StateLicensed

Plumber License Requirements in North Carolina

Verified · July 2026
Training hours
4000 hrs
Upfront cost
$300
Exam
Plumbing Contractor Examination (Class I/II) — technical and business/law sections
Renewal cycle
Every 1 year
Issuing board
North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating, and Fire Sprinkler Contractors

How to get licensed

  1. 1

    Meet the prerequisites

    Pass a criminal background check. The Board's exam application packet does not publish a minimum age. All applicants must submit a nationwide criminal background check ordered through CastleBranch.com along with the application; misrepresenting or omitting criminal history can be treated as fraud under G.S. 87-23 and 87-25. Applicants must also submit W-2s/1099s or other documentation verifying the required hands-on experience hours. [1]

  2. 2

    Complete approved training

    Complete 4000 hours of training. North Carolina has no journeyman or master plumber designation — the Board licenses plumbing contractors only, in three classes: P-I (Class I, any building type), P-II (Class II, single-family detached housing only, also 4,000 hours), and RLP (Restricted Limited Plumbing — exterior sewer/water service piping and water filtration, 1,500 hours). Applicants must document 4,000 hours of verified hands-on experience in installation, maintenance, service, or repair of plumbing systems for the P-I/P-II classes; up to 50% of that experience may be substituted with related college/community-college/technical-institute coursework (each approved semester hour credits 66.66 experience hours). No approved training program is mandatory — experience can be entirely on-the-job. [1]

  3. 3

    Plumbing Contractor Examination (Class I/II) — technical and business/law sections

    Pass the Plumbing Contractor Examination (Class I/II) — technical and business/law sections (fee: $150). Computer-based exam at PSI test centers (Asheville, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Greenville, Raleigh, Wilmington, Winston-Salem); covers a technical section on NC State Building Code plumbing requirements and a North Carolina business/project-management section Per 21 NCAC 50 .1101 (amended eff. June 1, 2026), the application-for-license-by-examination fee is $150 total, consisting of a $75 application fee plus a $75 nonrefundable examination fee. The Board's own FAQ page also states $150, so board guidance and the current rule agree (an earlier 2025 version of the rule set this at $100; the June 2026 amendment raised it to $150). A criminal background check via CastleBranch.com, paid by the applicant, is also required before an applicant is approved to sit for the exam. [2]

  4. 4

    Submit your application

    Submit your application to North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating, and Fire Sprinkler Contractors. [3]

  5. 5

    Receive your license

    Once your application is approved, North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating, and Fire Sprinkler Contractors issues your Plumbing Contractor License – Class I (P-I) for North Carolina.

Fees

Fee Amount
Application fee [3] None specified
License fee [3] $150
Renewal fee [3] $150
Plumbing Contractor Examination (Class I/II) — technical and business/law sections [2] $150
Restricted Limited Plumbing (RLP) Contractor annual license fee [3] $150
Technician license (2nd/subsequent individual listed under a licensed contractor) [3] $75
Late renewal penalty [3] $25

No separate state application fee beyond the $150 exam-application fee already recorded under the exam entry. The annual license fee for a plumbing (P-I/P-II) or RLP contractor license, whether newly issued or renewed, is $150 per 21 NCAC 50 .1102; licenses expire annually on December 31 and a $25 late fee applies to renewals processed after the deadline.

Renewal & continuing education

Renew every 1 year.

Licenses renew annually and expire December 31; the renewal window opens 90 days before expiration. The Board eliminated its mandatory continuing-education requirement effective December 31, 2012, and none has been reinstated — renewal is fee-based only.

Reciprocity

No reciprocity or endorsement route was found.

The Board's own application packet states plainly: "There is no license reciprocity. All applicants must meet the North Carolina experience requirements." The only cross-state accommodation is a technical-exam waiver for specific active South Carolina residential/commercial licenses mapping to specific NC classes (e.g. SC Residential Plumbing → NC Plumbing Class II) — waiver applicants still take the NC business-section exam and must meet NC's experience requirements. Separately, military veterans and military spouses holding a substantially equivalent out-of-state license/training may obtain an NC license without examination under G.S. 87-21(g)/93B-15.1, paying a $30 application fee plus the $150 annual license fee. No interstate compact covers plumbing contractor licensing.

7 state-approved training providers in North Carolina — browse programs and compare schools on tradecolleges.org.

Cost calculator

  • $150
  • $150
Total$300

Frequently asked questions

Does North Carolina license individual journeyman or master plumbers?

No. North Carolina licenses plumbing contractors, not individual journeyman/master plumbers. A person can work as a plumber under a licensed contractor's supervision without holding a license, but pulling permits or contracting independently requires a P-I, P-II, or RLP Contractor license from the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating, and Fire Sprinkler Contractors.

How much hands-on experience is required before I can test for a plumbing contractor license?

4,000 hours of verified hands-on plumbing experience for a P-I (any building) or P-II (single-family detached only) Contractor license, or 1,500 hours for the more limited RLP (Restricted Limited Plumbing) Contractor license. Up to 50% of the 4,000-hour requirement can be satisfied with related college or technical-institute coursework.

Who administers the North Carolina plumbing contractor exam, and what does it cost?

PSI Services LLC administers the computer-based exam at testing centers across the state on the Board's behalf. The application for examination costs $150 total ($75 application fee plus $75 nonrefundable exam fee, per 21 NCAC 50 .1101), and covers both a technical section and a North Carolina business/project-management section.

Can I transfer an out-of-state plumbing license to North Carolina?

Not through general reciprocity — the Board's application materials state there is no license reciprocity, and all applicants must meet NC's own experience requirements. A narrow technical-exam waiver exists for holders of specific active South Carolina residential/commercial licenses, and military veterans or military spouses with substantially equivalent out-of-state licenses may qualify for licensure without examination.

Is continuing education required to renew a North Carolina plumbing contractor license?

No. The Board eliminated its continuing-education requirement effective December 31, 2012. Licenses simply renew annually (by December 31) for a $150 fee, with a $25 penalty for late renewal.

Sources

  1. [1] nclicensing.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/PHFP-Exam-App-2026-01.pdf — accessed 2026-07-12
  2. [2] nclicensing.org/faq/ — accessed 2026-07-12
  3. [3] nclicensing.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/21-ncac-50-.1102.pdf — accessed 2026-07-12
  4. [4] nclicensing.org/license-renewal/ — accessed 2026-07-12