Guides

From Apprentice to Master: How Long Each State Takes

By License by Trade · Published October 20, 2026

Every state writes its path to a trade license differently. Some count hours of work, some count years, and some count time held at the previous license. This guide puts them on one scale so you can see how long the shortest legal path takes, using only what each state's board page or statute says.

How the count works

A level's own figure is either counted from the start of the trade or from the date the previous license was issued. Where a source gives hours, they become full-time years at 2,000 hours a year. Where a level gives both (say, total hours and a minimum time at the earlier license), the larger of the two answers counts, because the applicant has to meet both.

Worked example: Texas master electrician. TDLR asks for 12,000 hours of on-the-job training in total and at least 2 years as a licensed journeyman. The journeyman license itself needs 8,000 hours, so it comes at 4 years; two more years as a journeyman gives 6 years, and 12,000 hours alone also gives 6 years. So the Texas master electrician path is at least 6 years.

Worked example: Maine plumber. A trainee needs 2 years and 4,000 hours to sit the journeyman exam, then 1 year and 2,000 hours as a journeyman for master: 3 years in all on the Maine plumber page.

Worked example: Massachusetts master plumber. 6,800 apprentice hours with education spread over at least 4 years, then 1,700 hours over 1 year as a journeyman: 5 years.

Electricians

Plumbers

HVAC

General contractors

Reading the odd cases

• "up to" means the statute caps what the board may demand rather than setting a floor. North Carolina's electrical statute works this way, so its figures are the most experience the board can require.
• "after the prior level" means the source gives time at the earlier license but no time for the earlier license itself, as with Connecticut's and Vermont's journeyman levels, which require a registered apprenticeship without printing its length.
• "time not stated" and "registration" mean the source sets no time at all. Registration states check paperwork and insurance, not experience; see license or registration.

The full comparison for each trade is on its hub: electrician, plumber, HVAC, general contractor.

Sources

Every figure above comes from the state pages linked in the tables; each lists its board page or statute and the date read (2026-10-20). The hours-per-year convention is from the Georgia electrical contractor application.