Montana Plumber License Renewal

Last reviewed October 2026 · 5 min read

Montana journeyman and master plumber licenses from the Board of Plumbers renew every year by September 1, so the next deadline is September 1, 2027. To renew, you need at least 4 hours of board-approved continuing education each year, unless you're a new licensee on your first renewal (moving up from journeyman to master doesn't count). The fee schedule sets the renewal fee at $160 for a journeyman and $200 for a master, but the board abated renewals due September 1, 2026 in full, so check the board for the current amount. Miss the date and you pay a late penalty equal to the full renewal fee; after 45 days the license expires, and after two years it terminates and you need a new license.

At a glance

Renews every: 1 year: journeyman and master plumber licenses and the medical gas endorsement renew by September 1 each year. Next: September 1, 2027
Fee: The board's fee schedule sets the yearly renewal fee at $160 for a journeyman, $200 for a master and $24 for a medical gas endorsement. The board abated the renewal fee 100% for renewals due September 1, 2026 (late renewals still owed fees), so check the board for the current amount. Fees are non-refundable
Continuing education: At least 4 hours of board-approved continuing education each year for journeyman and master plumbers. You only get credit for courses whose curriculum the board or the department approved in advance and to which the department assigned a course approval number. Each renewal asks you to affirm that you understand your duty to keep up with CE
New licenses: New licensees don't need CE for their first renewal. Moving up from journeyman to master doesn't exempt you: you still need at least 4 hours
CE records: Keep your certificates of completion for at least three years and show them if the board asks: it may randomly audit up to 50% of renewed active licensees. Renew late and you must send documentary proof of the required CE
On time: Renewed online with the department's online renewal service before 11:59 p.m. Mountain time on September 1, or mailed with a U.S. Postal Service postmark on or before it, complete, with the fee and anything else the renewal asks for
Late renewal: A late penalty fee equal to 100% of the renewal fee, on top of it. When the renewal fee was abated, the penalty is 100% of the fee that would have been charged. A lapsed license can be reactivated within 45 days of the renewal date with the renewal form, the late penalty, the renewal fee and documentary proof that you completed the required CE, and working on a lapsed license is not practicing without a license
Expired license: Not reactivated within 45 days, the license expires, and working on it is practicing without a license. It can still be reactivated within 2 years of the renewal date with the renewal form, a late penalty for each renewal period it wasn't renewed, the current renewal fee and the CE that has accrued since it was last granted or renewed. After 2 years it terminates, and you need a new original license
Permits and business: Only master plumbers can apply for and get plumbing permits, which the Building Codes Bureau handles. A journeyman license doesn't let you get a permit or engage in or advertise as a plumbing business
Contact: Licensing and renewals: (406) 444-6880, DLIBSDHELP@MT.GOV. Continuing education: (406) 444-5696, AUDIT@MT.GOV. Montana Board of Plumbers, PO Box 200513, Helena, MT 59620-0513

A master license is what lets a plumbing business pull permits: the board's FAQ says someone who isn't a plumber can own a plumbing business, but permits take a master plumber.

How to renew

Check your renewal date: September 1 every year (the next deadline is September 1, 2027). The board opened the 2026 renewal on July 2.
Finish at least 4 hours of CE the board or department has approved, unless you're a new licensee on your first renewal (moving up from journeyman to master doesn't count), and keep each certificate of completion for at least three years in case you're audited.
Renew online before 11:59 p.m. Mountain time on September 1, or mail the renewal so it's postmarked by then, and pay the fee ($160 journeyman, $200 master, $24 medical gas endorsement, unless the board abates it again).
Missed it? Reactivate within 45 days with the renewal form, the late penalty, the renewal fee and proof of your CE while the license is only lapsed. After that it expires and you can't work on it, and a late penalty is owed for each renewal period it isn't renewed; after 2 years it terminates and you'd need a new license.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

6 months outBook at least 4 hours of CE the board or department has approved, and find your certificates from the past year.
2 months outWatch for the renewal to open (the board opened the 2026 renewal on July 2) and check whether this year's fee is abated.
September 1Renewal deadline: online before 11:59 p.m. Mountain time, or postmarked by today. After this, a late penalty equal to the full renewal fee applies.
45 days afterA license not reactivated by now expires, and working on it is practicing without a license.

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

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your medical gas endorsement, which renews on the same September 1 date
General liability insurance policy
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

How often do you renew a Montana plumbing license?

Every year: journeyman and master plumber licenses and the medical gas endorsement renew by September 1. The next deadline is September 1, 2027.

How much does it cost to renew a Montana plumbing license?

The board's fee schedule sets the yearly renewal fee at $160 for a journeyman, $200 for a master and $24 for a medical gas endorsement. The board abated the renewal fee 100% for renewals due September 1, 2026 (late renewals still owed fees), so check the board for the current amount.

How many CE hours does a Montana plumber need?

At least 4 hours of board-approved continuing education each year, from courses the board or the department approved in advance. New licensees don't need CE for their first renewal, but moving up from journeyman to master doesn't exempt you: you still need at least 4 hours.

What happens if I renew my Montana plumbing license late?

You pay a late penalty fee equal to 100% of the renewal fee, on top of it; when the renewal fee was abated, the penalty is 100% of the fee that would have been charged. Not reactivated within 45 days, the license expires, and working on it then is practicing without a license. After 2 years it terminates, and you need a new original license.

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

Montana Board of Plumbers

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Montana guides

All Montana guides on one page

Plumber guides for other states

2027 license renewal deadlines, month by month

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

Start free

How LicenseLedger works for plumbers

Not ready to sign up? Get the free tracking spreadsheet

Montana Plumber License Renewal

Last reviewed October 2026 · 5 min read

At a glance

Renews every: 1 year: journeyman and master plumber licenses and the medical gas endorsement renew by September 1 each year. Next: September 1, 2027
Fee: The board's fee schedule sets the yearly renewal fee at $160 for a journeyman, $200 for a master and $24 for a medical gas endorsement. The board abated the renewal fee 100% for renewals due September 1, 2026 (late renewals still owed fees), so check the board for the current amount. Fees are non-refundable
Continuing education: At least 4 hours of board-approved continuing education each year for journeyman and master plumbers. You only get credit for courses whose curriculum the board or the department approved in advance and to which the department assigned a course approval number. Each renewal asks you to affirm that you understand your duty to keep up with CE
New licenses: New licensees don't need CE for their first renewal. Moving up from journeyman to master doesn't exempt you: you still need at least 4 hours
CE records: Keep your certificates of completion for at least three years and show them if the board asks: it may randomly audit up to 50% of renewed active licensees. Renew late and you must send documentary proof of the required CE
On time: Renewed online with the department's online renewal service before 11:59 p.m. Mountain time on September 1, or mailed with a U.S. Postal Service postmark on or before it, complete, with the fee and anything else the renewal asks for
Late renewal: A late penalty fee equal to 100% of the renewal fee, on top of it. When the renewal fee was abated, the penalty is 100% of the fee that would have been charged. A lapsed license can be reactivated within 45 days of the renewal date with the renewal form, the late penalty, the renewal fee and documentary proof that you completed the required CE, and working on a lapsed license is not practicing without a license
Expired license: Not reactivated within 45 days, the license expires, and working on it is practicing without a license. It can still be reactivated within 2 years of the renewal date with the renewal form, a late penalty for each renewal period it wasn't renewed, the current renewal fee and the CE that has accrued since it was last granted or renewed. After 2 years it terminates, and you need a new original license
Permits and business: Only master plumbers can apply for and get plumbing permits, which the Building Codes Bureau handles. A journeyman license doesn't let you get a permit or engage in or advertise as a plumbing business
Contact: Licensing and renewals: (406) 444-6880, DLIBSDHELP@MT.GOV. Continuing education: (406) 444-5696, AUDIT@MT.GOV. Montana Board of Plumbers, PO Box 200513, Helena, MT 59620-0513

A master license is what lets a plumbing business pull permits: the board's FAQ says someone who isn't a plumber can own a plumbing business, but permits take a master plumber.

How to renew

Check your renewal date: September 1 every year (the next deadline is September 1, 2027). The board opened the 2026 renewal on July 2.
Finish at least 4 hours of CE the board or department has approved, unless you're a new licensee on your first renewal (moving up from journeyman to master doesn't count), and keep each certificate of completion for at least three years in case you're audited.
Renew online before 11:59 p.m. Mountain time on September 1, or mail the renewal so it's postmarked by then, and pay the fee ($160 journeyman, $200 master, $24 medical gas endorsement, unless the board abates it again).
Missed it? Reactivate within 45 days with the renewal form, the late penalty, the renewal fee and proof of your CE while the license is only lapsed. After that it expires and you can't work on it, and a late penalty is owed for each renewal period it isn't renewed; after 2 years it terminates and you'd need a new license.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

6 months outBook at least 4 hours of CE the board or department has approved, and find your certificates from the past year.
2 months outWatch for the renewal to open (the board opened the 2026 renewal on July 2) and check whether this year's fee is abated.
September 1Renewal deadline: online before 11:59 p.m. Mountain time, or postmarked by today. After this, a late penalty equal to the full renewal fee applies.
45 days afterA license not reactivated by now expires, and working on it is practicing without a license.

Put this renewal in your calendar

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

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your medical gas endorsement, which renews on the same September 1 date
General liability insurance policy
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

How often do you renew a Montana plumbing license?

Every year: journeyman and master plumber licenses and the medical gas endorsement renew by September 1. The next deadline is September 1, 2027.

How much does it cost to renew a Montana plumbing license?

How many CE hours does a Montana plumber need?

What happens if I renew my Montana plumbing license late?

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

Montana Board of Plumbers

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Montana guides

All Montana guides on one page

Plumber guides for other states

2027 license renewal deadlines, month by month

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

Start free

How LicenseLedger works for plumbers

Not ready to sign up? Get the free tracking spreadsheet