INDIANA · plumber
Journeyman Plumber
Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) — Plumbing CommissionScope of Work
An Indiana Journeyman Plumber is authorized to perform plumbing work statewide while employed by a licensed plumbing contractor. The journeyman license is an individual credential; the firm must hold a Plumbing Contractor license for contracting and permitting. Indiana is notable in the upper Midwest for licensing plumbers statewide under a single commission. Source: Indiana Plumbing Licensing Information (https://www.in.gov/pla/professions/plumbing-home/plumbing-licensing-information/).
Experience and Training
An applicant for a Journeyman Plumber license must complete at least four years in an approved apprenticeship program, which requires a minimum of 576 hours of classroom instruction and 6,400 hours of on-the-job training, or be a licensed plumber in another state with equivalent experience. Authority: Indiana Code Title 25, Article 28.5 (Plumbing) and 860 IAC (Indiana Plumbing Commission rules). Source: Indiana Plumbing Licensing Information (https://www.in.gov/pla/professions/plumbing-home/plumbing-licensing-information/).
Exam
The Indiana Plumbing Commission, administered through the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA), contracts exam administration to a third-party testing provider. The journeyman plumber exam covers the Indiana Plumbing Code (675 IAC 16) and related Indiana statutes and rules, plumbing theory, water distribution, drain-waste-vent sizing, fixture units, and backflow prevention. The journeyman plumber exam application fee is $30 and the exam itself costs $75. Source: Indiana Plumbing Commission — PLA (https://www.in.gov/pla/professions/plumbing-home/plumbing-board/).
Military Crosswalk
Indiana's military-credentialing framework under Indiana Code Title 25 includes provisions for documented military experience to count toward license experience requirements. Applicants submit DD-214 plus training transcripts with the PLA application.
Renewal and Continuing Education
The Journeyman Plumber license expires December 31 of every odd-numbered year (biennial, odd-year renewal). The journeyman renewal fee is $30. The Plumbing Commission has historically not imposed a statewide CE hour requirement for the journeyman plumber credential; verify the current rule with PLA before renewal. Source: Indiana Plumbing Licensing Information (https://www.in.gov/pla/professions/plumbing-home/plumbing-licensing-information/).
Reciprocity
Indiana may grant licensure by endorsement to applicants holding equivalent licenses in other states. Applicants submit a verification form plus the Indiana application. Verify current reciprocity with PLA before filing.
Pathway to Contractor
To qualify as an Indiana Plumbing Contractor, an applicant must have at least four years in an apprenticeship program, be a licensed plumber in another state, or have four years in the plumbing business under the direction of a licensed plumbing contractor. The contractor exam application fee is $50 and the contractor exam costs $100. The initial contractor license fee is $50 in an even year or $100 in an odd year, and the biennial renewal fee is $100. Source: Indiana Plumbing Licensing Information (https://www.in.gov/pla/professions/plumbing-home/plumbing-licensing-information/).
Verified Apr 25, 2026 · compiled from public sources, verify current rules with Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) — Plumbing Commission before acting