Checker 1 of 4 · Free
Eligibility is not one number. Minnesota wants 7,000 hours with minimums inside three categories. Washington wants 8,000 with 4,000 of them commercial. Maryland wants 7,500. And in registration states, hours worked without an apprentice card may not count at all. Answer with your real numbers — the verdict does the arithmetic the board will do.
Most states run the same shape — registered apprentice, a block of supervised hours, a classroom component, an exam — with different numbers in every slot. The traps are never in the total. They are in the split (category minimums, commercial minimums), in registration (hours that only count if you held a card when you worked them), and in the route (Oregon alone has three lawful pathways with different hour maps). Your state's own numbers live on its state ladder page.
No. Eight thousand is the most common total, not a universal one — and states with category minimums can find you short with 8,000 total hours if the split is wrong. Minnesota's gate is 7,000 hours but at least 2,000 must be water distribution, 2,000 drain/waste/vent and 1,000 fixtures.
In states that require apprentice registration, the honest answer is: often not, or only in part, and only the board can credit them. The checker flags this as its own verdict because it outranks every other gap. Register now, document from today, and ask the board in writing about the old hours.
No. Courses are sold to everyone; eligibility is personal. A wasted exam-and-course cycle runs $300–$700. Run the checker first — it is free, and “not yet” costs nothing here.
