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 ElectricianOntario

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

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PlumberOntario

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

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Construction ElectricianBritish Columbia

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

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PlumberBritish Columbia

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

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Construction ElectricianAlberta

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

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PlumberAlberta

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

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning MechanicOntario

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

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CarpenterOntario

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

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WelderOntario

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

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Steamfitter/PipefitterOntario

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

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning MechanicBritish Columbia

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

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CarpenterBritish Columbia

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

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WelderBritish Columbia

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

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Steamfitter/PipefitterBritish Columbia

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

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning MechanicAlberta

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

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CarpenterAlberta

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

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WelderAlberta

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

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Steamfitter/PipefitterAlberta

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

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Construction ElectricianManitoba

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

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PlumberManitoba

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

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Construction ElectricianSaskatchewan

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

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PlumberSaskatchewan

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

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Construction ElectricianNew Brunswick

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

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PlumberNew Brunswick

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

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Construction ElectricianNova Scotia

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

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PlumberNova Scotia

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

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Construction ElectricianPrince Edward Island

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

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PlumberPrince Edward Island

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

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Construction ElectricianNewfoundland and Labrador

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

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PlumberNewfoundland and Labrador

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

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Construction ElectricianNorthwest Territories

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

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PlumberNorthwest Territories

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

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Construction ElectricianYukon

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

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PlumberYukon

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

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United States

Construction ElectricianCalifornia

3 license tiers

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PlumberCalifornia

1 license tiers

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning MechanicCalifornia

1 license tiers

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Construction ElectricianTexas

3 license tiers · 12,000 hrs to master electrician

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PlumberTexas

4 license tiers

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning MechanicTexas

3 license tiers

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Construction ElectricianFlorida

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

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PlumberFlorida

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

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning MechanicFlorida

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

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Construction ElectricianNew York

Licensed locally — not a state license

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PlumberNew York

Licensed locally — not a state license

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning MechanicNew York

Licensed locally — not a state license

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Construction ElectricianIllinois

Licensed locally — not a state license

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PlumberIllinois

2 license tiers · 8,000 hrs to licensed plumber

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning MechanicIllinois

Licensed locally — not a state license

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Construction ElectricianOhio

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

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PlumberOhio

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

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning MechanicOhio

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

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Construction ElectricianGeorgia

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

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PlumberGeorgia

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

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning MechanicGeorgia

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

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Construction ElectricianNorth Carolina

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

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PlumberNorth Carolina

2 license tiers · 4,000 hrs to plumbing contractor

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning MechanicNorth 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 ElectricianMichigan

3 license tiers · 12,000 hrs to master electrician

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PlumberMichigan

3 license tiers · 10,000 hrs to master plumber

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning MechanicMichigan

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

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Construction ElectricianPennsylvania

Licensed locally — not a state license

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PlumberPennsylvania

Licensed locally — not a state license

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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning MechanicPennsylvania

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.

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.