How To Become a Licensed Plumber In Virginia

Obtaining a Virginia plumber license is a sensible professional move whether you want to start your plumbing shop or be the existing firm. You can make a good living and have a fulfilling job. This article will teach you how to work as a plumber in the state of Virginia.

Table of Contents

Virginia’s Plumbing Licensing Requirements

It would help if you were licensed to work as a construction worker or plumber in Virginia.

According to the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulations, applicants for licensing must fulfill specific entrance standards. For plumbers, HVAC, welders, and other professions, DPOR and its governing agencies set admission standards based on a mix of schooling, certification, knowledge, and experience. In some situations, having a legal permit in another jurisdiction will suffice to meet part of the requirements for reciprocal licensure. Plumbers in Virginia are regulated and licensed by the Board for Contractors.

Apprenticeship

If you don’t want to pursue a standard college degree, a professional apprenticeship might provide you with the necessary hands-on and individualized instruction. You may discover authorized pieces of training through the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry’s Division of Registered Apprenticeship. In Virginia, a few are given through union representatives, while the majority are private companies. They meet Virginia’s academic and instructional training criteria for a journeyman license application, and in some situations, the state-mandated certification is not necessary. The educational component of apprenticeships is frequently supplied via the Community College system.

They also promote the following advantages:

Types of Plumbers Licenses in Virginia & Unique requirements

Journeyman Plumber License

It permits you to accomplish tasks worth less than $1,000 in the environment under the observation of a master plumber. To become a journeyman plumber, you must have a certain amount of professional exposure and classroom training and pass a state-mandated examination. There are various options for meeting the expertise and educational criteria for the opportunity to hone.

Obtain a Bachelor’s degree in a comparable discipline such as mechatronics or another suitable technical program from an approved institution or university and one year of hands-on experience in the area.
Worked for four years and accomplished 240 hours of rigorous skills courses.
Each incremental year of work placements can replace hours of formal education. Five years of practice + 160 hours of vocational training equals 80 months of intensive study, limited to a total of 200 hours.

8 hours of technical education + 6 years of experience
Seven years of professional experience in the trade + 40 hours of skills courses; or ten years of verifiable actual skills in the craft.

Master License

A master license helps in designing and laying out the specifics for construction and overseeing the job of constructing, fixing, and maintaining sanitary sewers following the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code for contracts under $1,000. Again, it would help if you had a certain level of practical competence to compete for a master’s certification. There are two options for getting permission to take the test.

Demonstrate that you have the first year of licensed journeyman expertise; or
Obtain a minimum of ten years of documented trade experience.

Contractor License

After earning your master’s license, you can apply for one of three stages of a contractual permit in Virginia. The sort of contractor license you should pertain for is usually measured by the amount or terms of the contract of the initiatives your company will be vying on or participating in. A contractor license is required for any project with a contract price of $1,000 or more. A required 8-hour pre-education training from an authorized party is necessary for each of the three classifications.

How to Obtain a Virginia Plumber’s License – General steps

You should be at least 18 years old to participate.
Before appearing for the government assessment, you must complete the academic criteria by completing all needed programs.
Before taking the state-mandated test, you must fulfill all leading project management criteria.

You must complete the state-mandated examination (s).
You need to provide your address; a postal service box will not suffice.
You’ll need to pay the test and license fees.

Each candidate must report any criminal or minor convictions in any state.
Any bans, disqualifications, or relinquishing of a license or permit due to disciplinary proceedings must be reported by the candidate. Based on the information supplied, the Board for Contractors may reject licensure at its discretion.
All applicants must meet financial stability standards for a home renovation contractor’s license.

You cannot work as a plumbing contractor in Virginia unless you are a master in your trade and have the necessary insurance coverage.

Information about the Virginia Board of Contractors’ Plumber Licensing Exam

Before taking a test for the journeyman, master, or contractor licensing, an applicant must appeal to the Board for approval. Depending on your operational experience and training, the Board will assess if you are qualified for the exam. If you qualify through reciprocity or have completed an authorized apprenticeship scheme, you may be excluded from the examination. The PSI Personal License and Certification Candidate Information Bulletin outlines the procedure and goes through each journeyman and master exam in depth. The Contractor Examination Candidate Information Bulletin accomplishes the same for the contractor test.

Exam Content and Limits: The Journeyman and Master HVAC Exams include 80 items and a 210-minute time restriction. To pass each test, you must obtain 60 rights. Both are open books, and the International Plumbing Code 2015, as specified in the Candidate Information Bulletin, is the only source authorized for each.

Additional examination is not required for the Class C Contractor license, and you must take both the General and Rules and Regulation portions of the test if you are in Class B. You’ll also need to take the Advanced Portion to get a Class A license.

What Is the Average Plumber Salary in Virginia?

According to the US Bureau of Labor And Statistics, the yearly average pay for a plumber in Virginia is $51,330.

Apprenticeship: In Virginia, a trainee contractor earns $14.99 per hour and $5,429 in extra per year.

Journeyman: In Virginia, a journeyman plumbing expert earns an average of $23.94 per hour and $10,331 in overtime per year.

As of December 28, 2020, Pay.com shows the average licensed plumber salary in Virginia as $57,700; however, the spectrum often falls between $50,200 and $66,000. Respect to cost varies considerably based on the location and various other essential areas like education, qualifications, supplementary talents, and the length of time you’ve worked in your field.

Virginia Plumbing License Reciprocity

The people who already have a license from Washington state can also use it for Virginia. But the process is not direct, and you will have to apply for the Virginia license test first if you want to use your Washington license for plumbing purposes in Virginia. However, the candidates who have already taken the apprenticeship test by DPOR can get a waiver.

License Renewal

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation George charges $90 for the renewable of all types of licenses. However, it is only possible when the candidate has already completed the continuing education, filled renewal form online, and paid the fee.

In order to keep the license activated and working, the candidates have to renew it every two years.

Plumbers Insurance in Virginia

In Virginia, you must buy private insurance. The following are the minimum insurance needs in Virginia for plumbers:

The following are the minimum insurance needs in Virginia for plumbers:

General liability coverage of $300,000
$100,000 of property damage insurance

Cost to get a plumber’s license

In Virginia, each license class comes with its own set of fees.

Journeyman

$130 for a license.

Examination Fee: $100

Master

$130 for an appointment.

$125 for the exam

Class A Contractor

$385 license fee

$85 for the exam

Class B Contractor

$370 license fee

$72 for the exam

Class C Contractor

$235 for a license.

With a Master’s Plumber’s approval, there is no need to take an exam.

Continuing Education

The Commonwealth of Virginia requires you to complete three hours of authorized Continuing Education every three years to keep your license.

References

https://www.housecallpro.com/working-in-the-trades/plumbing-licensing/virginia/#:~:text=Two%20years%20of%20plumbing%20experience,hours%20of%20vocational%20training%3B%20or