Hiring Plumbers: A Guide for Plumbing Business Owners
By BRIX Editorial Team · Updated
To hire a plumber, first decide whether you need a licensed journeyman who runs calls alone or an apprentice you'll train. Verify the license and any gas endorsement on your state board's lookup, test skills with a paid bench test, and pay near your state's median; BLS puts plumbing contractors at $30.36 an hour.
Key takeaways
- Licensing drives everything: who can work alone, who can pull permits, how many apprentices you can supervise.
- BLS says most plumbers train through a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship with about 2,000 paid hours a year.
- Verify licenses online before the interview, and check for a separate gas license where your state requires one.
- A one-hour bench test (sweat a joint, crimp PEX, read a water heater label) separates real skills from a good resume.
- Pay: $30.36 median at plumbing contractors, $20.36 for helpers (BLS, May 2025).
Do you need a journeyman or an apprentice?
Hire a journeyman when you have more service calls than licensed plumbers to run them. Hire an apprentice when your licensed plumbers are spending hours on work a helper could do (digging, carrying water heaters, cleanup) and you can commit someone to train them. Most growing shops need both, in a ratio your state allows.
| Licensed journeyman | Apprentice or helper | |
|---|---|---|
| Productive alone | Right away, after learning your systems | Years; works under supervision |
| Pay benchmark (BLS, May 2025) | $24.13–$30.67 (25th percentile to median) | $20.36 median for plumbing helpers |
| Hiring pool | Small; most are employed | Larger: trade schools, high schools, career changers |
| Main risk | Bad habits, leaving for a raise | Leaving after you train them |
| Best when | You're turning away calls | Senior plumbers are doing helper work |
What licenses should you check?
Check the license yourself on your state's licensing board website before an interview. BLS notes that most states and some localities require plumbers to be licensed, typically after 2 to 5 years of experience and an exam, and some states require a separate license for gas line work. Confirm the license type (apprentice, journeyman, master), status and expiration, and that it's valid where your jobs are.
- License level and status on the state lookup, not just a photo of a card.
- Gas endorsement or separate gas license if they'll install water heaters, ranges or gas piping and your state requires it.
- Backflow tester certification if you offer backflow testing; many water utilities require their own registration.
- Apprentice registration with the state or a registered apprenticeship program if you're hiring an apprentice.
- Driving record for anyone who'll drive a company truck.
Requirements vary a lot by state. Start at the licensing hub and confirm with your state board. Nothing here is legal advice.
Where do you find plumbers to hire?
- Your plumbers' networks. Pay a referral bonus after 90 days; plumbers know who's good and who's unhappy.
- Supply house counters and reps. They see every plumber in town every week.
- Trade school and apprenticeship programs. Hire apprentices early in their program and grow them.
- Adjacent trades. Maintenance techs, water treatment installers and irrigation techs can make good apprentices.
- New construction plumbers who want service work and steadier hours; train them on customer communication.
- Job boards and local groups, with pay range, truck policy, on-call rotation and license requirement stated up front.
How do you run a plumbing working interview?
Pay for an hour at the shop bench and a short role-play. Skills you can watch beat claims you can't check. Keep the test the same for every candidate at the same level.
- 1
Bench task 1: join pipe.
Sweat a copper joint and make a PEX crimp or expansion fitting. Look for clean prep, proper heat and a fitting that passes a pressure test.
- 2
Bench task 2: read the equipment.
Hand them a water heater data plate or a photo. Ask for fuel type, capacity, age and what they'd check on a no-hot-water call.
- 3
Bench task 3: diagnose.
A toilet that runs, or a faucet cartridge that drips. Ask them to explain the fix as if to a homeowner.
- 4
Role-play the price conversation.
You're the homeowner with a 14-year-old water heater leaking at the base. Watch whether they give options (repair isn't possible here; replace now) honestly and clearly.
- 5
Debrief and score.
Score workmanship, safety, diagnosis and customer communication 1–5. Ask your lead plumber to score separately.
| Question | Good answer | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| A customer has sewage backing up into the tub. What do you check first? | Asks about other fixtures, cleanout location, runs camera or cable, explains next steps and cost options | Jumps to excavation |
| When would you not repair a water heater? | Leaking tank, age, safety concerns; explains in plain terms | Repairs everything, or replaces everything |
| How do you protect a customer's home while you work? | Drop cloths, shoe covers, cleanup, photos of existing damage | Doesn't think about it |
| What do you do if you find work that isn't to code? | Tells the customer, explains, documents, follows shop policy | Ignores it or covers it up |
| Tell me about a job that went wrong and how you handled it. | Owns the mistake, explains the fix | Blames the customer or previous plumber |
| How do you feel about on-call rotations? | Asks how often and how it's paid | Refuses outright, or agrees to anything |
What should you pay a plumber?
BLS reports a May 2025 median of $30.36 an hour for plumbers at specialty trade contractors and $30.67 across all industries. Helpers earn a median of $20.36. State medians run from $23.39 in Arkansas to $48.05 in Illinois, one of the widest gaps of any trade. See the plumber pay guide for a pay ladder, commission math and the cost per billable hour.
How do you set up a new plumber to succeed?
BLS notes that plumbers often work nights and weekends and are on call for emergencies. Put your on-call rotation, truck take-home policy, tool policy and overtime rules in writing before the first day. A plumber who finds out about on-call after starting is a plumber who's job hunting by month three.
| By day | Should be able to | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | Run drain and fixture calls alone; know the price book and paperwork | Callbacks, paperwork completeness |
| 60 | Run water heater replacements and most repairs; present options | Average ticket, customer reviews |
| 90 | Take on-call shifts; handle sewer and emergency calls | Callback rate, billable hours, emergency response time |
Pair the new hire with your best plumber for the first two weeks, then check in weekly. The full hiring and pay cycle across trades is covered in how to hire and pay technicians, and the plumbing call script helps your office book the right calls for a newer plumber.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to become a licensed plumber?
BLS says most plumbers complete a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship, with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training each year plus classroom instruction. Most states then require a license, often after 2 to 5 years of experience and an exam. Rules vary by state.
How do I verify a plumber's license?
Use your state licensing board's online license lookup to confirm the license type, status and expiration, and check whether a separate gas license or local registration is required for the work they'll do. Don't rely on a photo of a card.
Should I hire an apprentice plumber?
If your licensed plumbers spend part of the day on helper work and someone can train, yes. Helpers earned a May 2025 median of $20.36 an hour, so an apprentice frees expensive licensed time. Check your state's apprentice-to-journeyman supervision rules first.
Is there a shortage of plumbers?
BLS projects plumber, pipefitter and steamfitter employment to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 42,000 openings a year, largely from retirements. Because licensing takes years, licensed journeymen are harder to hire than apprentices, so growing your own is often faster.
What should a plumbing working interview include?
A paid hour with bench tasks (sweating copper, a PEX fitting, reading a water heater plate, diagnosing a simple fixture problem) and a role-play where the candidate explains options to a homeowner. Score the same tasks for every candidate.
Related
- How Much to Pay a Plumber in 2026: Apprentice to MasterPlumber pay from BLS May 2025: $30.67 median, apprentice to journeyman steps, state wages, commission plans with overtime math, full cost.
- How to Hire Technicians and Build a Pay Plan That WorksHire and pay field techs right: where to find them, interviews, hourly vs. commission vs. flat-rate pay plans, overtime math and W-2 vs. 1099 risk.
- Plumbing Call Booking ScriptFree plumbing call booking script: emergency shutoff steps, drain, water heater and sewer triage, tenant calls, fee disclosure and the close. Free .txt.
- Plumbing Software That Catches the 2 a.m. Call and Gets You Paid for ItPlumbing software that catches the 2 a.m. burst-pipe call, books the plumber, quotes flat-rate or T&M, marks up parts right and keeps QuickBooks clean.
- What Is a Contractor License?What a contractor license is, when you need one, and how six states set dollar thresholds, bonds and insurance, with links to each licensing board.
- Labor Burden CalculatorCalculate labor burden with 2026 payroll tax rates, workers' comp, benefits, PTO and unbillable time. See an employee's true cost per billable hour.
- Technician Utilization CalculatorMeasure technician utilization, efficiency and productivity, and see how much revenue a few more job hours per tech per week would add each year.
- How to Hire an HVAC Technician: A Guide for Shop OwnersHire HVAC techs: when to add a truck, EPA 608 and license checks, where to find candidates, a paid ride-along test, interview questions and a 90-day plan.
- Hiring Electricians: A Guide for Electrical ContractorsHow electrical contractors hire: license and ratio checks, service vs construction electricians, a hands-on troubleshooting test and a 90-day plan.
- True Cost of an Employee Calculator for Trades BusinessesSee what an hourly employee really costs: wages, 7.65% employer FICA, FUTA, SUTA, workers' comp and benefits, per paid and per billable hour.
Sources
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (training, licensing, work schedules, outlook 2025–35) (checked October 24, 2026)
- BLS OEWS May 2025: Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152), national estimates (checked October 24, 2026)
- BLS OEWS May 2025: Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-3015), national estimates (checked October 24, 2026)
- BLS OEWS May 2025: Specialty Trade Contractors (NAICS 238000) occupational estimates (checked October 24, 2026)
- BLS OEWS May 2025: State occupational employment and wage estimates (checked October 24, 2026)