MT Journeyman Plumber

It is the license issued by the Montana Board of Plumbers through the Department of Labor & Industry's Employment Standards Division, the division that supervises the state's occupational licensing boards. Journeyman licensing sits alongside master plumber, medical gas endorsement, and apprentice registration in the Board's licensing structure, so expect scope-of-practice questions tied to those categories.

The Board states that as of June 10, 2022 Montana adopted the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, along with the 2020 NEC and the 2021 International Codes. Study the 2021 UPC plus the Board's published code amendments. Note that the Board's plumbing code page says the information will change in July 2026 pending a new adoption, so verify the current edition before your exam.

Treat the four areas as roughly equal blocks: UPC application, fixtures and fixture unit sizing, piping and materials, and Montana rules and licensing. Fixture unit sizing rewards repetition, so drill the tables until you can size a drain or water system without flipping pages. Read the Board's regulations, statutes, and rule notices as primary text rather than a summary.

Sizing errors from using the wrong fixture unit value or forgetting to convert to the correct drainage or supply table. Second is code-version drift, answering from an older edition instead of the 2021 UPC. Third is treating Montana administrative rules and licensing requirements as filler and skipping them, which is a full quarter of the content and easy marks if you read the source documents.

The Board of Plumbers website has tabs for Regulations, Administrative Rules, Rule Notices, and Statutes. Read those pages directly. The Board also notes that official versions of administrative rules are not available until published by the Secretary of State, so check the published rule text and the Building Codes page amendments rather than secondary summaries.

Yes. The Board's site describes a 21-Day Temporary Registration available in its licensing portal for individuals holding an active license in good standing in another state, for purposes such as providing education, continuity of treatment, treatment to underserved populations, or highly specialized care. It also describes a provisional license that acts as an active, full license for 60 days while verification is completed.

The Board's renewal reminder states that licensees must comply with ARM 24.180.2102 when renewing, which calls for 4 hours of continuing education completed during the renewal cycle. Questions about continuing education go to the Board's audit contact. Build those hours into your first renewal cycle rather than scrambling at the deadline.

The Board's welcome notice says FY 26 plumbing license renewals open July 2, 2026, and are due by September 1, 2026. The renewal fee is 100% abated, but late renewals do incur fees. The same notice reminds apprentice sponsors to follow the apprenticeship administrative rules and to contact MT Registered Apprenticeship with questions.

Yes. The Board publishes public comment guidelines: written comments on an agenda item must be submitted no later than seven days before a scheduled board meeting, and should include your name, any organization you represent, and the agenda item. Comments unrelated to an agenda item may be submitted at any time and are encouraged.

The Board notes that under HB 276, passed during the 2025 Legislative Session, all licensees and applicants must give the department their current mailing address and report any change of address within 30 days. You may also consent to electronic service of legal notices by keeping a current email address updated within 30 days of any change.