Trade Certification & Licensing Tracker

Pick a country, state or province, and compare trades side by side — apprenticeship hours and the Red Seal exam in Canada, or license tiers and experience hours in the US — with a progress tracker that estimates your time to certification. Requirements change; we link you to the official authority every time.

Compare certification requirements

Pick a country and state or province, then choose up to four trades to compare hours, exams and license tiers side by side.

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Requirements by trade and jurisdiction

Canada

Construction Electrician — Ontario

8,160 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Plumber — Ontario

8,280 on-the-job hours · 3 technical levels · Red Seal

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Construction Electrician — British Columbia

6,000 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Plumber — British Columbia

6,300 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Construction Electrician — Alberta

6,120 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Plumber — Alberta

6,240 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic — Ontario

8,280 on-the-job hours · 3 technical levels · Red Seal

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Carpenter — Ontario

6,480 on-the-job hours · 3 technical levels · Red Seal

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Welder — Ontario

5,280 on-the-job hours · 3 technical levels · Red Seal

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Steamfitter/Pipefitter — Ontario

8,280 on-the-job hours · 3 technical levels · Red Seal

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic — British Columbia

6,210 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Carpenter — British Columbia

6,360 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Welder — British Columbia

4,620 on-the-job hours · 3 technical levels · Red Seal

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Steamfitter/Pipefitter — British Columbia

6,300 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

View requirements

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic — Alberta

6,240 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Carpenter — Alberta

6,240 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Welder — Alberta

4,680 on-the-job hours · 3 technical levels · Red Seal

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Steamfitter/Pipefitter — Alberta

6,240 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Construction Electrician — Manitoba

7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Plumber — Manitoba

7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Construction Electrician — Saskatchewan

7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Plumber — Saskatchewan

7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Construction Electrician — New Brunswick

7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Plumber — New Brunswick

7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Construction Electrician — Nova Scotia

7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Plumber — Nova Scotia

7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Construction Electrician — Prince Edward Island

7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Plumber — Prince Edward Island

7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Construction Electrician — Newfoundland and Labrador

7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Plumber — Newfoundland and Labrador

7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Construction Electrician — Northwest Territories

7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Plumber — Northwest Territories

7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Construction Electrician — Yukon

7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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Plumber — Yukon

6,400 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal

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United States

Construction Electrician — California

3 license tiers

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Plumber — California

1 license tiers

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic — California

1 license tiers

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Construction Electrician — Texas

3 license tiers · 12,000 hrs to master electrician

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Plumber — Texas

4 license tiers

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic — Texas

3 license tiers

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Construction Electrician — Florida

1 license tiers · 8,000 hrs to certified electrical contractor

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Plumber — Florida

1 license tiers · 8,000 hrs to certified plumbing contractor (cpc)

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic — Florida

1 license tiers · 8,000 hrs to certified class a air-conditioning contractor

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Construction Electrician — New York

Licensed locally — not a state license

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Plumber — New York

Licensed locally — not a state license

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic — New York

Licensed locally — not a state license

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Construction Electrician — Illinois

Licensed locally — not a state license

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Plumber — Illinois

2 license tiers · 8,000 hrs to licensed plumber

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic — Illinois

Licensed locally — not a state license

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Construction Electrician — Ohio

2 license tiers · 10,000 hrs to electrical contractor (commercial, statewide)

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Plumber — Ohio

2 license tiers · 10,000 hrs to plumbing contractor (commercial, statewide)

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic — Ohio

2 license tiers · 10,000 hrs to refrigeration contractor / hvac contractor (commercial, statewide)

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Construction Electrician — Georgia

2 license tiers · 8,000 hrs to class ii (unrestricted) electrical contractor

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Plumber — Georgia

3 license tiers · 10,000 hrs to statewide class ii master plumber (unrestricted)

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic — Georgia

2 license tiers · 10,000 hrs to class ii (unrestricted) conditioned air contractor

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Construction Electrician — North Carolina

1 license tiers · 4,000 hrs to electrical contractor (limited / intermediate / unlimited)

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Plumber — North Carolina

2 license tiers · 4,000 hrs to plumbing contractor

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic — North Carolina

2 license tiers · 4,000 hrs to heating group no. 3 contractor (cooling <=15 tons; group no. 2 for >15 tons)

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Construction Electrician — Michigan

3 license tiers · 12,000 hrs to master electrician

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Plumber — Michigan

3 license tiers · 10,000 hrs to master plumber

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic — Michigan

1 license tiers · 6,000 hrs to mechanical contractor — refrigeration / air conditioning classification(s)

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Construction Electrician — Pennsylvania

Licensed locally — not a state license

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Plumber — Pennsylvania

Licensed locally — not a state license

View requirements

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic — Pennsylvania

Licensed locally — not a state license

View requirements

Frequently asked questions

How many hours do you need to become a Red Seal tradesperson?+

It varies by trade and province. Most Red Seal apprenticeships run about 6,000–9,000 on-the-job hours over roughly four to five years, plus three to four levels of in-school technical training, then the Interprovincial Red Seal exam. Always confirm the current hours with your provincial apprenticeship authority.

What is a Red Seal endorsement?+

The Red Seal is the national standard for skilled trades in Canada. Passing the Interprovincial Red Seal exam in a designated trade adds a Red Seal endorsement to your provincial certificate, letting you work in that trade across participating provinces and territories without re-certifying.

Do apprenticeship requirements change?+

Yes. Required hours, technical-training levels and exam rules are set by each provincial authority and are updated periodically. The figures here were verified on their effective date, but you must confirm the current requirements with the official authority linked on every page before relying on them.

Does the tracker need an account?+

No. Your logged hours, completed levels and weekly average are saved in your browser on this device only — there is no sign-up and nothing is sent to a server.

Methodology & sources

Requirements are read from our certification dataset, which references the shared trades-authority spine (trade, jurisdiction and the official governing body). Canadian figures were verified against the provincial/territorial apprenticeship authority; US figures against the state licensing board — each on the effective date shown on that trade's page.

Requirements vary by province, state and locality and change over time. The hours, levels, license tiers and exams shown here are a starting point — the official authority linked on every result is the source of truth.

Download this data (JSON) — free under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Tradesppl.

Last reviewed June 28, 2026. Estimates are indicative — verify against current product specs and local requirements before ordering.

We're committed to keeping these tools accurate and improving them over time. If you'd like to contribute to their accuracy, or you run into any issues or errors, please email us at info@tradesppl.com.