STATE LICENSE
RequiredRhode Island Department of Labor and Trai…
R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-8 bars anyone from engaging in the business of plumbing, employing journeypersons or apprentices, contracting for plumbing installation or repair, or advertising plumbing services without a DLT master plumber license, and the license number must appear on contracts, bids, and permits. A corporation or firm may only do so if a licensed master is an officer or principal continuously supervising the work, or if it holds a DLT plumbing contractor license with a contractor master or an employed master plumber (§ 5-20-12). A journeyperson applicant must have been a registered apprentice for at least four years with 8,000 hours of on-the-job training in a five-year period, including 576 hours of related instruction (§ 5-20-17); a master applicant must have held a journeyperson license for at least one year while employed by a master (§ 5-20-16).
Applications carry a $75 nonrefundable fee (§§ 5-20-16, 5-20-17). Licenses expire on the licensee's birthday in odd or even years; master renewals are $240 and journeyperson renewals $72 for two years, plus a $12 per month delinquency assessment for late renewal (§ 5-20-23). Masters and journeypersons must complete board-set continuing education of up to 15 hours before renewal (§ 5-20-23(f)). DLT-licensed plumbing businesses are exempt from CRLB registration except for its insurance requirement (§ 5-65-2(a)(10)).
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Licensing is state-only through DLT; plumbing permits and inspections are issued by each city or town (there is no county layer in Rhode Island), and the master's license number must be affixed to the permit (§ 5-20-8).
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Rhode Island 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.
A plumbing license not renewed within two years of expiration is forfeited and requires a new examination (§ 5-20-23(e)).
DLT-licensed plumbing businesses working within their license are exempt from CRLB registration except for the insurance requirement (§ 5-65-2(a)(10)).
A plumbing entity cannot incorporate or register with the Secretary of State until DLT confirms its required licenses are issued and in good standing (§ 5-20-12(f)).
A practical sequence for a new plumbing contractor in Rhode Island. 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.
Any person, firm, or corporation, licensed or not, violating the plumbing chapter; each individual acting in violation is a separate offense.
Willfully violating the corporate supervision rules is grounds for license revocation.
Fines unpaid within 30 days of notice lead to license revocation, or injunction proceedings for unlicensed violators.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
| County · City | Permit office | Portal |
|---|---|---|
| Providence County Providence (consolidated gov.) | City of Providence Department of Inspection and Standards (DIS) ↗ | Providence e-Permitting (ViewPoint Cloud) ↗ |
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: Initial master and journeyperson license fees (statute states the $75 application fee and the $240 / $72 biennial renewal fees; initial license fee assumed equal but not confirmed) · Current CE hour count the plumbing board has set by rule (statutory cap is 15 hours) · Whether homeowners may perform their own plumbing under permit (the plumbing exemption section was only partly read)
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.