Plumber Job Description Template & Duties

A good plumber job description tells a plumber four things fast: what the work is, what it pays, what the schedule and on-call look like, and which license you need. Below is a free template you can copy, fill in and post today, followed by duties by level, a plain plumber job specification, pay data, and the mistakes that quietly cost you applicants.

Why bother getting it right? Because licensed plumbers have options. The BLS counted about 510,600 plumber, pipefitter and steamfitter jobs in 2025 and expects about 42,000 openings a year through 2035. A plumber scrolling listings in the van between calls will skip anything vague. A clear post is the cheapest recruiting upgrade you can make.

Plumber job description template

Copy everything in this section, swap out the parts in [brackets], and delete anything that doesn't apply. It's written for a residential or light commercial service plumber. If you're hiring a different level, the duties table further down shows what to change.

Job title

[Residential / Commercial] [Service / Construction] Plumber, [Apprentice / Journeyman / Master]

About us

[Company name] is a [family-owned / growing / union] plumbing contractor serving [city or region] since [year]. We have [number] plumbers and [number] trucks, and our work is mostly [residential service and repair / new homes / commercial construction / commercial service]. [One honest sentence about why people stay.]

Pay

$[low] to $[high] per hour, based on license level and experience
[Overtime at time and a half after 40 hours]
[Commission or bonus on service work, if any, and how it's calculated]

Schedule

[Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.]
[On-call rotation: one week in every X, with $[amount] on-call pay plus call-out rate]
[What a busy week looks like, for example freeze-ups in winter]

What you'll do

Diagnose and repair leaks, clogs, and failed fixtures, valves and water heaters
Install and replace water heaters, fixtures, supply lines and drain lines
Clear drains and sewer lines, and run camera inspections [if you do sewer work]
Read plans and lay out pipe for [remodels / new homes / commercial buildouts]
Install, test and inspect piping systems to state and local plumbing code
Prepare estimates and explain repair options to customers in plain language
Keep accurate records of work, parts and time in [ServiceTitan / Housecall Pro / paper tickets]
Keep your truck clean, stocked and safe

What you need

[Journeyman / Master] plumbing license for [state or city], or registered apprentice status
[Number] years of plumbing experience
Valid driver's license and a driving record our insurance will accept
Your own basic hand tools (we supply [power tools / jetter / camera / press tools])
Comfortable working in crawl spaces, attics, trenches and tight mechanical rooms
Able to lift [50] pounds

Nice to have

[Gas fitting license or certification, if your state issues one separately]
[Backflow tester certification]
[Medical gas certification, for hospital and clinic work]
[Spanish or another language your customers speak]

Benefits

[Health, dental and vision insurance, with X% paid by us]
[401(k) or pension with X% match]
[Paid time off: X days]
[Company truck, fuel card and phone]
[Paid license renewals and continuing education]
[Tool allowance]

How to apply

Apply through BrazeJobs or call [name] at [phone]. We respond to every applicant within [X] days.

How to fill in the parts that matter

Most of the template is boilerplate, and that's fine. Plumbers know what a plumber does. What decides whether they apply is the stuff only you can fill in.

Pay. Put a real range in the post. On November 1, 2026, we looked at the first page of plumbing listings on BrazeJobs: 13 of the 30 showed any pay. That page also had dispatchers and sales roles mixed in, so it's not a scientific sample. But it tells you that posting a number puts you ahead of more than half the listings around yours. "Competitive pay" is not a number, and every plumber knows it.

Schedule and on-call. BLS notes that plumbers often work nights and weekends and are often on call for emergencies. Nobody expects a service job with no on-call. They do expect you to say how often, and whether it's paid.

License level. "Plumber" can mean a first-year apprentice or a master who can pull permits. Put the level in the title, and say which license you need for your state or city. You'll get fewer wrong-fit applicants and fewer awkward phone screens.

Tools and truck. Spell out who buys what. "Company truck, you bring hand tools, we supply the jetter, camera and press tools" saves a lot of questions.

Duties of a plumber by level

Plumber job responsibilities change a lot from apprentice to master. Use this table to adjust the "What you'll do" and "What you need" sections.

Level	Typical duties	What to ask for
Apprentice	Carry material, cut and prep pipe, dig and clean up, help on installs and service calls, learn code under a licensed plumber	Reliable transportation, willingness to learn, registered apprentice status or willingness to enroll
Journeyman	Run service calls or a section of a job alone, install and repair piping and fixtures, test systems, talk with customers or the foreman	Journeyman license where required, a few years in the field
Master or lead	Pull permits (in many areas), design and estimate jobs, handle inspections, supervise and train apprentices, take the hard callbacks	Master license where required, leadership experience, estimating

One note here. BLS says plumbers usually train through a 4 or 5 year apprenticeship, with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training each year plus classroom time. So if you're hiring a true beginner, write the post for a beginner. A first-year apprentice post that asks for "3+ years experience" is going to get you nobody, or people who didn't read it.

If you're hiring for a specific setting, our guide to residential vs. commercial plumbers covers how the day to day differs, which is worth reflecting in your duties list.

Plumber job specification: who you're looking for

A plumber job specification is the "who" side of the post: the license, skills and traits of the person you want, separate from the list of tasks. Plenty of shops skip it and only list duties. Then they get people who can do the tasks but not in front of a homeowner whose kitchen is flooding.

Here's what belongs in a solid spec:

License and registration. BLS says most states and some localities require plumbers to be licensed, usually with 2 to 5 years of experience and an exam. Requirements vary a lot, so list the exact license your area needs.
Experience. Be specific about what kind. Five years of new construction rough-in is not the same as five years of service.
Skills. BLS lists communication, dexterity, mechanical skill, physical strength and troubleshooting as the important qualities for the trade. They hold up.
Physical demands. Be honest: crawl spaces, heavy pipe, heat and cold, ladders. BLS notes common injuries include cuts, burns from hot pipes and soldering equipment, and falls from ladders.
Driving. If they drive a company vehicle, say what your insurance requires.

Then pick the two or three traits that matter most at your shop and say them in a sentence. For example: "Most of our customers are older homeowners, so we hire plumbers who explain things patiently and don't upsell." That one sentence does more than ten bullet points.

Requirements that are law, not preference

Some lines in a job description for a plumber are wish lists. Some are the law, and the post should get them right.

Plumbing licenses are set by states and cities. There's no national plumbing license in the US. Check your state plumbing board and your city, list what's actually required where the work happens, and don't copy a license requirement from another state's template. Apprentices generally have to work under a licensed plumber, so don't write a post that implies an apprentice will run calls alone.

Gas work can be a separate license. In some states, gas piping has its own license. Massachusetts, for example, issues separate master and journeyman licenses for plumbing and for gas fitting. A licensed plumber there can do gas fitting, but a gas fitter can't do plumbing, and apprentices can only do gas work under direct supervision. If your plumbers run gas lines, check your state's rules and say what you need. This is a safety requirement, not a formality. Gas work done by someone who isn't qualified can kill people.

Specialties have their own credentials. Medical gas is the clearest case. In Minnesota, for instance, anyone installing or repairing medical gas systems for a plumbing contractor needs an active journeyworker or master plumber license, has to meet the ASSE 6010 standard, and needs a current medical gas installer certification from NITC. Backflow testing often has its own certification too, with rules set at the state or local level. Only list these as required if the job truly needs them.

What to pay a plumber

The national numbers give you a starting point. According to BLS, plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters earned a median of $63,800 a year, or $30.67 an hour, in May 2025. The lowest 10% earned less than $44,150, and the highest 10% earned more than $108,420.

By industry, the median was $63,010 for plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors, which employ about 65% of the trade, and $71,660 in government. So if you're a contractor competing with a city or school district for maintenance plumbers, you're competing with a higher median.

National medians hide a lot of local variation. Our journeyman plumber salary page breaks pay down by state, and there's a separate master plumber salary page. Then look at what shops near you are actually posting in plumbing jobs on BrazeJobs. If the good plumbers in your area are getting offers a few dollars an hour above your range, better wording won't fix that. Better pay will.

One honest note: BLS projects 7% employment growth for the trade from 2025 to 2035, which it calls much faster than average. Demand isn't going away. If you're struggling to hire at the median, the problem probably isn't your job description.

Pay transparency laws: you may not have a choice

In a growing number of places, a pay range in the post isn't optional. A few examples:

Colorado. The state's Equal Pay for Equal Work Act covers employers with at least one employee in Colorado. Postings must include the pay rate or range, a general description of bonuses or commissions, and a general description of benefits. The state's own example: "$50,000, health insurance, 401K" is fine, "$50,000 with competitive benefits" is not.
New Jersey. Since June 1, 2025, employers with 10 or more employees over 20 calendar weeks must include the wage or range, a general description of benefits, and other compensation in postings.
Other states and cities. Several other states and some cities have their own versions, with different size thresholds and rules.

We're not lawyers, and this isn't legal advice. Check your state labor department before you post. The easy way to stay on the right side of all of it is the same everywhere: post a real, honest range, and include commission or bonus pay if service plumbers earn it.

A note for Canada

In Canada, plumber is a Red Seal trade, and the provinces run apprenticeship and certification. List the provincial certification you need, and check with your province's apprenticeship authority for the exact rules.

For pay, Job Bank Canada puts the national median for plumbers (NOC 72300) at $34.00 an hour, with a low of $21.00 and a high of $46.00, based on 2023 to 2024 Labour Force Survey data (updated November 19, 2025). Provincial medians vary, so check your region on Job Bank.

Two provinces have posting rules worth knowing:

British Columbia. The Pay Transparency Act requires the expected pay or pay range in public job postings, and you can't ask applicants what other employers paid them.
Ontario. For postings on or after January 1, 2026, employers with 25 or more employees must include expected pay or a range (no wider than $50,000 a year, with an exemption above $200,000). Postings must say whether a real vacancy exists, disclose if AI is used to screen applicants, and can't require Canadian work experience. Licensing requirements are still allowed, so asking for a provincial plumber certificate is fine. You also have to tell interviewed applicants whether a decision was made within 45 days, and keep copies of postings for 3 years.

Common mistakes that cost you applicants

Some honest feedback from reading a lot of plumbing listings:

No pay. The biggest one, covered above.
No license level. "Plumber wanted" makes everyone from apprentices to masters guess whether they qualify.
A wall of requirements. Twelve "must haves" for a journeyman service role reads like you'll never be happy. Keep hard requirements to what's actually required.
Hiding the on-call or the commission plan. They'll find out. Better in the post than on day three.
"Fast-paced," "rockstar," "family." Plumbers have seen these enough to know what they sometimes mean. Describe the actual schedule and workload instead.
One post for every role. A new construction plumber, a service plumber and a commercial maintenance plumber need different descriptions.
Slow replies. A good plumber is usually off the market fast. Call back in days, not weeks.

Quick answers

What are the duties of a plumber?

Installing, repairing and maintaining water supply, drain and waste piping, fixtures and water heaters; reading blueprints and following state and local code; testing and inspecting systems; troubleshooting problems; and preparing estimates for customers.

What's the difference between a plumber job description and a plumber job specification?

The job description lists the tasks, pay and schedule. The job specification describes the person: license, experience, skills and physical demands. A strong post includes both.

What should a job description for a plumber include?

Job title with license level, a short "about us," a real pay range, schedule and on-call, duties, required license and experience, nice-to-haves, benefits, and how to apply.

What are typical plumber job responsibilities for an apprentice?

Helping licensed plumbers with installs and service calls, carrying and prepping material, cleanup, and learning code. Apprentices work under a licensed plumber, so don't write the post like they'll run jobs alone.

How much should I offer?

Start with local data, not just the national median of $30.67 an hour (May 2025 BLS). Check your state's numbers and what nearby shops are posting, then adjust for license level.

Can I reuse this template for an HVAC tech?

Not without rewriting the duties and requirements. We have a separate HVAC technician job description template for that.

Bottom line

A good plumber job description is short, honest and specific. Put the license level in the title and the pay range in the post, say what the schedule and on-call look like, keep hard requirements to what the law and the job actually need, and describe the kind of plumber who does well at your shop.

Ready to hire? Copy the template above, fill it in, and post your plumbing job on BrazeJobs. You can start with a free 14-day listing and upgrade if you want more visibility.