About the Board
The Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board was established to administer and enforce the provisions of Iowa law regarding the licensing and regulation of plumbers, mechanical professionals, and contractors. The board issues trade licenses to plumbers, HVAC-refrigeration, sheet metal, hydronic and mechanical professionals, specialty licenses, contractor licenses, and medical gas piping installation certification. Anyone working in these disciplines in the state of Iowa is required to be licensed with the board. The board also investigates complaints filed against licensees and investigates complaints alleging someone is practicing one of these trades without a license.
For questions, please call our toll-free number at 1-866-280-1521 or by using the "Contact Us" option on this site. If you have email, please subscribe to the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board topic through the GovDelivery list serve. By entering your email address at the following link, you will automatically be subscribed and receive periodic updates about upcoming board meetings and other board news.
Announcements
Update August 11, 2023
The Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board is experiencing a high number of renewals. Therefore, licenses and associated contractor registrations with an expiration date of June 30, 2023 are considered active and valid for practice through September 30, 2023.
Questions and answers:
Q: What if a permitting authority says that I cannot pull a permit due to an expired license or registration?
A: Provide this communication to permitting authority. Permitting authorities and other interested parties should honor this extension. This information will also be posted to our website.
Q: Does this extension apply to individual licenses too?
A: Yes, it applies to all licenses with an expiration date of June 30, 2023.
Q: Do late fees still apply?
A: Yes, late fees will still apply for renewal applications initiated after August 1. The only changes are the dates when a license is considered active and valid for practice.
Q: How long will it take for my renewal application to be processed?
A: The current processing time for complete applications is 5-6 weeks from the date received.
July 14, 2023
The full board meeting originally scheduled for July 18, 2023 is canceled. The next full board meeting is TBD.
2023 Renewal
- All individual and contractor licenses will expire on June 30, 2023
- Licensees can begin to renew on May 1, 2023
- Licenses can be renewed without penalty until July 31, 2023
- CEU’s are needed to renew
- Up to half of the CEU’s can be completed online
- At least half of the CEU’s must be in-person
- The PMSB office does not keep track of CEU’s for individual licensees
- Individual licensees are responsible for tracking their own CEU’s
- Contact the training provider for a duplicate copy of the training certificate
- Individuals cannot repeat the same course for credit in the same renewal cycle
- The AMANDA database that is used for licensing was recently upgraded. The new system will appear a little different, but should function similarly. Previous user names and passwords will work in the upgraded system. Be sure to have your user names and passwords ready when it’s time to renew
- Paper applications take longer to process and have an additional fee, so individuals and contractors are highly encouraged to complete the renewal process online
Contractors/Business Owners
If you contract for plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal or hydronics services in the state of Iowa your business must have a contractor license and contractor registration from the Division of Labor. Please note that the business license is separate from the master license! Simply renewing your master license is not sufficient.
You must also submit a separate renewal form and fees for the contractor license. The application and fees also include a 3-year renewal fee for contractor registration through the Division of Labor at Iowa Workforce Development. Once an application is submitted to the board office, a portion of the fees paid and data are sent to the Division of Labor electronically. The Division of Labor will review and issue a new contractor registration number and send a new contractor registration card directly to you. Once the new registration number is issued, board staff review the application to determine if the license can be issued. If all requirements are met (master license has been renewed or issued, bond and insurance on file), then the contractor license is issued. Keep in mind that BOTH are required in Iowa. If you have not received BOTH a new registration card from the Division of Labor AND a license certificate for the BUSINESS from the board office, you have not completed the requirements.
Links to the online application and forms to obtain a new license and registration or renew an existing license or registration are available on our website here:https://hhs.iowa.gov/pmsb/licensure/contractor. Bond and insurance requirements are also detailed on that page.
Public Search for a License/Online License Verification
The board's online license verification system is now available on the Iowa HHS Regulatory Programs Public Search Portal Page. The public search page allows you to search for both individual license holders and contractor licenses. To search by an individual name, enter the search criteria in first name and last name, and then click on "Search." To search for a contractor license, enter the business name under the field for "Facility," and then click on "Search." For best results, enter the percent symbol (%) at the beginning or end of your search criteria to do a wildcard search for partial values. For example, type J% under first name and Anders% under last name to find anyone whose first name begins with a "J" and whose last name starts with "Anders," such as Andersen or Anderson. Click on the link for "Details" to see specific license details including trade licenses held, approval date of the license, and expiration date of the license. Be advised that the link for "File a Complaint" does not work at this time. If you want to know whether someone has ever been disciplined by the board, please visit our Discipline and Public Actions page.
Online Database Help
The Iowa Department of Health Health and Human Services has a dedicated support team to assist users with the new online database. Support team hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please be at your computer with internet and email access when calling. If you are trying to renew your license, you should also have your continuing education course information available.
Contact the support team toll free at 1-855-824-4357.
Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board 2020/2021 Annual Budget
Pursuant to Iowa Code 105.9, the Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board has submitted their Annual Budget Report to the Iowa State Legislature. The report is now available for review.
- Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board 2020 and 2021 Annual Budget Report
- Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board 2019 Annual Budget Report
- Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board 2018 Annual Budget Report
Contact Information
Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board office
321 E 12th Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0075
Phone: 1-866-280-1521
FAX: 515-281-6114
Email: Please submit your questions to PMSB@idph.iowa.gov