Missouri plumbing license requirements and insurance

Who it applies to

1Who needs a plumbing license in Missouri? What is this?

Plumbing contractor business license (Springfield): any business that takes plumbing jobs in Springfield

License	Who needs it	What it covers
Master Plumber certificate (Springfield)	The person who stands behind a plumbing business in Springfield. Each plumbing contractor must name one certified master who works for it full time and supervises the work	Plumbing work inside the City of Springfield. Gas piping needs a separate Master Gas certificate
Journeyman Plumber certificate (Springfield)	Anyone doing plumbing work in Springfield for a contractor, without a master on the spot	Plumbing work in Springfield under a plumbing contractor. You cannot be the registered master for a business with this alone
Plumbing contractor business license (Springfield)	Any business that takes plumbing jobs in Springfield	The city business license, from the Finance Department. It sits on top of the master certificate
Kansas City plumbing contractor license	Any business taking plumbing jobs in Kansas City	Plumbing, gas piping, water heaters, gas appliances, and low-voltage wiring up to 48 volts when it is not in conduit
St. Louis County master plumber license	Anyone standing behind plumbing work in St. Louis County	Plumbing work in St. Louis County under chapter 1103 of the county code. The county runs six separate master licenses, for plumber, drainlayer, pipefitter, sprinklerfitter, lawn irrigation installer and water heater replacement
City of St. Louis plumbing license	Anyone doing plumbing work in the City of St. Louis	The city licenses master plumbers, master drainlayers and journeyman plumbers, and registers apprentices

License

Who needs it

What it covers

Master Plumber certificate (Springfield)

The person who stands behind a plumbing business in Springfield. Each plumbing contractor must name one certified master who works for it full time and supervises the work

Plumbing work inside the City of Springfield. Gas piping needs a separate Master Gas certificate

Journeyman Plumber certificate (Springfield)

Anyone doing plumbing work in Springfield for a contractor, without a master on the spot

Plumbing work in Springfield under a plumbing contractor. You cannot be the registered master for a business with this alone

Plumbing contractor business license (Springfield)

Any business that takes plumbing jobs in Springfield

The city business license, from the Finance Department. It sits on top of the master certificate

Kansas City plumbing contractor license

Any business taking plumbing jobs in Kansas City

Plumbing, gas piping, water heaters, gas appliances, and low-voltage wiring up to 48 volts when it is not in conduit

St. Louis County master plumber license

Anyone standing behind plumbing work in St. Louis County

Plumbing work in St. Louis County under chapter 1103 of the county code. The county runs six separate master licenses, for plumber, drainlayer, pipefitter, sprinklerfitter, lawn irrigation installer and water heater replacement

City of St. Louis plumbing license

Anyone doing plumbing work in the City of St. Louis

The city licenses master plumbers, master drainlayers and journeyman plumbers, and registers apprentices

Who runs it

2Who issues plumber licenses in Missouri? What is this?

Missouri has no state plumbing board. Your city or county licenses you. In Springfield it is Building Development Services and the Building Trades Examination and Certification Board issues plumbing licenses in Missouri.

See how this compares in every state: How to check a contractor's license, state by state

Name	Missouri has no state plumbing board. Your city or county licenses you. In Springfield it is Building Development Services and the Building Trades Examination and Certification Board
Website	springfieldmo.gov
Look up a license	springfieldmo.gov
The law	None at state level for plumbing. Springfield uses chapter 36, article IV of its city code
The rulebook	None at state level. Each city or county sets its own
Does the state license this trade?	None. Missouri does not issue a plumbing license of any kind

St. Louis County, the City of St. Louis and Kansas City each run their own plumbing license. Do not assume a license from one is accepted in another. Ask the building department where the job is before you quote.

Checked by a person against the official page

·3 official pages

Getting licensed

3How to become a plumber in Missouri What is this?

Missouri has 6 licenses that matter to a plumber: Master Plumber certificate (Springfield), Journeyman Plumber certificate (Springfield), Plumbing contractor business license (Springfield), Kansas City plumbing contractor license, St. Louis County master plumber license, City of St. Louis plumbing license. Each is below, with what you need before you apply.

License	Experience required	Training required	Exam
Master Plumber certificate (Springfield)	Four years as a certified journeyman plumber, or ten years of satisfactory plumbing experience	None listed by the city	Yes, an International Code Council exam taken through Pearson VUE. You need 75 percent. The board must approve you first, and the approval lasts one year
Journeyman Plumber certificate (Springfield)	Four years under the supervision of a master plumber, or six years of plumbing experience	—	Yes, an International Code Council exam through Pearson VUE. You need 75 percent
Plumbing contractor business license (Springfield)	—	—	—
Kansas City plumbing contractor license	The city checks your skills, knowledge and experience from your application and reference letters. It does not print a number of years	—	Yes, through a recognized exam company such as Prometric or the International Code Council. A comparable exam you have already passed may be accepted instead
St. Louis County master plumber license	—	—	Yes, set by the county Board of Plumbing Examiners, which meets monthly
City of St. Louis plumbing license	—	—	Yes. The city's Board of Examiners sets the form, the content and the pass mark itself

License

Experience required

Training required

Exam

Master Plumber certificate (Springfield)

Four years as a certified journeyman plumber, or ten years of satisfactory plumbing experience

None listed by the city

Yes, an International Code Council exam taken through Pearson VUE. You need 75 percent. The board must approve you first, and the approval lasts one year

Journeyman Plumber certificate (Springfield)

Four years under the supervision of a master plumber, or six years of plumbing experience

—

Yes, an International Code Council exam through Pearson VUE. You need 75 percent

Plumbing contractor business license (Springfield)

—

Kansas City plumbing contractor license

The city checks your skills, knowledge and experience from your application and reference letters. It does not print a number of years

—

Yes, through a recognized exam company such as Prometric or the International Code Council. A comparable exam you have already passed may be accepted instead

St. Louis County master plumber license

—

Yes, set by the county Board of Plumbing Examiners, which meets monthly

City of St. Louis plumbing license

—

Yes. The city's Board of Examiners sets the form, the content and the pass mark itself

What it costs

4How much does a plumbing license cost in Missouri? What is this?

The government fees on this page add up to about 75 in Missouri. Add insurance, tools, and a vehicle to get the real number.

License	Application	First certificate	Renewal	Renewal, yearly	Charged when the license is granted
Master Plumber certificate (Springfield)	—	$50	—	$50	—
Journeyman Plumber certificate (Springfield)	—	$25	—	$25	—
Kansas City plumbing contractor license	$55	—	$181	—	$181

Added up

Government fees, added up	75

Springfield city fees only, from a fee sheet dated 2024. Does not include the exam fees of about $125 each, the city business license, a bond, insurance premiums, tools, a vehicle, or permits. Other cities and counties charge their own fees.

Our estimate

Insurance

5How much plumbing insurance do you need in Missouri? What is this?

Missouri sets no minimum liability insurance for this license. Customers and general contractors usually ask for $1,000,000 anyway. Workers' comp is required.

Minimum liability insurance	None required by the state
Type of policy	None set by the state, because the state does not license plumbers
Who this applies to	Nobody at state level. Your city or county sets its own amount before it licenses you or lets you pull permits
Who must be named on the certificate	Not applicable at state level
City rules	Kansas City asks a plumbing contractor for at least $1,000,000 of liability cover per claim, with the city named on the certificate. St. Louis County asks a master plumber for a $25,000 bond instead. Springfield asks for proof of a bond, insurance, or both, and prints no amount
Workers' comp required?	Yes, once you have one employee, because plumbing on buildings is construction work
Workers' comp: what to know	Most Missouri businesses need workers' comp at five employees. Construction is the exception. If you build, alter, repair or tear down buildings, one employee is enough. A sole owner or a partner is not covered by the policy unless they ask the insurer to add them.
Workers' comp: who counts as an employee	Everyone you pay counts, whether they are part time, casual, full time or a member of your family. Members of an LLC and officers of a corporation count too. A sole owner and the partners in a partnership do not count themselves. In construction the number is one, so the count rarely matters
Workers' comp: if you skip it	Knowingly going without cover is a class A misdemeanor. You also owe the state up to three times the yearly premium you skipped, or up to $50,000, whichever is more. A second offense is a class E felony

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·5 official pages

Money checks

6Does Missouri check your credit for a plumber license? What is this?

Missouri does not check your credit for this license.

Credit score you need	None. The state has no plumbing license, so there is no state money check. Springfield's application asks about your experience, not your credit
If your score is lower	Not needed
How we know	The Springfield application packet runs to four pages and asks for your name, your trade and your work history. It has no question about credit, net worth or a financial statement

Checked by software against the official page·springfieldmo.gov

Bonds

7Does a plumber need a bond in Missouri? What is this?

Missouri does not require a state bond for this license. Some cities ask for one before they issue permits.

Does the state require a bond?	No
Amount	Not listed yet

The state does not ask for a bond (a promise, backed by an insurance company, that customers can be paid if you do not finish the job). Cities and counties do. St. Louis County wants $25,000 from a master plumber. Kansas City wants a $500 cash deposit instead of a bond. Springfield asks for proof of a bond, insurance, or both, and prints no amount.

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·3 official pages

Showing your number

8Where must a Missouri plumber show the license number? What is this?

In Missouri: no state rule, because there is no state plumbing license number. Your city or county decides where its license number must appear.

The rule	No state rule, because there is no state plumbing license number. Your city or county decides where its license number must appear
On quotes, contracts, and invoices	Nothing at state level, because there is no state license. Ask the city that licenses you
On ads	Nothing at state level. Some cities set their own rule, so ask the one that licenses you
On your vehicles	No state rule. Ask your city
If you forget	Set by your city or county
City rules	Springfield gives each certified plumber a certificate number that starts with BTC. We found no Springfield page saying where it must be shown

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Tax

9Does a plumber charge sales tax on labor in Missouri? What is this?

In Missouri, no sales tax. The state sales tax law lists what is taxed, and work on a building is not on the list. The rest of the rules are below.

See how this compares in every state: Can you charge sales tax on labor? The rule in 25 states

What this tax is	Missouri sales tax is a tax on goods and on a short list of services. The state treats a contractor as the final buyer of anything that ends up as part of a building
Who pays tax on materials	You. You pay sales tax at the supply house on pipe, fittings, water heaters and fixtures you install. You do not charge the customer sales tax on them. This holds when ownership passes to the customer after you install, which is the normal case
Labor	No sales tax. The state sales tax law lists what is taxed, and work on a building is not on the list
Homes versus businesses	No difference. The rule looks at whether the materials become part of the building, not at who owns the building
New buildings	The same as repairs. You pay tax on the materials when you buy them and charge none on your bill
Selling and installing as two prices	If your contract passes ownership of an item to the customer before you install it, you are selling goods. You buy it tax-free and charge the customer sales tax on it. If you also run a parts counter, buy stock with a resale certificate and pay the tax yourself on anything you pull for a job
Tax-exempt customers	A city, school, church or charity can give you a project exemption certificate. With it you buy the materials for that job tax-free. Tools and equipment you keep are still taxed
Tax rate	4.225 percent for the state. The sales tax law sets 4 percent and the state constitution adds 0.225 percent for conservation and for parks and soils. Cities, counties and special districts charge more on top, so check the rate for the job address

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Getting paid

10Getting paid: lien and notice deadlines for a Missouri plumber What is this?

If you are not paid in Missouri, a lien on the property is your backstop, but only if your notice goes out on time: if a contractor hired you, give the owner written notice at least ten days before you file the lien (to file on September 1, deliver the notice by August 22). It must say how much you are owed and who owes it.

Who has to send a notice	Everyone, but the notice differs. If the owner hired you, you give the owner a printed warning before you are paid. If a contractor hired you, you give the owner ten days' notice before you file a lien
Written notice you must give the customer	If the owner hired you, hand over the state's Notice to Owner in 10-point bold type. It warns the owner that unpaid suppliers and workers can file a lien. Give it when the contract is signed, when materials arrive, when work starts, or with your first invoice. Skip it and you have no lien rights at all
Send your notice by	If a contractor hired you, give the owner written notice at least ten days before you file the lien (to file on September 1, deliver the notice by August 22). It must say how much you are owed and who owes it
File your lien by	File your lien statement with the circuit court clerk in the county where the property is, within six months after the debt became due (money due on March 1 means you file by September 1)
Homes the owner lives in	On repairs or remodels to a home of four units or fewer that the owner lives in, a subcontractor or supplier needs the owner's signed consent to liens. The consent is printed in the main contract in 10-point bold type. If there is no such consent and the owner has paid the contractor in full, nobody under that contractor can lien. Where the consent was signed, paying the contractor is not a defense
About home construction	On new homes built for sale, the owner can record a notice of the planned sale at least 45 days before closing. If they do, you must record a Notice of Rights with the county recorder at least five days before the closing date. Miss it and your lien rights on that property are gone
File a lawsuit by	Six months after you file the lien. If you have not sued by then, the lien ends

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Keeping it

11How do you renew a plumbing license in Missouri? What is this?

How and when each license renews.

License	Renewal
Master Plumber certificate (Springfield)	Every year
Journeyman Plumber certificate (Springfield)	Every year
Kansas City plumbing contractor license	Every four years

License

Renewal

Master Plumber certificate (Springfield)

Every year

Journeyman Plumber certificate (Springfield)

Every year

Kansas City plumbing contractor license

Every four years

Renewal fees are in what the license costs. The official page for each license is linked under how you get it.

Watch out

12What catches people out in Missouri What is this?

The things people get wrong or do not expect about Missouri, in a few sentences.

Missouri has never set up a state plumbing license. St. Louis County, the City of St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield each license plumbers their own way, so ask before you cross a city or county line.
In Springfield the business does not hold the plumbing certificate. One master plumber does, works for the company full time, and can stand behind only one company at a time.
Workers' comp starts at five employees for most Missouri businesses. For a plumber it starts at one, because work on buildings counts as construction.
If a homeowner hires you directly, you must hand them the state's printed Notice to Owner before you are paid. Forget it and you cannot file a lien on that job, however much you are owed.
You pay the sales tax on pipe and fixtures at the supply house, and your labor is not taxed. Your invoice to the customer normally carries no sales tax line at all.

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·5 official pages

13Where these numbers come from

The labels under each table are explained on how to read a page.