Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from Colorado's official board.
Two things are distinctive here. The 6,800-hour ceiling means Colorado will not keep asking for more time once you have four years documented. And the continuing education is measured per March-to-February year rather than per license period, so a plumber who does 16 hours in one year and none in the next has not complied.
| Requirements | JOURNEYWORKER PLUMBER. Colorado states the requirement as both a floor and a ceiling, which is unusual and worth understanding. The floor: verify TWO YEARS (3,400 HOURS) of practical experience to qualify. The ceiling: the maximum experience the board will require of any applicant is FOUR YEARS (6,800 HOURS). Documenting more than 6,800 hours does not help, and the board will not demand more than that. EXAMINATION. Multiple choice, with questions drawn from the currently adopted codes, the International Plumbing Code, the International Fuel Gas Code, and the Rules and Regulations adopted by the Examining Board of Plumbers. Note that the fuel gas code is examinable alongside the plumbing code. RESIDENTIAL PLUMBER is the narrower license below journeyworker, and MASTER PLUMBER sits above it. |
| Reciprocity | The Division of Professions and Occupations assesses out-of-state experience against the Colorado hour requirement rather than publishing an automatic reciprocity list. Because the ceiling is 6,800 hours, an experienced out-of-state plumber will normally satisfy the experience test and the question becomes the examination. |
| Renewal | Licenses run a TWO-YEAR cycle. Every Residential, Journeyworker and Master Plumber holding an active Colorado license must complete at least EIGHT HOURS of continuing education during EACH YEAR of that two-year period, where the year runs 1 MARCH to 28 FEBRUARY. It is an annual obligation inside a biennial license, which is the detail people miss. |
| Notes | Two things are distinctive here. The 6,800-hour ceiling means Colorado will not keep asking for more time once you have four years documented. And the continuing education is measured per March-to-February year rather than per license period, so a plumber who does 16 hours in one year and none in the next has not complied. |
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Sources: dpo.colorado.gov, dpo.colorado.gov, dpo.colorado.gov, dpo.colorado.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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