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Part II .

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Plumber Trade Regulations

made under subsection 17A(2) of the

Apprenticeship and Trades Qualifications Act

S.N.S. 2003, c. 1

O.I.C. 2016-239 (effective April 1, 2017), N.S. Reg. 191/2016

amended to O.I.C. 2025-272 (effective October 6, 2025), N.S. Reg. 205/2025

Table of Contents

Please note: this table of contents is provided for convenience of reference and does not form part of the regulations.

Click here to go to the text of the regulations .

Citation

Definitions

Plumber trade is compulsory certified trade

Person other than plumber performing work in trade

Exemption application under General Regulations permitted for plumber trade

Term of apprenticeship for plumber trade

Wage

schedule for apprentices in plumber trade

Certificate in plumber trade through trade qualification

Compliance with identity card requirements of General Regulations

Transition

Citation

1 These trade regulations may be cited as the Plumber Trade Regulations .

Definitions

(1) In these regulations,

“Act” means the Apprenticeship and Trades Qualifications Act ;

“Code” means the latest issue of the National Plumbing Code of Canada published

by the National Research Council of Canada, as amended or revised, or its

successor code;

“General Regulations” means the Apprenticeship and Trades Qualifications Act

General Regulations made under the Act;

“plumber trade” means the occupation of a plumber, consisting of designing,

installing, altering and repairing piping systems in accordance with the Code,

including all of the following piping systems:

(

i) drainage systems,

(ii) venting systems,

(iii) water supply systems,

(iv) specialty piping systems,

(

v) potable water distribution systems,

(vi) residential or commercial hot water heating systems that operate

under pressure of up to and including 30 psi,

(vii) sewage disposal systems.

(2) A term defined in the General Regulations has the same meaning when used in

these regulations.

Plumber trade is compulsory certified trade

3 The plumber trade is specified as a compulsory certified trade.

Person other than plumber performing work in trade

4 A person who does not hold a certificate of qualification in the plumber trade may

perform work included in the definition of the plumber trade if the person holds a

certificate of qualification in another designated trade and the work to be performed

comes within the scope of that other designated trade.

Exemption application under General Regulations permitted for plumber trade

5 For the purposes of subsection 38(2) of the General Regulations, a joint application for

an exemption from the application of subsections 22(2) and (3) of the Act is permitted

for the plumber trade.

Term of apprenticeship for plumber trade

(1) The term of apprenticeship for the plumber trade consists of all of the following:

(a) 7200 documented hours of the combination of practical experience and the

portion of technical training spent learning the skills of the designated trade

as described in clause 26(1A)(

a) of the General Regulations and as

approved by the Director;

(

b) related technical training as described in clause 26(1A)(

b) of the General

Regulations and as approved by the Director;

(

c) a certification examination.

(2) Any probationary period included in a term of apprenticeship for the plumber trade

as permitted by subsection 12(2) of the General Regulations must be no longer

than 3 months.

7 [repealed]

Wage

schedule for apprentices in plumber trade

(1) Subject to subsection (2) and to subsection 25(3) of the General Regulations, the

minimum wage for each hour worked by a plumber apprentice in each portion of a

level of their term of apprenticeship is a percentage of the wage for a plumber

journeyperson in the same place of employment, as set out in the following table:

Wages for Plumber Apprentice

Level of

Apprenticeship

Hours in Portion of

Level of Apprenticeship

Minimum Wage

(% of journeyperson’s wage)

0–900

45%

901–1800

50%

1801–2700

55%

2701–3600

60%

3601–4500

65%

4501–5400

70%

5401–6300

75%

6301–7200

80%

(2) An employer must not employ a plumber apprentice at a wage for actual hours

worked that is lower than the wage that would be paid at the minimum wage rate

prescribed in the Minimum Wage Order (General) made under the Labour

Standards Code .

Certificate in plumber trade through trade qualification

9 The period of employment in the designated trade that is required by paragraph

30(1)(a)(ii)(

B) of the General Regulations for a person who does not hold a certificate of

apprenticeship and is applying for a certificate of qualification in the plumber trade is

10 800 hours.

10 [repealed]

Compliance with identity card requirements of General Regulations

11 For the purposes of

Section 34 of the General Regulations, which requires an apprentice

or journeyperson to keep an identity card in their possession when practising the

designated trade and produce it on request, a person is practising the plumber trade while

the person is doing any of the following:

(

a) for an apprentice,

(

i) acquiring practical experience in the trade, or

(ii) learning the skills of the trade during the technical training portion of

apprenticeship training;

(

b) for a journeyperson, performing the duties of the trade as defined in these

regulations or their duties as set out in the General Regulations.

Transition

12 A person who, immediately before the coming into force of these regulations, was an

apprentice in an apprenticeship program under the Plumber Trade Regulations , N.S.

Reg. 239/2011, continues as an apprentice in that apprenticeship program under these

regulations.

Legislative History

Reference Tables

Plumber Trade Regulations

N.S. Reg.

191/2016

Apprenticeship and Trades Qualifications Act

Note: The

information in these tables does not form part of the regulations and is

compiled by the Office of the Registrar of Regulations for reference only.

Source Law

The current consolidation of the Plumber Trade Regulations made under the Apprenticeship and Trades Qualifications Act includes all

of the following regulations:

N.S.

Regulation

In force

date*

How in force

Royal Gazette

Part II Issue

191/2016

Apr 1, 2017

date specified

Oct 14, 2016

134/2022

Jul 5,

date

specified

Jul

15, 2022

205/2025

Oct 6,

date

specified

Oct

17, 2025

The following regulations are not yet in force and are

not included in the current consolidation:

N.S.

Regulation

In force

date*

How in force

Royal Gazette

Part II Issue

*See subsection 3(6) of the Regulations Act for

rules about in force dates of regulations.

Amendments by Provision

ad. = added

am. = amended

fc. = fee change

ra. = reassigned

rep. = repealed

rs. = repealed and substituted

Provision affected

How affected

7 ........................................................

rep. 134/2022

10 ......................................................

rep. 205/2025

Note that changes to headings are not

included in the above table.

Editorial Notes and Corrections:

Note

Effective

date

Repealed and Superseded:

N.S.

Regulation

Title

In force

date

Repealed

date

239/2011

Plumber

Trade Regulations

Jul

19, 2011

Apr 1,

Note: Only

regulations that are specifically repealed and replaced appear in this

table. It may not reflect the entire

history of regulations on this subject matter.