Continuing Education

Plumbers and plumber trainees are required to complete continuing education courses to renew their certification. Continuing education requirements vary based on the individual’s certification.

Continuing education requirements

Journey level and residential specialty plumbers

Effective July 1, 2021, all journey level and residential specialty renewals will require 24 hours of continuing education consisting of:

A minimum of 12 hours of Uniform Plumbing Code (Code), PLUS
A minimum of 4 hours of Industry-Related Electrical (IRE).
The remaining 8 hours can be in any Code, IRE, or Industry-Related Plumbing (IRP) area.

Plumber trainees

You will be required during a two-year period to complete at least 8 hours of plumbing code and at least 4 hours of electrical trade related classes from the currently adopted Washington state plumbing and electrical codes. The remaining 4 hours may be plumbing or electrical trade related classes. You must complete at least 8 hours of continuing education every year to renew your certificate. For example:

If you take 8 hours of Code one year, the following year you must take a minimum of 4 hours of IRE, and another 4 hours in Code, IRE, or IRP.

Note: Trainees must have an active certificate to receive credit for their hours of experience. To maintain an active certificate, you need to keep your continuing education current.

Domestic pump and pump and irrigation plumbers

Within your 3-year renewal period, you must complete 24 hours of continuing education to satisfy your plumber certification requirements. Additionally, the electrical program requires 24 hours of continuing education. You can take combination classes that count toward both programs or you can meet these continuing education requirements separately:

24 hours of combination classes that cover both plumbing and electrical. This satisfies your plumber and electrical program requirements, OR
A minimum of 12 hours of plumbing and up to 12 hours of electrical courses (24 hours total).
- The plumbing program accepts up to 12 hours of electrical continuing education courses offered by either the electrical or plumbing program toward your 24-hour education requirement.
- Note: This only satisfies your plumbing requirements. You may need up to 24 more electrical continuing education hours (48 total) to satisfy electrical requirements if you do not take any combination classes. The electrical program does not accept electrical courses offered by the plumbing program.

Backflow specialty plumbers

You are not required to complete continuing education classes. To renew, you must send a copy of your active Backflow Assembly Tester (BAT) card issued by state Department of Health.

Medical gas piping installers

You must submit a notarized affidavit(s) of continuity (F627-043-000) to report your applicable brazing experience before your renewal date. Installers must have their brazing experience certified approximately every 6 months.

Continuing Education Classes

Continuing education providers offer courses online, by correspondence, or in person around the state. To see the continuing education courses offered, choose the appropriate document below. You must contact the course provider to see when and where classes are being offered.

Note: These documents show the approved courses, along with the time period they are approved for. The documents do not list the dates or times when classes are offered.

Getting credit

Continuing education course providers provide certificates of completion to both L&I and the individual taking the course. You do not need to submit your certificates of completion to L&I, they will be added to your record once we receive the course rosters.

It may take up to 30 days for a course to appear on your online record. Course providers have 30 days to report the list of attendees (roster). If your continuing education course is not appearing online, contact your course provider and ask if they have sent the roster to L&I. Once L&I receives the rosters, it takes about two business days to add it to your record.

Keep a copy of your certificates of completion on file in case you need to verify your continuing education. Once you renew, your classes taken in the previous renewal period will no longer be visible in the online tool.

Note: You cannot repeat the same training course within your renewal period to receive additional continuing education hours. (see WAC 296-400A-028)

Deadlines for receiving continuing education credit

If you do not complete your continuing education by the time of renewal, your certificate will be placed into an inactive status and you will have to pay a late fee. If continuing education is not completed and/or fees are not paid within 90 days of your renewal, you will be required to retest for your certification.

Contractor training days

Contractor Training Days are offered by L&I at different locations across the state several times a year. Plumbing and combination (plumbing/electrical) continuing education classes are usually offered, depending on demand. Plumbing classes offered during Contractor Training Days are approved continuing education courses for all certified plumbers and trainees. Depending on your certification, you can receive up to 8 hours of combination plumber and electrical or 4 hours each of Uniform Plumbing Code and Industry-Related Plumbing (IRP) credit on the same day.

Note: Be sure to request credit for your continuing education hours on your Contractor Training Day registration form. To receive continuing education credit there is a fee of $59.60 for each 4-hour course.

For continuing education course providers

Get your course approved or renewed

The plumber certification program evaluates and approves plumbing continuing education courses. Once approved, you can offer continuing education credit for your courses. Combination plumber/electrical continuing education courses can be submitted for approval to either the plumber or electrical program. You must submit your request at least 45 days before offering any courses. Once approved, you can offer courses for up to 3 years after the approval date before you have to renew, depending on code revisions.

If you would like to have new or existing courses reviewed by the plumber certification program, please submit the following:

Plumber Continuing Education Course Application form
The appropriate fee:
- New courses: $246.70
- Renewal: $123.10
The appropriate documentation:
- New courses – Submit four copies of all documentation listed on the application.
- Existing courses (renewal) - Submit one copy of the documentation listed on the application.

Mail your documents with a check or money order to:

Department of Labor & Industries Plumber Program
P.O. Box 44470
Olympia, WA 98504

We cannot accept electronic submissions or payment for continuing education course approval at this time. For more information, please call 360-902-5207 or email Plumbers@LNI.WA.GOV.