MONTANA · plumber
Journeyman Plumber
Montana Department of Labor & Industry — Board of Plumbers →Scope
Montana licenses plumbers at the state level through the Board of Plumbers in the Business Standards Division at the Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) under Montana Code Annotated (MCA) Title 37 Chapter 69. The board issues Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master Plumber licenses, and licenses medical-gas installers as a specialty under separate rule. Source: Montana Board of Plumbers (https://boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/plumbers/index) and MCA 37-69 (https://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/title_0370/chapter_0690/parts_index.html).
Experience
A Journeyman Plumber applicant must document a minimum of 8,000 hours (approximately four years) of practical plumbing experience as a registered apprentice under the supervision of a Montana Master Plumber. Hours must be earned through the Montana Apprenticeship and Training Program or an equivalent registered apprenticeship. Source: MCA 37-69-306 and ARM 24.180.
Education
Applicants must complete the classroom instruction in plumbing theory, code, and safety required by the Montana Apprenticeship and Training Program, typically 576 hours of related instruction over the four-year apprenticeship.
Exam
Administered by the board's contracted vendor listed on the Board of Plumbers forms page. The exam is based on the plumbing-code edition currently adopted by Montana (UPC as amended) plus Montana-specific law and rule. Verify current passing score and exam fees on the Board of Plumbers forms page.
Reciprocity
Montana has plumber reciprocity agreements with several states under MCA 37-69-307 and ARM rule. Historically, reciprocal arrangements have existed with states such as Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, subject to current board rule and equivalent licensing. Verify the current reciprocity list and any additional exam requirement on the Board of Plumbers forms page before relying.
Renewal and CE
Montana plumber licenses renew annually. Licensees must complete board-approved continuing education each renewal, including plumbing-code update instruction. Verify the current CE cycle, hour breakdown, and approved providers on the Board of Plumbers CE page (https://boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/plumbers/continuing-education) before each renewal.
Background Check
MCA 37-1-307 authorizes DLI to require criminal-history checks for licensees.
Scope Limits
A Journeyman Plumber performs installation, maintenance, and repair of plumbing systems under the supervision of a Master Plumber. The journeyman cannot pull permits in the journeyman's own name; permits are pulled by the licensed plumbing contractor with a Master Plumber of record. Medical-gas installation requires a separate specialty license.
Reciprocity
Accepts from: idaho, north-dakota, south-dakota, wyoming