LicensebyState

Where a Tennessee master plumber license transfers

Tennessee does not issue a statewide master license, so other states have nothing to reciprocate with. Each row below is that state's standard out-of-state path, which you would meet in full.

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Tennessee master plumber · “Master plumber (city or county card); state CMC-A plumbing contractor is a business license”

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 16, 2026· 9 sources

Issued by Local code enforcement offices (Nashville/Davidson, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis/Shelby County and other exempt jurisdictions); the state issues the LLP to individuals and the CMC-A / CMC contractor license to businesses

Tennessee does not issue a master plumber license. The state-level plumbing credentials are (1) the Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP), a personal license for work under $25,000 where the Division of Fire Prevention inspects, which the Board does not treat as a master equivalent and for which it has no exam-waiver agreements, and (2) a contractor license with the CMC-A (plumbing) or CMC (full mechanical: plumbing and HVAC) classification, issued to a business that names a qualifying agent and required for plumbing projects of $25,000 or more. CMC-A and CMC candidates need Board pre-approval ($50) before the plumbing or full-mechanical trade exam; every contractor also takes the Tennessee Business and Law exam (Prov from 2026-07-01; scores typically valid two years). Initial contractor application fee $250. The Board's trade-exam-waiver form lets a contractor whose origin board verifies a comparable plumbing or mechanical exam skip the Tennessee trade exam but not Business and Law, and it cannot be used for the LLP: Ohio plumbing maps to CMC-A, South Carolina plumbing to CMC-A, and Louisiana, Mississippi and West Virginia mechanical licenses to CMC. That waiver is contractor-to-contractor only (Ohio's OCILB listing of Tennessee as a plumbing-contractor partner is the same relationship from Ohio's side). Master plumber licenses proper exist only locally; Nashville's MPE Board issues a master plumber certificate. An out-of-state master plumber has no statewide personal recognition: to contract for $25,000 or more they need the CMC-A or CMC contractor license; to pull small-job permits they need the LLP where it is accepted, or the local master card where it is not.

How local licensing works in Tennessee

State contractor route (CMC-A / CMC) — business license, not a personal master. Required statewide to bid or contract plumbing of $25,000 or more (subcontractor plumbing portion counted with materials, equipment and labor). Qualifying agent (owner, officer or full-time employee) takes the Tennessee Business and Law exam and the CMC-A or CMC trade exam after a $50 pre-approval request to [email protected]. Up to two people may take each exam; Business and Law and the trade exam need not be the same person. Application $250 at core.tn.gov. From 2026-07-01 a contractors' surety bond of at least 50% of the requested monetary limit may replace a CPA-reviewed or audited financial statement. General liability and workers' compensation (or exemption) are required on the contractor application. Trade exam waiver (not Reciprocity for a master plumber card): origin board completes the Request for Contractor License Verification in lieu of the Tennessee trade exam score. Plumbing rows: Ohio Plumbing -> CMC-A; South Carolina Plumbing -> CMC-A; Louisiana Mechanical -> CMC; Mississippi Mechanical -> CMC; West Virginia Mechanical -> CMC. Business and Law is never waived. Ineligible if discipline, open complaints or felony convictions. Cannot be used for LLP, LLE or home improvement. NASCLA accredited exams on the Board exam page are commercial building and electrical, not plumbing.

State LLP (personal, limited, not master). $75 initial, Prov LLP exam, under $25,000, Fire Prevention jurisdictions only, no exam waiver. A Tennessee CMC-A/CMC firm may still need Metro registration to pull permits; confirm with Codes (615-862-6500).

Knoxville. State Contractor registration (CMC-A/CMC) or Unlicensed/State Limited License (LLP) registration to pull permits.

Exam waived

Every destination

Reciprocity 2Endorsement 1No credit 36Not applicable 11
Every state's rule for a Tennessee license
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
AlaskaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
ArizonaNot applicableno state license at this level2026-09-16
ArkansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
CaliforniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
ColoradoNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
ConnecticutNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
DelawareNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
District of ColumbiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
FloridaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
GeorgiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
HawaiiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
IdahoNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
IndianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
IowaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
KansasNot applicableno state license at this level2026-09-16
KentuckyNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
LouisianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MaineNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MarylandNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MassachusettsNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MichiganNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MinnesotaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MississippiNot applicableno state license at this level2026-09-16
MissouriNot applicableno state license at this level2026-09-16
MontanaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
NebraskaNot applicableno state license at this level2026-09-16
NevadaNot applicableno state license at this level2026-09-16
New HampshireNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
New JerseyNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
New MexicoNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
New YorkNot applicableno state license at this level2026-09-16
North CarolinaEndorsementexplicit agreement2026-09-16
North DakotaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
OhioReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-16
OklahomaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
OregonNot applicableno state license at this level2026-09-16
PennsylvaniaNot applicableno state license at this level2026-09-16
Rhode IslandNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
South CarolinaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-16
South DakotaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
TexasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
UtahNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
VermontNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
VirginiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
WashingtonNot applicableno state license at this level2026-09-16
West VirginiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
WisconsinNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
WyomingNot applicableno state license at this level2026-09-16

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