MINNESOTA · plumber
Journeyworker Plumber
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry — Construction Codes and Licensing Division (Plumbing) →Scope of Work
A Minnesota Journeyworker Plumber is authorized to perform plumbing work statewide, including interior plumbing and the exterior water service, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer systems within the property lines, while employed by a licensed plumbing contractor. The journeyworker credential does not itself authorize contracting in the licensee's own name; the firm must hold a Plumbing Contractor license with a Master Plumber of record. Source: Minnesota DLI Plumbing License Basics (https://www.dli.mn.gov/workers/plumber/plumbing-license-basics).
Experience and Training
An applicant for the journeyworker plumber exam must document at least four years of recorded practical plumbing experience, accumulated as a DLI-registered unlicensed plumber, through a DLI-registered apprenticeship program, or under a current Minnesota restricted journeyworker license. A DLI-registered apprenticeship typically comprises 7,000 hours of on-the-job training plus 576 hours of related classroom instruction. Authority: Minnesota Statutes Chapter 326B. Source: Minnesota DLI Plumbing License Experience Requirements (https://www.dli.mn.gov/workers/plumber/plumbing-license-experience-requirements).
Exam
DLI administers the journeyworker plumber examination. Content covers the Minnesota Plumbing Code (Minnesota Rules Chapter 4714), plumbing theory, water distribution, drain-waste-vent sizing, fixture-unit calculations, backflow, and Minnesota statutes and rules governing plumbing. A passing score is required before the license is issued. Source: Minnesota DLI Plumbing License Basics (https://www.dli.mn.gov/workers/plumber/plumbing-license-basics).
Military Crosswalk
Documented military plumbing experience is evaluated by DLI against the four-year requirement when the service record substantiates duties comparable to civilian plumbing work. Applicants submit DD-214 plus training transcripts with the DLI experience affidavit.
Renewal and Continuing Education
The Journeyworker Plumber license is issued on a 2-year cycle. DLI requires approved plumbing continuing education each renewal term; verify the current CE hour total with DLI, as the hour requirement and approved-course list are periodically updated. Source: Minnesota DLI Plumbing License Basics (https://www.dli.mn.gov/workers/plumber/plumbing-license-basics).
Reciprocity
Minnesota evaluates out-of-state plumber licensure on a case-by-case basis; most applicants are required to pass the Minnesota exam. Verify current reciprocity status with DLI before filing. Source: Minnesota DLI Plumbing License Basics (https://www.dli.mn.gov/workers/plumber/plumbing-license-basics).
Pathway to Master
After licensure as a Minnesota Journeyworker Plumber, the licensee must accrue at least one additional year (approximately 1,700 hours) of qualifying experience as a licensed journeyworker within the 10 years immediately preceding a Master Plumber application. Source: Minnesota DLI Plumbing License Experience Requirements (https://www.dli.mn.gov/workers/plumber/plumbing-license-experience-requirements).