Plumbing Systems

Plumber Apprenticeship, Experience, and Education Requirements

A plumber must be qualified, and potentially licensed, to repair certain aspects of a plumbing system. Many plumbing repairs involve working with water, electricity, and gas; special care should be taken during installation and repairs that require working with potential hazards inherent to these things.

Most states and municipalities require plumbers to be licensed.

Hawaii Requirements:

1) Provide verification of the following:

• Journey Worker Plumber (PJ)- 5 years but not less than 10,000 hours of plumbing work in compliance with the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC).
• Master Plumber (PM)- 2 years experience as a licensed journey worker plumber or equivalent.

2) Pass the Board’s examination

(Reference: http://files.hawaii.gov/dcca/pvl/faqs/electrician_plumber_faq.pdf )

License Renewal

Prior to every license renewal, all licensed plumbers must meet continued competency requirements to renew their license:

“The licensee shall submit (1) a copy of a certificate from a University of Hawaii Community College evidencing attendance at an update course of the “UPC” or (2) a copy of a score report from Prometric verifying successful passage of the continued competency exam on the updates to the “UPC”.”

Plumbing Codes

UPC 2006 Code Book by Gwen Arkin is licensed under CC BY 4.0

Uniform Plumbing Code

• Published every 3 years by the International Association of Plumbing and
• Mechanical Officials (IAMPO)
• Not a federal law
• Regionally adoptable by states and municipalities (Some municipalities have elected to adopt the International Plumbing Code (IPC))
• Adopted in all 50 states
• Most jurisdictions do not immediately adopt new additions.
• As of April 2017, Maui County still uses the 2006 edition of the UPC to enforce safe practices