Michigan Plumber License Renewal (LARA)

At a glance

Renews every

Journey plumber and apprentice registration: every year, by April 30. Master plumber and plumbing contractor: every three years, by April 30. Not all master plumbers and plumbing contractors renew in the same year: check the expiration date on yours

Renewal opens

90 days before the expiration date

Fee

$40 for a journey plumber, $300 for a master plumber or plumbing contractor (a three-year license), $15 for an apprentice registration

Master and contractor

If you hold both the plumbing contractor license and the qualifying master plumber license, you pay only the contractor fee, and you renew both by entering your plumbing contractor license number (it starts with 80)

Continuing education

No yearly hours. Journey and master plumbers complete a board-approved code update course within 12 months after Michigan updates or changes its construction code, which doesn't happen every year. The plumbing contractor license and apprentice registrations don't need one

Proof of the course

You don't send it in unless you're audited, but keep a copy. LARA uses CE Broker to list approved code update providers and courses

Renew

Online through LARA's Accela system, with Express Pay (no login needed) or by logging in to your Accela account. Renewing is your responsibility. Update your address in Accela before renewing if it changed: not telling LARA about a new address doesn't extend the expiration date

After it expires

The license lapses the day after the expiration date, and you're not allowed on the job site without an active license

Late renewal

Within 60 days after expiration: the renewal fee plus a late fee

After 60 days

You apply to the board for relicensure and pay the renewal fee plus a relicensure fee. Within 3 years of expiration, a journey plumber pays the yearly fee for each year missed. A license not renewed for more than 3 consecutive years: you meet the experience requirements and take the exam again

Journey to master

A master plumber license needs 4,000 hours as a journey plumber over at least 2 years immediately before you apply, so letting your journey license lapse can set back a master application

A plumbing contractor must hold a master plumber license or employ a master plumber as its representative. If that master plumber stops representing the contractor, the contractor has 30 days to designate another one and must tell LARA in writing.

A master plumber can ask LARA to hold the master license as inactive for up to 3 years. To make it active again, you must hold a journey plumber license that you renewed every year it was inactive, and pay the relicensure fee. You can't hold an active master and an active journey license at the same time.

Apprentice plumber registrations renew every year by April 30 for $15 and don't need a code update course. Time without an active registration doesn't count toward the hours for a journey license, and a registration is invalid 5 years from the date of initial registration unless you've applied for the journey license: it then stays valid until you're licensed or don't take the exam. The board can also extend a registration on request.

How to renew

1. Check the expiration date on your license: journey licenses expire every April 30, master and contractor licenses every third April 30.
2. Check whether Michigan updated its construction code in the past year. If it did, finish a board-approved code update course (find one through CE Broker) and keep the certificate.
3. From 90 days before April 30, update your address in Accela if needed, then renew online with Express Pay or through your Accela account.
4. Pay the fee: $40 journey plumber, $300 master plumber or plumbing contractor. Hold both the contractor and master licenses? Renew with the contractor number (starting with 80) and pay once.

Deadline checklist

• 90 days outRenewal opens. Check the expiration date on your license, and whether Michigan updated its construction code in the past year: if so, book a board-approved code update course.
• 45 days outFinish any code update course you need and keep the certificate in case you're audited. Check your address in Accela.
• 30 days outRenew online with Express Pay or in Accela and pay the fee. Contractors who also hold the qualifying master license: renew with the contractor number to renew both. If your qualifying master is someone else, check they've renewed, and check your apprentices have renewed their registrations.
• April 30Last day to renew on time. Not renewed? From May 1 you can't be on the job site. Within 60 days you can still renew with a late fee.

Put this renewal in your calendar

Know your expiration date? Download a free calendar file with reminders before it, no sign-up needed. It's made in your browser: nothing you type is sent to us (your browser keeps it only if you follow the sign-up link, for your new ledger). A Google Calendar button sends just that one event to Google.

The file covers one date: once you renew, make a new one. How to add it to your calendar

Frequently asked questions