On this page
- Resume guide for a plumber resume
- How to write a plumber resume
- Choosing the best resume format for a plumber resume
- Include your contact information
- Make use of a summary
- Right vs wrong: the same plumber summary, twice
- Outline your experience
- The four kinds of plumbing work, and the certifications that gate two of them
- Build a snapshot of your key skills
- List your education and certifications
- Choose the right layout and design
- Plumber job market and outlook
- What salary you can expect as a plumber
- Key takeaways for a plumber resume
- Related maintenance and repair resume examples
- FAQ
A plumber resume is a one to two page document that names your license tier, the kind of plumbing work you actually do, the code you work to, and the certifications that let you touch the systems most plumbers cannot.
In other words, like electrical, this is a tiered licensed trade and the ladder matters. But the ladder is not what separates two licensed plumbers applying for the same job. What separates them is the work: a service and drain plumber, a new construction plumber and a commercial plumber with a medical gas card are three different hires, and a resume that does not say which one you are gets read as the cheapest of the three.
Resume guide for a plumber resume
To start, this guide and the corresponding plumber resume example will cover:
- First, how to write a plumber resume, section by section
- Next, the four kinds of plumbing work, and which certifications gate them
- Also, three adaptable summaries: journeyman, service plumber and master
- Then, what a service ticket proves that a duty statement cannot
- Finally, what the job market looks like and what you can expect to earn
How to write a plumber resume
In total, six sections: contact header, summary, license and work-type block, experience, skills, education and certifications. One page until you run a truck or a crew, two after that.
The license goes above experience because it is a legal gate. For context, most states and some localities require plumbers to be licensed, typically after two to five years of experience and an examination (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). Where the license sits varies: Pennsylvania has no statewide plumbing license, and in Pittsburgh it is the Allegheny County Health Department that licenses journeyman and master plumbers, requiring 576 hours of schooling plus four years of employment with a registered master plumber before the journeyman examination, and two further years as a journeyman before the master examination (Allegheny County Health Department, Plumbing Program).
SectionWhat it is answeringWhere it goes
- License and tierCan this person work alone, and can they pull a permit?Directly under the summary
- Work typeService, new construction, commercial, or industrial pipe?Its own line in the license block
- CertificationsBackflow, medical gas, gas fitting: what can they touch?Named with the standard number
- ExperienceWhat did they install or fix, how often, and did it hold?Reverse chronological, with numbers
The hours belong to the apprentice page; the work belongs to yours
The apprentice years are counted. Most plumbers learn through a four or five year apprenticeship at about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training a year plus technical instruction (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook), and while you are in it the resume is an hours document. The electrician apprentice resume example is the worked version of that, and the hour-logging method transfers directly to plumbing.
Once you are licensed, stop leading with hours. A service manager does not care that you logged 8,000. They care that you close four calls a day and that the reroute you did last winter is still dry.
Run the finished file through the free ATS resume checker first. Service companies and mechanical contractors both screen through portals.
Choosing the best resume format for a plumber resume
Reverse chronological. After all, a plumbing resume is read as a record of what you have been trusted to do alone, and any format that hides the order reads as an order worth hiding.
One page until you supervise, then two. Month and year dates. However, short gaps between jobs are normal in construction plumbing and need no explanation; a long unexplained one does.
Include your contact information
Bridget O'Shaughnessy
Master Plumber, Allegheny County #MP-4471Service and drain, commercial. ASSE 6010 medical gas, ASSE 5110 backflow(412) 555-0190, bridget.oshaughnessy@example.com, Pittsburgh, PABridget O'Shaughnessy
Licensed plumber, many years experiencePlumbing professional(412) 555-0190, bridgetplumbs412@example.comFor this reason, put the license number in the header. It is checked before you are sent to a job, and the file that lets someone check it in ten seconds moves ahead of the one that does not.
Make use of a summary
For the summary, four lines: license tier and years, the work type, the certifications that widen your scope, and one number.
Journeyman plumber adaptable resume summary example
Service plumber adaptable resume summary example
Master plumber adaptable resume summary example
Right vs wrong: the same plumber summary, twice
In practice, the right column is a dispatch decision. By contrast, the left column is a paragraph a service manager has read forty times this month.
Outline your experience
Company, city, dates, then the work. For each role, name the systems, the pipe and the volume. In short, plumbing bullets should read like a ticket history with numbers attached.
- Instead of
Performed plumbing repairs for residential customers
UseRan a solo service truck at 5 to 7 calls a day, 1,240 tickets last year, 3.1% callback rate
- Instead of
Installed water heaters
UseReplaced 186 water heaters, including 41 tankless conversions with gas line resizing and venting changes
- Instead of
Cleared drains
UseCleared and camera-inspected 340 drains, with 22 sewer laterals repaired or lined after locating
- Instead of
Worked on commercial buildings
UseRoughed and trimmed a 4-story, 62-fixture office fit-out in cast iron, copper and PEX
- Instead of
Tested backflow devices
UseTested 210 backflow assemblies for 38 accounts and filed every report inside the authority's 30-day window
Adaptable resume employment history example
Journeyman Plumber, Monongahela Mechanical, Pittsburgh, PA, June 2021 to Present
Run a solo service truck on residential and light commercial work across Allegheny County: 5 to 7 calls a day, 1,240 tickets last year at a 3.1% callback rate.
Replace water heaters and tankless units, including gas line resizing, venting and condensate: 186 last year with 41 tankless conversions.
Clear, camera and locate drains and sewer laterals; 22 laterals repaired, lined or spot-replaced after locating.
Test, repair and file 210 backflow prevention assemblies a year for 38 commercial accounts under ASSE 5110.
Rough and trim commercial fit-outs in cast iron, copper and PEX, including a 4-story, 62-fixture office project.
Quote and close work on the ticket, averaging $612 a call.
The four kinds of plumbing work, and the certifications that gate two of them
Above all, this is the block almost nobody writes, and it is the one that decides which pay band you are read into.
Adaptable resume work-type and certification block example
License: Master Plumber, Allegheny County Health Department #MP-4471, renewed annually. Journeyman since 2016.
Code: International Plumbing Code as adopted under the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, plus Allegheny County Article XV. Have also worked to the Uniform Plumbing Code on out-of-state commercial projects.
Work types: Residential and light commercial service and drain. Commercial fit-out and new construction. Water heater, tankless and recirculation. Gas fitting under separate county permit.
Gated certifications: ASSE 5110 Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester, current. ASSE 6010 Medical Gas Systems Installer, brazing qualification current, NFPA 99 systems.
Volume: 1,240 service tickets and 210 backflow filings last year. 4 municipalities permitted in.
The four kinds of work hire on almost nothing in common. Service and drain is measured in calls a day, first-visit fix rate, callback rate and average ticket. New construction is measured in fixture counts, pipe and schedule, and whether your rough passes. Commercial and institutional adds coordination, submittals and inspection under a mechanical contractor. Industrial pipe is nearly a separate occupation; the federal data groups plumbers with pipefitters and steamfitters, who install and maintain pipe carrying chemicals, acids and gases at high pressure (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
Two certifications genuinely change what you can be sent to do, and both are ANSI professional qualification standards administered by ASSE International.
Backflow and medical gas certifications for plumbers
Backflow prevention is the common one. ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 5000 covers cross-connection control personnel, with ASSE 5110 for Backflow Prevention Assembly Testers, ASSE 5130 for Repairers and ASSE 5120 for Cross-Connection Control Surveyors (ASSE International, Series 5000-2022e1). Water authorities require annual testing of assemblies on commercial services, so a certified tester turns a one-off repair customer into an account with a date on it every year.
Medical gas is rarer and pays accordingly. ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 6000 covers medical gas systems personnel, with ASSE 6010 for Installers, 6020 for Inspectors, 6030 for Verifiers and 6040 for Maintenance Personnel (ASSE International, Series 6000-2024). It is separate from your plumbing license and separately maintained, and it puts you on hospital and surgery center piping a plumber without it cannot legally braze.
Gas fitting is the third thing to check, because it is not always inside the plumbing license. Some jurisdictions permit it separately. If yours does, say which permit you hold and what it covers; if it sits inside your license, say that instead.
Build a snapshot of your key skills
For skills, twelve to sixteen entries in four groups: service, installation, materials and systems, and code and certification.
Adaptable resume skills example
Service and diagnostics: Drain cleaning and hydro jetting, Sewer camera and line locating, Leak detection, Fixture and valve repair, Water heater and tankless diagnosis
Installation: Water heater and tankless replacement, Repipes in copper and PEX, Sewer lateral repair and lining, Commercial fixture rough and trim, Recirculation systems
Materials and joining: Copper soldering and press, PEX, CPVC, Cast iron no-hub and hubless, Black iron gas pipe, Medical gas brazing
Code and certification: International Plumbing Code, Uniform Plumbing Code, ASSE 5110 backflow testing and filing, ASSE 6010 medical gas, Permit application and inspection
List your education and certifications
License first with its number and renewal, then the apprenticeship, then the certifications with their standard numbers and dates.
Adaptable resume education and certification example
Master Plumber, Allegheny County Health Department #MP-4471, renewed annually. Journeyman Plumber since 2016.
Plumbing Apprenticeship, Pittsburgh, PA, completed 2016. 576 classroom hours and four years of employment with a registered master plumber, as required before the county journeyman examination.
Certifications: ASSE 5110 Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester (2019, current). ASSE 6010 Medical Gas Systems Installer (2022, brazing qualification current). OSHA 30 Construction (2025). Confined space entry (2025). CPR and first aid (2026).
High School Diploma, Pittsburgh, PA, 2011. Pennsylvania driver's license, clean record.
Choose the right layout and design
As for layout, single column, plain type at 11 or 12 point, clear headings, no photograph, no graphics. Service company and mechanical contractor portals parse the file before anyone opens it, and columns and text boxes are where that breaks.
Do
- Put the license tier, issuing body and number in the header.
- Say which of the four kinds of plumbing work you do, and lead with the one the job is.
- Name your certifications by standard number, since ASSE 5110 and ASSE 6010 mean something exact.
- State the code you work to, because it differs by state.
- Give a volume number: tickets, callbacks, average ticket, fixtures or filings.
Don’t
- Do not write "licensed plumber" without the tier, the county or state, and the number.
- Do not imply you can test backflow or braze medical gas without the current certification.
- Do not leave gas fitting ambiguous.
- Do not round a callback rate you have not counted.
- Do not use a two-column template for a contractor portal.
Plumber job market and outlook
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Plumber, pipefitter and steamfitter jobs, 2025 | 510,600 |
| Projected change, 2025-35 | 7% (much faster than average), +34,500 |
| Projected annual openings | ~42,000 |
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Median annual wage, May 2025 | $63,800 |
Where the work sits:
| Setting | Share of employment | Median annual wage (May 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors | $63,010 | |
| Self-employed | Not reported | |
| Government, excluding education and hospitals | $71,660 | |
| Heavy and civil engineering construction | $63,270 | |
| Manufacturing | $65,770 |
The openings are large, and the certifications are where the separation happens
Employment of plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters is projected to grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, adding 34,500 jobs, with about 42,000 openings projected each year over the decade (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025-35 projections).
The industry spread is narrower than in electrical: $63,010 at plumbing and heating contractors, where 65 percent of the trade works, against $71,660 in government and $65,770 in manufacturing (BLS, May 2025). Moving industries buys you less here than it does next door.
Which makes scope the lever. A plumber who can test and file backflow assemblies, or braze medical gas piping under ASSE 6010, is billed at a different rate for the same hour on the same site. Those two lines do more for your pay band than another year of general service work.
What salary you can expect as a plumber
For reference, the median annual wage for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters was $63,800 in May 2025, or $30.67 an hour. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $44,150 and the highest 10 percent more than $108,420 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025).
Even so, three resume-visible things move you inside that range. Tier, because a master license lets you pull permits and qualify a business. Certification, because backflow and medical gas are billed separately. And volume, because service departments pay on closed tickets and average ticket value, both of which you can put on the page.
On-call is the fourth. Plumbers work full time, including nights and weekends, and are often on call to handle emergencies (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). After-hours work carries a premium in most service companies, so if you will take the rotation, write it down.
Key takeaways for a plumber resume
- Put the license tier, issuing body and number in the header, because licensing is often county or city rather than state.
- Say which of the four kinds of plumbing work you do, and lead with the one the job is.
- First, name backflow and medical gas certifications by their ASSE standard number.
- State the code you work to, since the IPC and the UPC are not the same document.
- Then give volume: calls a day, tickets, callback rate, average ticket, fixtures, filings.
- Finally, be explicit about gas fitting and which permit covers it.
- Say whether you will take the on-call rotation, because it is paid and it is hard to staff.
Related maintenance and repair resume examples
- Electrician resume
- HVAC technician resume
- Electrician apprentice resume
- Maintenance technician resume
- Maintenance worker resume
- Handyman resume
- Carpenter resume
- Mechanic resume
- Painter resume
- Cement mason resume
- Facilities manager resume
- Maintenance and repair resume
Plumber resume questions, answered
How long should a plumber resume be?
One page until you run a truck alone with numbers worth citing, then two once you supervise, hold a master license or carry gated certifications and an account list. A second page of duty statements is worse than one page of tickets and figures.
What is the difference between journeyman and master plumber on a resume?
Journeyman means you can work unsupervised; master usually means you can pull permits, supervise others and qualify a business. The requirements are local. In Allegheny County a journeyman needs 576 hours of schooling and four years with a registered master plumber before the examination, and a master needs two further years as a journeyman (Allegheny County Health Department, Plumbing Program). Write the exact title, the issuing body and the number.
Should I put the plumbing code on my resume?
Yes, and name the right one. There are two model codes in common use, the International Plumbing Code published by the International Code Council and the Uniform Plumbing Code published by IAPMO, and states adopt one or the other and then amend it. Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code adopts the 2018 ICC code series, effective 14 February 2022 (Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry). Saying which you work to tells a contractor how much retraining you need.
Is a backflow certification worth listing?
Yes, by standard number and date. ASSE 5110 is the Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester qualification within ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 5000 (ASSE International, Series 5000-2022e1). Water authorities require annual testing on commercial services, so a certified tester brings a recurring, schedulable revenue line with them rather than one-off repairs.
What does medical gas certification actually let me do?
ASSE 6010 is the Medical Gas Systems Installer qualification within ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 6000 (ASSE International, Series 6000-2024), and the series also covers inspectors, verifiers and maintenance personnel. It puts you on hospital, clinic and surgery center piping that plumbers without it cannot install. List the certification, the year, whether your brazing qualification is current, and the projects you have done under it.