Maine Plumber License Requirements (2026)

The Maine Plumbers’ Examining Board licenses Trainee Plumbers, Journeymen-in-Training, Journeyman Plumbers, and Master Plumbers. A trainee assists under a journeyman’s or master’s direct supervision. A standard Journeyman examination path requires two years and 4,000 hours as a licensed trainee under a master; the alternate Journeyman-in-Training path combines Board-approved schooling, a 70% journeyman exam score, and 2,000 supervised hours within four years. A Master applicant needs one year and 2,000 hours as a licensed journeyman, or may qualify through four years and 8,000 hours as a licensed trainee under a master. Master Plumbers may engage in the business of plumbing installations. Maine’s state plumbing license is separate from local permits and enforcement.

Regulatory Body

Licensing for this trade is governed by Maine Plumbers’ Examining Board — Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (Maine PEB / OPOR), the agency that issues and regulates the credential under 32 M.R.S. Chapter 49. Examines and licenses individual plumbers statewide and regulates plumbing installation standards.

Official portal: https://www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing/professions/plumbers-examining-board/licensing/individual-licenses
Address: 35 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0035
Phone: (207) 624-8603

Eligibility Requirements

This guide does not establish a minimum applicant age; confirm any age requirement with the issuing authority. Applicants must provide a Social Security Number. No Maine residency requirement.

Good moral character

The application includes a criminal-background component. Disclose requested information accurately; the Board reviews qualifications and disciplinary matters under its licensing authority.

Background investigation

The current individual-license page lists a $21 criminal background check fee for Trainee, Journeyman, and Master applications. Follow the online application instructions for the current record request and disclosures.

Experience and Education

At least 4 years of for Journeyman examination: either two years and 4,000 hours as a licensed trainee under a master, or 2,000 hours as a Journeyman-in-Training under a master within four years of JIT issuance. For Master: either one year and 2,000 hours as a licensed journeyman, or four years and 8,000 hours as a licensed trainee under a master has to be evidenced and confirmed. Retain payroll, tax, project, or supervisor records, since the board may audit the experience claimed.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

The Board affidavit from the supervising master plumber documenting the applicable supervised licensed work
Current and prior Maine trainee, Journeyman-in-Training, or journeyman license history supporting the chosen pathway
For the JIT route, proof of Board-approved course/apprenticeship completion and the journeyman examination result

Education substitution

A Board-approved one-year or two-semester plumbing course, approved CTE program, or registered Department of Labor apprenticeship can support the Journeyman-in-Training route. It is not the prior guide’s general 400-hour substitution rule.

Exam Requirements

The examination requirement has not been established in this record. Confirm it with the authority before applying. Provider or process notes: Prov, Inc., after approval by the Maine Plumbers’ Examining Board

Examination fee: Apply online for Board approval before scheduling with Prov. Consult the current Prov candidate information and Board application for examination charges and format.

Retake policy: The Board must approve an applicant before the Prov appointment is scheduled; exam results taken without advance Board approval are void. Follow current Board and Prov instructions for any retake.

Insurance and Bonds

No statewide contractor license surety bond is required for this credential in the cited sources. Project-specific, permit, or public-works bonds may still apply, so confirm bonding before bidding a given job.

General liability

No state-mandated general liability minimum. Most clients contractually require $1,000,000/$2,000,000.

Workers' compensation

Maine requires workers compensation for any business with employees under 39-A MRSA §401.

Additional financial requirements

No state financial statement required.

Fee Schedule

Fee	Amount
Application	$221
Initial license	No separate amount recorded; confirm in the fee guidance
Renewal (every 2 years)	$200

To turn these board fees into a realistic year-one budget — bond premium, liability insurance, and exam prep included — open the cost calculator preloaded for Maine plumber.

Renewal and Continuing Education

The Maine Plumber Licenses (Trainee, Journeyman-in-Training, Journeyman, and Master) must be renewed every 2 years. The fee to renew is presently $200. Master and Journeyman licenses renew biennially from first licensure. Renewal within 90 days after expiration has a $50 late fee; more than 90 days but not more than two years requires the $200 fee plus a $100 penalty. After two years, new-applicant requirements apply.

Downloadable Asset

2026 Maine Plumber License Roadmap (PDF) — a printable step-by-step checklist for the application process.

Download the PDF roadmap →

Reciprocity

Maine grants no NASCLA reciprocity for this classification.

Reciprocal State	Accepted Exam	Conditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity agreements identified.

Do not rely on a named reciprocal-state list unless the Board confirms it for the exact license class. Use the current online application and Board review process for any out-of-state qualification or endorsement request.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares published Plumber license requirements by state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

Plumber Licensing in Neighboring States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare Maine's requirements against the bordering jurisdictions before committing to an application:

New Hampshire Plumber License Requirements — New Hampshire Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master Plumber License

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

Choose Trainee or Journeyman-in-Training. A trainee route leads to Journeyman examination eligibility after two years and 4,000 hours. The JIT route starts with approved plumbing education/apprenticeship and a 70% journeyman exam score.
Document the required supervised licensed experience. For a trainee, document 4,000 hours over two years under a master. For JIT, complete 2,000 supervised hours within four years of license issuance.
Apply for Board-approved examination and test through Prov. Do not schedule before Board approval. Journeyman candidates need at least a 70% score; master candidates need at least 75%.
Apply for the Journeyman license. After the required experience and examination, complete the online licensure process and background-check payment.
Qualify for Master. Document either one year/2,000 hours as a licensed journeyman or four years/8,000 hours as a licensed trainee under a master, then apply for the master exam.
Maintain the two-year license. Master and Journeyman licenses renew every two years from first licensure. Keep local permits and project requirements current.

Application Checklist

Have each of the following squared away before the packet goes to Maine PEB / OPOR:

Chosen pathway confirmed: Trainee or Journeyman-in-Training
Master-supervisor affidavit for the appropriate 4,000, 2,000, or 8,000-hour experience threshold
For JIT, Board-approved education/apprenticeship evidence and journeyman exam score
Board approval before scheduling the applicable Prov examination
Journeyman examination score of at least 70% or Master score of at least 75%
Online license application, $200 fee, and $21 criminal-background-check fee
Local permit and business/employment compliance for the work contracted

Common Filing Mistakes

These are the recurring mistakes that most often delay or reject a Maine Plumber application, based on the official instructions cited here.

Logging hours under an unlicensed supervisor

The published routes require the work to be under a licensed master and in the correct license status. Use the Board affidavit and do not substitute undocumented work for the required licensed experience.

Studying the generic IPC instead of the Maine Internal Plumbing Code

Prov now administers Board-approved computer-based exams. Use its current bulletin and Board-approved material, not an old Prometric outline or an unverified national-code list.

Using the old 6,000-hour/400-classroom-hour rule

The current Board routes are 4,000 trainee hours, or the JIT education-and-2,000-hour route. Master eligibility has its own 2,000-journeyman-hour or 8,000-trainee-hour alternatives.

Letting the two-year license lapse

Master and Journeyman licenses renew every two years. Renewal timing affects fees and, after two years of lapse, returning applicants are subject to new-applicant requirements.

Assuming reciprocity will transfer automatically

Do not publish or rely on a blanket list of reciprocal plumber states. Ask the Board how an out-of-state qualification will be evaluated for the exact class sought.

Study and Reference Materials

The list below collects the board's cited references and the materials applicants typically study from. CLR is not paid to recommend any of them.

Prov Candidate Information Bulletin for the Maine Plumbers’ Examining Board — Prov / Maine Plumbers’ Examining Board. Use after Board approval for the current examination format, references, fee, and scheduling.
Maine Plumbers’ Examining Board individual-license instructions — Maine OPOR. Primary source for the trainee, JIT, journeyman, master, fee, and renewal paths.
Maine plumbing laws and current internal plumbing code — State of Maine. Use the current Board-adopted material for legal and project code compliance.

Other Maine Trade Licenses

CLR maintains guides for additional Maine trades; the published ones are listed here:

Frequently Asked Questions

What classes of plumber license does Maine issue?

Trainee, Journeyman-in-Training, Journeyman, and Master. All are issued by the Plumbers’ Examining Board within OPOR.

How many hours are required to become a Maine Journeyman Plumber?

The standard trainee path requires two years and 4,000 hours under a master. The alternate JIT path requires a Board-approved education/apprenticeship basis, a 70% journeyman exam score, and 2,000 supervised hours completed within four years of JIT issuance.

How do I become a Maine Master Plumber?

Use either one year and 2,000 hours as a licensed journeyman, or four years and 8,000 hours as a licensed trainee under a master, then pass the Board-approved master examination at no less than 75%.

What plumbing code does Maine use?

Use the current Maine Internal Plumbing Code and Board examination references. Confirm the exact current code edition and local permit requirements before work begins.

How often does the Maine plumber license renew?

Master and Journeyman licenses renew every two years based on the first licensure date, with a current $200 biennial fee. The Board’s individual-license page does not list a general plumber continuing-education condition; do not assume the former annual CE requirement.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

Verified 2026-09-04 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-03

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Corrections and presentation updates

2026-09-30: Corrected examination detection when format details are unpublished and updated the summary layout and requirements score. Source-check dates are unchanged.
2026-09-08: Shared template updated to distinguish unspecified eligibility requirements, retain cost qualifications, and use consistent headings. Source-check dates are unchanged by presentation updates.
2026-09-21: Local-only guides now use a compliance-focused structure and terminology instead of implying a statewide license application. Source-check dates are unchanged by this presentation update.