Moving to North Carolina as a master plumber: every state's rule
North Carolina has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.
North Carolina master plumber · “Plumbing Contractor (Class I or Class II)”
Statewide license
Issued by North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors
North Carolina has no license titled master plumber. Its highest plumbing credential is the person-held Plumbing Contractor license issued by the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors under G.S. 87-21. The individual who passes the two-part examination (technical plus business and law) is the licensee, may list the license in a firm name, and pays an annual license fee after activation. A first-time applicant needs 4,000 hours of on-site plumbing experience (up to half academic or technical training), and out-of-state hours are accepted. The Board states it has no license reciprocity with any state; the only technical-exam waiver is with South Carolina (NC business-law exam still required). North Carolina residents licensed in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia or West Virginia may seek licensure without examination under the Neighbor State License Recognition Act (G.S. 93B-15.3). Restricted Limited Plumbing Contractor (1,500 hours, 2-inch and smaller exterior water/sewer/irrigation backflow) is a narrower contracting class, not a master equivalent.
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Alaska | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Arizona | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Arkansas | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| California | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Colorado | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Connecticut | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Delaware | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| District of Columbia | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Florida | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Georgia | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-16 |
| Hawaii | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Idaho | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Illinois | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Indiana | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Iowa | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Kentucky | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Louisiana | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Maine | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Maryland | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Massachusetts | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Michigan | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Minnesota | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Mississippi | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Missouri | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Montana | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Nebraska | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Nevada | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| New Hampshire | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| New Jersey | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| New Mexico | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| North Dakota | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Ohio | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Oklahoma | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Oregon | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Rhode Island | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| South Carolina | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-16 |
| South Dakota | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Tennessee | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-16 |
| Texas | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Utah | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Vermont | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Virginia | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-16 |
| Washington | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| West Virginia | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-16 |
| Wisconsin | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Wyoming | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
Getting licensed in North Carolina from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how North Carolina issues a master plumber license to a first-time applicant.
Plumbing Contractor license by examination
North Carolina's Plumbing Contractor license is issued to the individual who passes the Board's examination, and no journeyman or technician license is required first. An applicant documents 4,000 hours (two years) of full-time experience installing, maintaining, servicing or repairing plumbing systems in the class sought, earned in any state and whether or not a license was required for the work; up to half may be plumbing-related coursework at a college, community college or technical institute, credited at 66.66 hours per semester hour. After the Board approves the application, the candidate takes two computer-based, open-book exams with PSI, a 4-hour plumbing technical exam and a 1.5-hour Business and Law exam, and needs a score of 70 out of 100 to pass. A North Carolina Plumbing Technician who earned that license by exam can move up to the contractor license in the same class by meeting the 4,000-hour requirement and passing only the Business and Law exam. The license is held by the qualifying individual; a corporation, partnership or trade-name business can contract only through a listed licensee who signs its contracts and supervises the work.
Plumbing Class I covers potable water and drain, waste and vent piping in any building; Class II is limited to single-family detached dwellings. Both classes require 4,000 hours, and each needs its own application and $150 fee. G.S. 87-21 also lets the Board accept 10 years of continuous plumbing or heating licensure in good standing as the experience for Class II. Fuel piping work is included in the plumbing license without a separate exam. Candidates bring their own copies of the books on the Board's Book Reference List: for Class I, the 2018 North Carolina Administration, Plumbing, Fuel Gas and Residential codes, the Board's Laws & Rules book and the Business & Project Management for Contractors book (Class II uses the same list without the Plumbing and Fuel Gas codes). Books may carry only highlighting and permanent commercial tabs. The exam must be taken within 90 days of the approval notice, at PSI centers in Asheville, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Greenville, Raleigh, Wilmington or Winston-Salem, or at an out-of-state PSI center where the Board allows it. A candidate who passes the technical exam but fails Business and Law may request a Plumbing Technician license instead. A failed exam may be retaken after 90 days with a Re-Examination application and the exam fee, and a failed portion may be retaken within six months without repeating the portion passed. Military experience (documented with a DD-214 and supervisor statements) and registered apprenticeship hours count toward the same 4,000 hours. The statute allows the Board to require applicants to be at least 18 and of good moral character. The Board's application packet does not call for a surety bond, insurance or financial statement; a foreign corporation or LLC must obtain a certificate of authority from the Secretary of State before a license can be issued in its name. Restricted Limited Plumbing Contractor (1,500 hours) and Limited Plumbing Water Heater Replacement are narrower contractor classes with their own exams. The Board lists average application processing of about six weeks.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Exam given by
- PSI
- Exam format
- Open book
- Passing score
- 70%
- Typical processing
- About 42 days
- Renewal
- Every year
- Continuing education
- None required
Who can apply
- You must document at least 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Two years of full-time hands-on installation, maintenance, service or repair of plumbing systems in the class sought, earned in any state and whether or not a license was required; up to 50% may be plumbing-related coursework in a college, community college or technical-institute certificate, diploma or degree program (66.66 hours per semester hour). Part-time work is prorated.
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
North Carolina Plumbing Technician upgrading to contractor (Business and Law exam only)
An applicant who holds an active North Carolina Plumbing Technician license obtained by examination can obtain the Plumbing Contractor license in the same class by meeting the 4,000-hour contractor experience requirement and passing only the Business and Law exam; the technical exam is not repeated.
- Hold a Active North Carolina Plumbing Technician license (Class I or Class II) in the same class, obtained by examination first.
- You must document at least 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience.The contractor experience requirement still applies in full.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Application fee portion of the $150 per-class exam fee paid to the Board with Form PHFP-1 or the online application; non-refundable (21 NCAC 50 .1101).
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($75). Examination fee portion of the $150 per-class fee, paid to the Board rather than to PSI; non-refundable. A retake requires a Re-Examination application and the exam fee again..
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Plumbing Contractor (Class I or Class II) technical examination, computer-based at PSI test centers: 4 hours, open book with the references on the Board's Book Reference List; 70 to pass.
- 4Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Business and Law examination: 1.5 hours, open book with the Board's Laws & Rules book (G.S. Chapter 87, Article 2 and 21 NCAC 50) and the Business and Project Management for Contractors book; 70 to pass. Not required of someone who already holds an active contractor license from this Board and passed its Business and Law exam after August 2003..
- 5Background check. Complete a background check. Nationwide criminal background report ordered from Disahealthcare (DISA CB CastleBranch, package code ST46) at the applicant's cost, with a printed copy attached to the application; any criminal charges, convictions, incarceration, probation or parole must be explained on a separate sheet.
- 6Other. Notarized experience verification: Form 1-B from each North Carolina plumbing licensee you worked under, Form 1-C employment history for work elsewhere or self-employment, or Form 1-D with a DD-214 for military experience, with W-2s, 1099s or tax returns.
- 7Other. Form SSA-89 Social Security Number verification; the Board cannot issue a license to anyone whose SSN cannot be verified.
- 8License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($150). Annual plumbing contractor license fee, paid with the License Activation Form within 45 days of passing or the exam must be retaken; half the fee for a license obtained by exam on or after October 1 for the rest of that year, and $75 for an individual listed as the second or later qualifier on a firm's license.
Published fees on this path total $300, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every year with no continuing education required and a $150 renewal fee.
The Board eliminated mandatory continuing education at the end of 2012, and none is required to renew. Courses the Board orders in a disciplinary case are separate.
All licenses expire December 31 and the renewal period opens about October 1. A $25 late fee is added if the license is not renewed during January, and a license not renewed within three years of expiring can be restored only by passing the exams again.
Exam preparation
Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.
- Exam fee · $75
- Trade exam
- Law / code exam
Sources for this section
- 21 NCAC 50 - State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors (rules) · 21 NCAC 50 .0301, .0305, .0306, .1101, .1102 · North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.C.G.S. 87-21 - Definitions; contractors licensed by Board; examination; posting license · N.C.G.S. 87-21(a), (b), (g) · North Carolina General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- N.C.G.S. 87-22 - Fees; expiration and renewal of licenses · N.C.G.S. 87-22 · North Carolina General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- N.C.G.S. 87-22.1 - Application and examination fee · N.C.G.S. 87-22.1 · North Carolina General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- N.C.G.S. 87-22.2 - Foreign corporations and LLCs; tax information · N.C.G.S. 87-22.2 · North Carolina General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- N.C.G.S. 87-26 - Licenses for corporations, partnerships and trade names · N.C.G.S. 87-26 · North Carolina General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors - Applicant Information · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Exam Reference Book List and Requirements (effective July 1, 2025) · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Application Packet for Persons Applying for Plumbing, Heating or Fuel Piping Contractor License (Form PHFP-1, 2026-06) · G.S. 87-21(g) · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors - Education · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Exam Information 2026 - exam durations · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors - FAQ · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Faq · verified September 23, 2026
- License Activation Form (valid through 9/30/2026) · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- License Definitions - Contractor (2026-06) · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors - License Renewal · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026