PBCC Section 119: Who may do permitted plumbing work in Phoenix?

Section 119.1 of Phoenix's amended IBC Chapter 1 reads: "All work performed on plumbing and mechanical systems where a permit is required according to Section 105 of these administrative provisions, is required to be performed by a Licensed Journeyman or by an Apprentice as defined in this section."

It lists three exceptions:

1. 1"A person licensed by the State of Arizona as a licensed contractor (qualified person) in a category of work covered by this section."
2. 2"The owner/occupant of a single-family residence when performing work covered by this section on their residence or accessory buildings or structures."
3. 3"Persons installing private water services, sewers or private sewage disposal systems as defined in the Phoenix Plumbing Code need not obtain a Journeyman or Apprentice license."

Section 119.3 divides journeyman licenses into journeyman plumber, journeyman gas fitter and journeyman mechanical systems installer. A journeyman gas fitter "may install gas appliances, including the piping and venting of these appliances." An apprentice license "may be issued to an individual who cannot qualify for the Journeyman status," and apprentice licenses "are valid for a period of one year."

Section 119.4 sets the supervision rule: "An apprentice must work under the supervision of a Licensed Journeyman or Arizona State Licensed Contractor at all times work is being performed. The Licensed Journeyman or state licensed contractor is responsible for the work of the apprentice."

Section 119.7.2 makes experience a prerequisite to the journeyman exam: "verification that the applicant has four or more years of practical experience in the discipline for which licensing is requested." Section 119.8 says journeyman licenses expire 36 months after the month they were issued and are renewed by a renewal exam and fee.

In short:

• Permitted plumbing work: a licensed journeyman or an apprentice.
• Exceptions: a state-licensed contractor in that category of work, the owner/occupant of a single-family home on their own residence, and installers of private water services, sewers or private sewage disposal systems.
• Apprentices: supervised by a journeyman or state-licensed contractor at all times, and that person is responsible for the apprentice's work.

• Licensed Journeyman: Section 119.2 defines this as a person skilled in a covered area of work "with sufficient work experience to pass the Journeyman Test administered by the City of Phoenix," who can also supervise apprentices.
• Apprentice: "a person learning a skill and working in an area of work covered by this section and working under the direct supervision of a Licensed Journeyman or State of Arizona Licensed Contractor."
• Owner/occupant: the code does not define it further. Read with the words "single-family residence" and "their residence," it points to the owner who lives in the house.
• Qualified person: the code's term for the individual who qualifies an Arizona contractor license in a category of work.

Everyone doing plumbing, gas or mechanical work on a Phoenix job that needs a permit under Section 105, residential or commercial.

This does not apply to work that needs no permit, because Section 119.1 is tied to "where a permit is required." It also does not replace the state contractor license law. Arizona's own owner exemption, A.R.S. 32-1121(A)(5), applies only when the structures "are not intended for sale or for rent," and proof of sale or rent, or an offer to sell or rent, "within one year after completion or issuance of a certificate of occupancy is prima facie evidence that such a project was undertaken for the purpose of sale or rent." The statute keeps an exception for actions against an owner-occupant as defined in section 33-1002.

• A homeowner in Maryvale adds a laundry sink. They live in the house, so exception 2 lets them do the permitted work themselves. The permit and the rough-in and final inspections still apply.
• The same homeowner moves out and rents the house, then remodels the bathroom. The answer changes: they are no longer the occupant, and the state exemption does not cover structures intended for rent. A licensed contractor does the work.
• A plumbing company sends a second-year apprentice to finish a tenant improvement. The apprentice holds a Phoenix apprentice license, but a journeyman or the licensed contractor has to supervise the whole time the work is being performed and is responsible for it.

1. 1Check whether the job needs a permit under Section 105; if it does, Section 119 applies.
2. 2If you are doing the work yourself, confirm you own and live in the single-family home, and that the work is on that residence or its accessory structures.
3. 3If you rent the property out or plan to sell it soon, read A.R.S. 32-1121(A)(5) before relying on an owner exemption, and hire a licensed contractor.
4. 4If you are hiring, confirm the contractor's Arizona license covers plumbing.
5. 5If you work in the trade, apply to Planning and Development with verification of experience (journeyman) or a notarized letter of request (apprentice). The PDD Fee Schedule (effective January 20, 2026) lists an apprentice initial registration and annual renewal at $20, a journeyman initial registration and test at $50, and a journeyman renewal registration and test at $40. Under Section 119.6, "No fees are refundable after a test has been taken."

• "A homeowner can do any plumbing on property they own." Exception 2 is limited to "the owner/occupant of a single-family residence" working "on their residence or accessory buildings or structures."
• "Apprentices can run small jobs alone." Section 119.4 requires supervision "at all times work is being performed."
• "The state license is the only license that matters." In Phoenix, an individual worker without a contractor license needs a city journeyman or apprentice license for permitted work, unless an exception applies.
• "Exception 3 means private sewer work needs no permit." It only removes the journeyman or apprentice license requirement; nothing in Section 119 waives the permit.