STATE LICENSE
RequiredIndiana Plumbing Commission (Indiana Prof…
Indiana licenses plumbing through the Indiana Plumbing Commission, staffed by the Professional Licensing Agency, under the Plumbing Practice Act (IC 25-28.5). The ladder is apprentice → journeyman plumber → plumbing contractor. Both journeyman and contractor require four years in the trade — defined by rule as at least 6,400 hours over at least four years, counted at no more than 40 hours a week — or a completed four-year apprenticeship (576 classroom hours plus 6,400 on-the-job hours), then an exam.
The state fees are among the lowest anywhere ($50 to apply as a contractor, $100 to renew), but the obligations are real: the contractor's license number must be recognizably displayed in every written or printed ad and on both sides of any vehicle carrying the business name. Inside Indianapolis, the state license is not enough on its own — Chapter 875-501 requires the licensed plumbing contractor to register with the city's Department of Business and Neighborhood Services.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
The state license is the credential; cities layer registration and permits on top. Indianapolis requires state-licensed plumbing contractors to register with BNS (Code § 875-501) and issues permits only to registered contractors; elsewhere, local building departments issue plumbing permits and inspect under the state plumbing code (675 IAC 16).
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Indiana county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of October 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
Journeyman and contractor licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years; apprentice registrations expire October 1 of even-numbered years.
The Commission proposed LSA #24-586 in January 2025 to realign its fees, fines, and penalties with HEA 1623 — check the PLA rules page for the adopted version.
Overtime does not speed up licensure: no more than 40 hours in any calendar week count toward the 6,400-hour experience requirement.
A practical sequence for a new plumbing contractor in Indiana. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
Acting or advertising as a plumbing contractor or journeyman plumber without a license, or continuing after suspension or revocation, is a criminal offense.
Failing to renew and continuing to act as a plumbing contractor or journeyman after expiration is a separate, lesser offense.
Ads or branded vehicles without the recognizably displayed license number violate the Commission's advertising rules and expose the licensee to discipline.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: Misdemeanor classes in IC 25-28.5-1-31 and the owner-occupant exemption in IC 25-28.5-1-32 were read from a non-government reproduction of the statute; iga.in.gov renders client-side and its section text could not be retrieved · Whether LSA #24-586 (proposed January 2025) has been adopted and what fee or fine amounts it sets · PROV exam vendor fee (published by the vendor, not the PLA) · Exact late-renewal fee amounts (the PLA page lists late add-ons but the figures could not be read cleanly) · Absence of a continuing-education requirement was not confirmed in statute text
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.