STATE LICENSE
ConditionalSee what applies
Plumbing licensing in Missouri is local. RSMo § 341.010 requires anyone working at the business of plumbing as a master or journeyman in a city or town of 15,000 or more to hold a certificate, issued after examination by a three-member city board of examiners (§§ 341.020–341.050), and such cities must regulate plumbing by ordinance and require permits (§ 341.060). A 1977 Missouri Supreme Court decision held the chapter inapplicable to constitutional charter cities, which license under their own charters.
First-class counties may separately adopt the county 'Uniform Plumbing Code' in §§ 341.090–341.220, which requires licensed plumbers and drainlayers, permits, and a $2,000 surety bond for master plumbers. In practice, contractors must check each city or county — Kansas City, for instance, issues Journeyman and Master Plumber Certificates of Qualification and a contractor license.
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 sets only a floor: cities of 15,000+ must examine and certify plumbers and require permits (§§ 341.010–341.060), and first-class counties may opt into a county plumbing code (§ 341.100). Charter cities and counties license plumbers under their own ordinances. Licensing, bonding, permits and inspections are all handled locally.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Missouri 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.
Missouri issues no state plumbing license, so the state-fee line is genuinely $0. Your costs are local licenses, permits and insurance.
Missouri's 1939 plumbing statute doesn't reach constitutional charter cities (State ex rel. Sprague v. City of St. Joseph, 1977), so the big cities license plumbers under their own codes.
Most Missouri employers need five employees before workers' compensation applies; construction employers need only one (RSMo § 287.030.1(3)).
A practical sequence for a new plumbing contractor in Missouri. 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.
Violating the cities-of-15,000 plumbing certificate statute is a criminal offense.
An employer who knowingly fails to insure its workers' compensation liability commits a crime and owes the state a separate money penalty; a repeat offense is a felony.
Giving the § 429.012 notice is a condition precedent to any mechanic's lien; omitting it with intent to defraud is a crime, and a fraudulent lien waiver or false affidavit is a felony.
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: Which Missouri cities still operate a § 341.040 board of examiners versus licensing under a home-rule charter · Which first-class counties have adopted the §§ 341.090–341.220 county plumbing code · Whether any city still charges the 1939 statutory certificate fees ($5 master, $1 journeyman) · Specific contractor-licensing requirements of St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Springfield and Columbia (not retrieved from those governments' sites)
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.