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Whether you hold an apprentice, journeyperson, master, or contractor license in a plumbing or mechanical field, you’ve put in a lot of time and effort to become licensed in your profession in the state of Iowa. Naturally, you don’t want your license to lapse, as the state requires you to be licensed in order to practice your trade.

The main requirement for obtaining a license is meeting requirements for experience and, in the case of journeyperson licensing or higher, passing a state exam. You’ll be happy to hear that renewing your license has much less stringent requirements.

What will you have to do to renew your plumbing and/or mechanical license in Iowa?

Continuing Education

A license in the fields of plumbing, mechanics, HVAC, sheet metal (i.e., ducting), Hydronics, or a specialty like medical gas piping is issued by the Iowa Department of Public Health Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board (PSBM). Licenses are valid for three years and must be renewed through the Iowa Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board.

The only requirement to renew such a license is that you complete a set number of hours of continuing education. This number will vary not by the level of license but by how many licenses you’d like to renew. Some mechanical professionals hold multiple licenses within their industry.

For example, you might have a journeyperson license for both HVAC and sheet metal. Or you might have both mechanical and plumbing licenses.

What are the requirements for renewing each of these licenses?

Single License

If you’re simply renewing your mechanical journeyman, master, or contractor license, you are required to complete eight hours of continuing education. This must be broken out into two hours focusing on Iowa occupational health and safety, two hours concerning mechanical code, and four hours of trade-specific education.

Multiple Mechanical Licenses

In order to expand your professional opportunities, make yourself a more desirable employee, and increase your earning potential, you may hold multiple licenses. An HVAC professional, for example, might also hold licenses for ducting or Hydronics.

In this case, you’ll have to renew more than one license. This will require 14 hours of continuing education every three years, including four hours of Iowa occupational health and safety, two hours regarding mechanical code, and eight hours of trade-specific study.

Multiple Types of Licenses

If you happen to hold multiple licenses in different professions that are licensed and regulated by PSBM, such as both plumbing and mechanical, you’ll need 16 hours of continuing education to renew your licenses.

This continuing education includes four hours dedicated to Iowa occupational health and safety, two hours of mechanical code, two hours of plumbing code, and eight hours spent on trade-specific study.

The Benefits of Online Renewal Programs

Continuing education is designed to help you remain up to date with changes in health and safety, building codes, and advances in your field so you can deliver the best possible services to customers while keeping with current laws and codes.

The easiest way to get this education is with convenient online courses that allow you to study at your own pace.

When you finish a required continuing education course with RocketCert, you get an instant certificate of completion as well as automatic Iowa state notification on your behalf daily (excluding weekends and holidays). Choose RocketCert for expert education, lifetime access to training, and outstanding customer support.