Six hours. That is the whole requirement.
Not twelve. Not a weekend. Six hours of approved continuing professional education before you renew, every year, and you are square with the board. Here is exactly who owes them, what has to be inside them, and what the state will not count no matter how long you sat there.
Six hours a year. One day at most. Then it is done for another twelve months.
Who owes six hours
TSBPE requires 6 hours of approved CPE before renewal from every one of these:
- Master Plumber, with or without the RMP designation
- Journeyman Plumber
- Tradesman Plumber Limited
- Apprentice registration, if you hold an endorsement. A plain apprentice registration with no endorsement does not owe CPE. Add an endorsement and you do.
- Medical Gas Piping Installation endorsement holders, who owe the six and then a separate two hours on top. That one is explained here.
What has to be in the six
The hours are not a blank check. Texas law puts specific subjects inside them. Health protection has to be in there, because plumbing is a public health trade before it is anything else. Water conservation has to be in there. Energy conservation has to be in there. The balance goes to code changes, Texas plumbing law and board rules, and jobsite safety.
That is not our opinion about what makes a good class. That is what the statute and the board rules put in the course, and an approved provider builds to it. What separates a good six hours from a bad six hours is not the topic list. It is whether whoever is teaching it has ever done the work for a living.
What does not count
Plenty of plumbers lose a day and get nothing for it. Here is what the board will not credit:
- A course from a provider the board has not approved. Approval is per provider and per course. A great class from an unapproved provider is worth zero hours.
- The same six hours twice in one renewal period. Taking it again does not bank hours for next year.
- Manufacturer training, a lunch and learn, or a supply house seminar, unless that exact course carries board approval. Most do not.
- Hours you finished but nobody reported. If the provider does not report it, the board does not know it happened.
When they are due
Before you renew. Your license expiration date is printed on your license and shown in your TSBPE online account, and Texas plumbing licenses run on a yearly cycle, so the honest answer is this: look up your own date and do the six hours before it, not after. Waiting until the last week is how a late fee happens over a class that takes one morning.
Hours do not roll forward. Six this year, six next year. There is no way to get ahead and there is no reason to fall behind.
Find your license
Tradesman Plumber Limited
One and two family dwellings under an RMP. Six hours a year, same as everybody.
Journeyman Plumber
The license that turns you loose on any job. Six hours a year to keep it.
Registered apprentice holding an endorsement? You owe the six hours too, and most shops do not know it. Apprentice CE, explained.
Three ways to take it
Online, on your clock
Six hour long segments you start and stop whenever you want. Truck, couch, lunch break.
A workbook in the mail
Paper, a pen, and the kitchen table. Nothing to log into and nothing to lose.
Live class in DFW
Seven in the morning, out the door by two. Ask your questions out loud and get a straight answer.
$115
Class dates
Questions on this one
Is it 6 hours every year or every two years?
Six hours before each renewal. Texas plumbing licenses run on a yearly cycle, so plan on six hours a year. Your own expiration date is on your license and in your TSBPE online account.
Do apprentices need continuing education?
Only if the apprentice holds an endorsement. A plain apprentice registration with no endorsement has no CPE requirement. Add an endorsement and the 6 hours apply.
Can I take more than six hours and save the extra for next year?
No. Hours do not carry over to the next renewal period. Six hours, then six again next time.
Does a manufacturer class or a lunch and learn count?
Almost never. The course itself has to be approved by the board, not just useful. Ask the provider for their board approval before you spend the day.
What happens if I renew without the hours?
You are renewing on a requirement you did not meet, and that is a problem you do not want with your license. Do the six hours first. They take one day at most.
Knock the six out in one day
One email the day registration opens. A renewal reminder if you want one. Nothing else.
Already registered? Sign in to your course. Running a shop? Open your crew dashboard.