive licences must also be renewed every two years, without continuing education (248 CMR 11.04(3)(a)6.a). Renewal requires documented continuing education, the written disclosure of any finding against the licensee within fifteen days, and current address and email on file (248 CMR 3.03(6)). Renewals are filed online through the eLIPSE portal; mailed renewals are returned. Twelve clock hours per two-year licence cycle for plumbers. The statutory hook is M.G.L. c. 142, § 6A: “a licensed plumber or gas fitter shall complete a course of continuing education as determined by the examiners.” The number is in 248 CMR 11.04(2)(a): as a condition of licence renewal each journeyman and master plumber, journeyman and master gas fitter, or undiluted LP gas installer shall complete, “as applicable,” “1. 12-clock hours of approved continuing education courses for plumbers with an approved provider; and 2. six-clock hours of approved continuing education courses for gas fitters or undiluted liquefied petroleum gas installers with an approved provider.” The Board’s renewal page states the same split: 12 hours for journeyman and master PLUMBER licensees, 6 hours for journeyman and master GAS FITTER and LP installer licensees. The courses must be completed “during every two year license cycle” and “without repetition,” and must focus on 248 CMR, although the Board may also approve industry-related business, law, technology or other subjects (248 CMR 11.04(1)). APPRENTICES ARE NOT REQUIRED TO COMPLETE CONTINUING EDUCATION (248 CMR 11.04(1)(a)). Documentation must be retained for no less than three renewal cycles and produced to the Board on request. Online and correspondence courses are allowed only where Board approved, must include a provider-designed, Board-approved examination, and allow only two attempts to pass it — “[u]pon the second failure, the licensee shall not be given credit for the online/correspondence course and must then obtain their required continuing education for that session from a live, classroom based Provider.” The Board may deny online or correspondence courses to licensees whose licences have lapsed or who have been disciplined, and “[i]t shall be the licensee’s responsibility to ensure that their Provider has been authorized by the Board.” EXEMPTIONS from continuing education (248 CMR 11.04(3)(a)): an approved instructor who has taught, without duplication, courses that would fulfil their own requirement for that cycle; a duly appointed Inspector, Assistant Inspector or Alternate Inspector of Plumbing and/or Gas Fitting under M.G.L. c. 142, § 11B who has completed the § 11 continuing education requirements; a State Inspector/Investigator, or the Board’s Executive Director or Associate Executive Director; a licensee issued their licence for the first time during the current renewal cycle — but “this exemption shall not relieve a journeyman plumber or gas fitter from the continuing education requirement during a renewal cycle in which they obtain a master’s license”; a licensee on active military duty who has met M.G.L. c. 112, § 1B, who must then complete the current cycle’s hours within 90 days of leaving active duty; and a holder of an inactive licence. Waivers for other good cause may be granted on written request, including on illness or disability of the licensee or an immediate family member supported by a physician’s letter; requests must be submitted before the renewal cycle expires unless the Board finds good cause, and — except for a permanent disability — such a waiver is “a waiver of deadlines only, not of the requirement to ultimately complete” the education. Where an extension is granted and the licence has expired, the licence is not reissued until the hours are done.

How to apply

Applications are handled by Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters, Division of Occupational Licensure (DOL), Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. Start at the official application page .

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a licence to work as a plumber in Massachusetts?

Yes — and every individual needs their own, starting on day one. Massachusetts does not let a worker operate under an employer’s licence. M.G.L. c. 142, § 3 provides that “[n]o person shall engage in the business as a master plumber … or work as a journeyman plumber … or as an apprentice plumber … unless he is lawfully registered, or has been licensed by the examiners.” The Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters issues licences for journeyman and master plumbers and gas fitters and registers apprentice plumbers and gas fitters. An apprentice must in fact be licensed BEFORE the apprenticeship starts: § 3A requires the application to be filed “before starting his apprenticeship.” A corporation, LLC or partnership with plumbing employees also needs a business licence, but that is in addition to — never instead of — each person’s licence.

How many hours do you need to become a journeyman plumber in Massachusetts, and is there a classroom requirement too?

Both, and they are cumulative. 248 CMR 11.02(1)(a) requires “practical work experience that totals no less than 6,800 clock hours as a licensed apprentice” working under the direct supervision of a Massachusetts licensed master plumber, or of a Massachusetts licensed journeyman plumber who is in the employ of a master plumber — AND a high school diploma or the equivalent AND “550 clock hours of plumbing and gasfitting theory culminating in a school or instructor designed examination.” The education “must take place over a period of no less than four years,” and “[f]or each calendar year, no more than 165 hours of education may be credited for licensure purposes.” The two tracks are paced against each other: for each year in which an apprentice obtains 165 education hours (one and a half Tiers), that apprentice must accrue 1,700 clock hours of qualifying work experience. Watch one exclusion that catches heating installers: “[e]xperience installing HVAC components for the installation of heating systems, steam piping and hydronic heat piping shall not be considered qualifying experience” — although the Board has discretion to grant partial credit for relevant experience in a related trade.

What are the Tiers in Massachusetts plumbing education?

The 550-hour plumbing theory programme is divided into five consecutive Tiers of 110 clock hours each (248 CMR 11.06(2)(b)). Each Tier is designed to coincide with a year of the apprentice’s experience, each ends in a school- or instructor-designed examination, and “[s]tudents may not advance from one Tier to another until the clock hour and examination requirements of the preceding Tier has been completed.” Tiers need not all be taken at one school, but a single Tier must be completed with the same provider unless the Board permits a transfer. Tier Five is also the master plumber education requirement — so an apprentice who finishes all five Tiers has already met it. Two related programmes use the same 110-hour Tier: the apprentice gas fitter programme is 330 hours in three Tiers, and the undiluted LP installer programme is 220 hours in two Tiers.

How do you become a master plumber in Massachusetts?

Hold a Massachusetts journeyman plumber licence, then meet both parts of 248 CMR 11.02(2)(a): “no less than one year practical experience totaling a minimum of 1,700 clock hours of experience as the holder of a Commonwealth of Massachusetts journeyman plumber license” — the calendar year and the hour count both have to be satisfied, and the work must be plumbing and gas fitting work “typical to the discipline of the plumbing and gas fitting industry only” — and “the 110 hour Tier Five of the five tier Plumber Educational Program.” If you completed Tier Five as an apprentice you owe no additional education. Then pass the master plumber examination at 70% on each portion. The fee is $31 to apply plus a $78 licence fee at the test centre, and $78 to renew.

What does a Massachusetts plumbing licence cost?

Per the Board’s published fee tables: the apprentice plumber licence is a $14 non-refundable application fee; the journeyman plumber is $31 to apply plus a $52 licence fee paid at the test centre after you pass; the master plumber is $31 to apply plus a $78 licence fee. A plumbing business licence is $225. Biennial renewals are $40 for a plumbing apprentice, $52 for a journeyman, $78 for a master and $225 for a corporation or partnership; on the gas side, $40 apprentice, $52 journeyman and $97 master; LP installer $66 and limited LP installer $52. Any renewal received after May 1 adds a $57 late fee. Note two costs that are not in those tables: the examination review fee if you want to review a failed exam (248 CMR 11.03(4)(b)), and the local registration fee a master pays to each town’s board of health or inspector of buildings under M.G.L. c. 142, § 6, which the town sets but which can never exceed $20. Active military members, spouses and veterans may qualify for fee reductions under the Valor Act.

How often do you renew a Massachusetts plumbing licence, and how much continuing education is required?

Every two years, on or before MAY 1 — it is a fixed calendar deadline, not an anniversary of when your licence was issued (M.G.L. c. 142, § 6; 248 CMR 3.03(6)(a)). A renewal received after May 1 costs a $57 late fee. Continuing education is 12 clock hours per two-year cycle for journeyman and master PLUMBERS, and 6 clock hours for journeyman and master GAS FITTERS and LP installers (248 CMR 11.04(2)(a)). The hours must be taken with a Board-approved provider, must be “without repetition,” and must focus on 248 CMR, though the Board may approve industry-related business, law or technology subjects. APPRENTICES are expressly not required to complete continuing education. Online and correspondence courses are allowed only if Board approved and only with a provider-designed, Board-approved examination — you get two attempts at it, and “[u]pon the second failure, the licensee shall not be given credit” and must take that session’s education from a live, classroom-based provider. Keep your documentation for at least three renewal cycles.

Who is exempt from the Massachusetts plumbing licence?

Very few people, and the exemptions are narrower than in most states — there is no general homeowner exemption in the licensing chapter, and permits “shall be issued to properly licensed individuals only” (248 CMR 3.05(1)(b)7.a). What does exist: authorized employees of a gas company organized under M.G.L. c. 164 need no gas fitter’s licence while performing work for that company (M.G.L. c. 142, § 3), and a gas permit may be issued to any employee of such a company authorized to make binding representations on its behalf. Students in a vocational school accredited by the Department of Education may engage in a board-approved on-the-job training programme under the direct personal supervision of a master plumber or a certified journeyman instructor (§ 3A), and a permit for that work needs explicit written Board approval. Buildings owned or constructed by the United States Government need permits and inspections “only at the request of the Federal Government.” A holder of an INACTIVE licence, who may not otherwise practise, may “pursuant to a valid permit, perform plumbing and gas fitting in their owner occupied single family house” (248 CMR 11.04(3)(a)6.a). And two BUSINESS-licence exceptions exist under 248 CMR 3.03(1)(b) — a non-plumbing business whose licensees work only on premises it owns or leases and operates, and a business solely doing undiluted LP installation — but in both the individuals must still hold their own licences. M.G.L. c. 142, § 4A is often misread as an exemption: it lets “[m]aster plumbers, journeymen, or apprentice plumbers, regularly employed by cities and towns or by institutions or corporations that are not engaged in the business of plumbing” work on their employer’s own premises — but it applies to licensed plumbers and requires compliance with the rest of the chapter.

Can you transfer an out-of-state plumbing licence to Massachusetts?

Not automatically, and in practice you will sit the Massachusetts examination. 248 CMR 11.02(7)(a) lets you petition the Board in writing to have out-of-state or out-of-country education and experience considered, but states: “Unless Massachusetts has a reciprocity agreement with the relevant jurisdiction, all applicants will be required to pass the relevant examination for the license being sought.” For a licence from another U.S. jurisdiction the current regulation asks for a completed application and fee, documentation that the other state’s requirements for obtaining and maintaining the licence are substantially equivalent to Massachusetts’, and a statement certified by that jurisdiction’s Keeper of Records that the licence is current, in good standing and free of pending discipline. Be aware of a discrepancy in the published sources: the Board’s own policy statement page on substantially equivalent licences (dated 12/07/2017) quotes an older version of the rule that ALSO required the out-of-state licence to have been active for at least the three years immediately preceding the application — that three-year clause is not in the regulation text effective April 30, 2021. Ask the Board which applies before you file.

Do Massachusetts cities and towns issue their own plumbing licences?

No. Massachusetts preempts local licensing: 248 CMR 3.03(5) provides that “[t]hese regulations, in conjunction with M.G.L. c. 142, shall be deemed to occupy the whole field of the licensing of plumbers, gas fitters, and undiluted liquefied petroleum gas installers in Massachusetts,” and § 6 makes the Board’s licences “valid throughout the commonwealth.” A licensed master or journeyman plumber may also do gas fitting work statewide “notwithstanding any local ordinance, by-law, rule or regulation to the contrary,” and may install house drainage and connect to common sewers “without being required to have any local license therefor” — but remains “subject to local regulations relative to permits and bonding requirements” (§ 3). What is local is the permit and the inspection, plus a master’s registration of name and business address with the town’s inspector of buildings or board of health, at a fee the town sets that can never exceed $20 (§ 6).

How many times can you fail the Massachusetts plumbing exam?

Two separate limits apply. On timing, 248 CMR 11.03(3)(b): a failed portion must be retaken “within one year from date of failure,” and an applicant who does not retest or pass “within one year from the most recent date of failure shall be required to retake all parts of the examination.” On attempts, 248 CMR 11.02(1)(b): “[a] licensed apprentice shall not be permitted to attempt the journeyman license examination more than six times without special Board approval demonstrating good cause.” The same six-attempt ceiling applies to the undiluted and limited undiluted LP installer examinations. You need 70% or better on each portion, and Board approval to sit is valid for one year.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Massachusetts.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: July 29, 2026.

LicensingAtlas states licensing and certification requirements categorically from official sources. It is a reference, not legal or career advice, and requirements change frequently — confirm details with the issuing board before you act.