Home › California › Plumbing schools
12 schools in California offer plumbing-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Prefer to earn while you learn? 63 registered apprenticeship sponsors in California train plumbing apprentices — see apprenticeships.
California requires a state C-36 Plumbing Contractor license from the CSLB to contract plumbing work of $1,000 or more (labor and materials) — and even under $1,000 a license is required if the job needs a building permit or the worker employs helpers. Employees working under a licensed contractor do not need an individual license; there is no journeyman license. The C-36 requires 4 years of journey-level experience within the past 10 years, passing the Law & Business and trade exams, and a $25,000 contractor bond, with apprenticeship time counting toward the experience requirement.
Official source: Contractors State License Board (CSLB), California Department of Consumer Affairs · Exam: CSLB Law & Business exam + C-36 Plumbing trade exam · Typical requirement: 4 years of journey-level plumbing experience within the last 10 years (roughly full-time — CSLB expects plumbing performed daily for 4 full years), documented and verifiable; $25,000 contractor bond. Narrow minor-work exemption: jobs under $1,000 (labor + materials) may be done unlicensed ONLY if the work requires no building permit and the person employs no one else on the job (AB 2622, effective 2025) — most permit-requiring plumbing work needs a licensed contractor regardless of price. Employees of a licensed contractor need no individual license.
| School | City | Type | Net price / yr | Completion | Earnings (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of San Mateo | San Mateo | public | $536 | 30.9% | $54,172 |
| College of the Canyons | Santa Clarita | public | $3,702 | 29.9% | $49,022 |
| Mission College | Santa Clara | public | $5,080 | 19.1% | $50,936 |
| Foothill College | Los Altos Hills | public | $7,653 | 25.3% | $57,072 |
| City College of San Francisco | San Francisco | public | $6,906 | 22.5% | $45,805 |
| Orange Coast College | Costa Mesa | public | $7,203 | 32.9% | $47,348 |
| Diablo Valley College | Pleasant Hill | public | $8,312 | 32.6% | $51,378 |
| American River College | Sacramento | public | $7,999 | 24.6% | $40,162 |
| San Diego City College | San Diego | public | $7,935 | 20.8% | $38,503 |
| Los Angeles Trade Technical College | Los Angeles | public | $12,323 | 20.2% | $35,233 |
| Bakersfield College | Bakersfield | public | $14,621 | 25.9% | $37,291 |
| Summit College | San Bernardino | private for-profit | $29,926 | 66.6% | $40,187 |
Ranking = median earnings 10 years after entry per $1,000 of average yearly net price (methodology). Schools without both figures sort last — "not reported" means the federal dataset lacks the value, not that the school is bad.
Federal and state aid programs have windows and deadlines. Get them for your trade and state, plus program matches.
We may share your info with matched school and program partners so they can contact you about enrollment. Unsubscribe anytime. See our privacy & editorial policy.