Commercial plumbers must be licensed by the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) before they can work as plumbers.
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Ohio Plumbing License Reciprocity
It is worth mentioning that, according to the Ohio Division of Industrial Compliance, the state of Ohio maintains reciprocity agreements for plumbers with the following three states:
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- West Virginia
This means that individuals already licensed in one of these states can begin working as plumbers in Ohio, or vice versa.
Ohio Plumbing Journeyman License Requirements
To begin the application process for a journeyman license in Ohio, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be a citizen or legal resident of the United States
- Never have been convicted of a crime or offense that prohibits licensure
- Worked as a plumber for at least five years immediately prior to filing your licensing application OR
- Worked as a registered engineer in the state of Ohio in the construction of plumbing industry for at least three years immediately prior to filing your licensing application OR
- Have an acceptable amount of other experience as decided by the OCILB OR
- Carry contractor liability coverage worth at least $500,000 OR
- Pay all applicable fees
There are certain requirements set by the OCILB that each applicant has to meet in order to apply for a plumbing contractor license.
First, applicants must be approved by the OCILB to take the licensure exam.
If they get the approval, they must take and pass the exam, and only then they will be issued a license.
The application form needs to be completely filled out, notarized, and free or errors before submission.
Additionally, they must successfully pass both a federal and state background check.
It is worth noting that applicants must mail your completed test application packet, results from your background check, and a check or money order for $25 made out to “Treasurer State of Ohio” to this address:
Ohio Department of Commerce
Division of Industrial Compliance
Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB)
6606 Tussing Road
P.O. Box 4009
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068-9009
Only upon approval of their application, they can take the plumbing licensure exam.
Once you get your license, you must renew it annually by paying the $60 renewal fee and reaching continuing education.
The renewal process can be done online, at the Ohio Department of Commerce Online Licensing website, for either four hours annually or twelve hours every three years.
The license requirements in various cities in Ohio
Cincinnati
All plumbers must register with the city before beginning work by completing the Contractor Registration Checklist and paying the $130 registration fee.
They should send the application materials to:
Permit Center
Contractor Registration
805 Central Ave., Suite 500
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Columbus
Plumbers must be registered before they can begin work, by submitting a separate application to the city and paying a non-refundable $185 application fee to:
Contractor Registration
City of Columbus
Department of Building and Zoning Services
111 N Front Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Application instructions can be found on the Contractor Licensing/Registration section of the City of Columbus website.
Dayton
A city-issued license is obligatory to work as a plumber in Dayton, Ohio.
To get it, you must complete the Journeyman Plumber License Examination Application or already possess a city-issued license from another locality in Ohio.
You will have to sit another licensing exam in Dayton.
Toledo
A locally-issued license is obligatory before plumbers can begin work.
You must complete an application to take the local plumbing contractor exam to receive your license and pay a $100 application fee when you submit your application materials to the city.
Plumbing Journeyman Exam
All contractor license classifications must take the Business and Law exam in addition to any required trade-specific exam.
Business and Law Exam
- 2 Questions – Business Org
- 3 Questions – Licensing
- 8 Questions – Estimating and Bidding
- 5 Questions – Contract Management
- 4 Questions – Project Management
- 5 Questions – Insurance and Bonding
- 5 Questions – OSHA Record Keeping and Safety
- 5 Questions – Personnel Regulations
- 6 Questions – Financial Management
- 5 Questions – Tax Laws
- 2 Questions – Lien Laws
- 5 Questions – Pretest Items
Plumbing Contractor Exam
- 8 Questions – General Knowledge
- 20 Questions – General Regulations
- 6 Questions – Plumbing Fixtures
- 10 Questions – Water Supply Systems
- 24 Questions – Drainage, Waste, and Sanitary Vents
- 3 Questions – Indirect Wastes
- 4 Questions – Roof Drain Piping
- 5 Questions – Specialty Plumbing
- 20 Questions – Isometric Analysis
- 1 Question – Pretest Item
We need to mention things that you should bring to the Ohio plumber exam:
- State-issued driver’s license
- A state-issued identification card
- US Government Issued Passport
- US Government Issued Military Identification Card
- US Government Issued Alien Registration Card
- Canadian Government Issued ID
- Credit Card (must be signed)
- Social Security Card
- US-issued Birth Certificate with Raised Seal
- A non-programmable silent calculator that does not have printing capabilities or an alphabet keyboard.
When it comes to books that you should bring, they are the following:
- Ohio Plumbing Code, 2017, International Code Council
- International Fuel Gas Code, 2015, International Code Council
- Mathematics for Plumbers and Pipefitters, 8th Edition, 2013
- Modern Plumbing, 7th Edition, 2010, Goodheart-Willcox Company, Inc
Locations, where the exam can be taken, are the following, so you can choose the nearest one and the most suitable for you:
- Akron
Bryden Center
1815 West Market Street, Suite 101
Akron, OH 44313 - Cambridge
1300 Clark Street, Suite #4
Cambridge, OH 43725 - Cincinnati
4000 Executive Park Dr., Suite 105
Cincinnati, OH 45241 - Cleveland
7029 Pearl Rd, Suite 320
Middleburg Heights, OH 44130 - Columbus North
6397 Emerald Pkwy, Suite 150
Dublin, OH 43017 - Columbus South
6431 Alum Creek Dr., Suite I
Groveport, OH 43125 - Toledo
1446 S. Reynolds Road, Suite 201
Maumee, OH 43537 - Troy
1100 Wayne Street, Suite 3330
Troy, OH 45373
Ohio Plumbing Apprenticeship Requirements
Future plumbers are not required to become an apprentice before working as either a general or commercial plumber in Ohio.
However, there are those who want to become an apprentice, so they must apply directly to a registered ApprenticeOhio program.
Plumbing Trade Schools in Ohio
Columbus State Community College – Columbus and Delaware
Tuition & Costs: $4,738 per year
Contact Information:
Columbus: (614)-287-5353
550 East Spring St., Columbus, OH 43215
information@cscc.edu
Delaware:(740)-203-8345
5100 Cornerstone Dr., Delaware, OH 43015
delaware@cscc.edu
Cuyahoga Community College – Cleaveland
Tuition & Costs: $144.08 per credit hour
Contact Information: (216)-987-6000
700 Carnegie Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Owens Community College – Findlay and Toledo
Tuition & Costs: $152.50 per credit hour
Contact Information:
Findlay: (567)-429-3500
3200 Bright Road, Findlay, OH 45840
Toledo: (567)-661-7000
30335 Oregon Road, Perrysburg, OH 43551
Salary
The average Plumber salary in Ohio is $ 56,125.
Annual Salary Range:Average Salary of Plumbers in Ohio
City Name Salary Columbus $56,533 Cleveland $57,031 Cincinnati $56,211 Toledo $55,584 Akron $55,188 Dayton $55,877 Youngstown $54,492 Canton $54,895 Lorain $55,969 Portsmouth $52,480 Regional Salary
Region Employed Avg. Annual Salary Avg. Hourly Pay Top 10% Annual Salary Bottom 10% Annual Salary Akron, OH 870 $67,840 $32.62 $92,970 $40,760 Canton-Massillon, OH 430 $68,580 $32.97 $95,270 $40,300 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 2,920 $68,540 $32.95 $95,900 $39,600 Cleveland-Elyria, OH 2,030 $70,080 $33.69 $96,410 $39,770 Columbus, OH 2,490 $68,690 $33.03 $93,680 $40,100 Dayton, OH 930 $66,140 $31.8 $93,590 $43,190 Lima, OH 100 $65,080 $31.29 $99,730 $39,700 Mansfield, OH 120 $58,480 $28.12 $80,370 $36,760 Springfield, OH 60 $64,680 $31.09 $94,360 $39,190 Toledo, OH 620 $70,720 $34 $102,490 $38,330 Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA 320 $61,610 $29.62 $82,890 $38,420
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Plumber Schools by City
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