Plumbing contractor reference
Plumbing license requirements by state.
Plumbing licensing is different in every state. These 50 guides identify whether the state licenses the plumbing trade, who regulates it, what happens before a contractor can work, and which fee, insurance, renewal, or local rule can change the decision. 44 states in this guide license the trade at state level.
State and licensing authorityState license
AlabamaState of Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining BoardYesRead guide →AlaskaDivision of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, with certificates of fitness issued by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection SectionYesRead guide →ArizonaArizona Registrar of ContractorsYesRead guide →ArkansasArkansas Department of Health, Protective Health Codes, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section, with the Plumbing Examiner's CommitteeYesRead guide →CaliforniaContractors State License BoardYesRead guide →ColoradoColorado State Plumbing Board, Division of Professions and Occupations, Department of Regulatory AgenciesYesRead guide →ConnecticutConnecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Occupational and Professional Division, with the Examining Board for Plumbing and Piping WorkYesRead guide →DelawareDelaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners, Division of Professional RegulationYesRead guide →FloridaFlorida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing BoardYesRead guide →GeorgiaGeorgia State Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers, State Construction Industry Licensing Board, Office of Secretary of StateYesRead guide →HawaiiContractors License Board, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (with individual plumbers licensed by the Board of Electricians and Plumbers)YesRead guide →IdahoIdaho State Plumbing Board, Division of Occupational and Professional LicensesYesRead guide →IllinoisIllinois Department of Public Health, Plumbing Program (State Board of Plumbing Examiners)YesRead guide →IndianaIndiana Plumbing Commission, Indiana Professional Licensing AgencyYesRead guide →IowaPlumbing and Mechanical Systems Board, Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and LicensingYesRead guide →KansasNo state agency. Kansas assigns plumber licensure to counties and cities under K.S.A. 12-1508 through 12-1511, administered locally by bodies such as the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department, Johnson County Contractor Licensing, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City Business License Division, and the City of Topeka Development Services Division.Local / limitedRead guide →KentuckyKentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Division of PlumbingYesRead guide →LouisianaState Plumbing Board of Louisiana (individual licenses) and Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (contracting business licenses)YesRead guide →MainePlumbers' Examining Board, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Maine Department of Professional and Financial RegulationYesRead guide →MarylandMaryland State Board of Plumbing, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Maryland Department of LaborYesRead guide →MassachusettsBoard of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters, Division of Occupational Licensure, Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business RegulationYesRead guide →MichiganMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction CodesYesRead guide →MinnesotaMinnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Construction Codes and Licensing DivisionYesRead guide →MississippiMississippi State Board of ContractorsYesRead guide →MissouriNo state agency. Missouri assigns plumber licensing to cities of fifteen thousand or more under RSMo 341.010 to 341.080 and to counties of the first classification under RSMo 341.090 to 341.220, administered locally by bodies such as the Kansas City Permits Division, the St. Louis Board of Examiners of Plumbers and Drainlayers and the St. Louis County Board of Plumbing Examiners.Local / limitedRead guide →MontanaMontana Board of Plumbers, Business Standards Division, Montana Department of Labor and IndustryYesRead guide →NebraskaNo state agency. Nebraska assigns plumber licensing to city and village plumbing boards under Neb. Rev. Stat. 18-1901 to 18-1920, including the Omaha Plumbing Board and Lincoln Building and Safety. The only statewide credential is contractor registration with the Nebraska Department of Labor under the Contractor Registration Act.Local / limitedRead guide →NevadaNevada State Contractors Board (State Contractors' Board, created by NRS 624.040)YesRead guide →New HampshireMechanical Safety and Licensing Board (the mechanical licensing board established in RSA 153:27-a), Office of Professional Licensure and CertificationYesRead guide →New JerseyState Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers, New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (plus Home Improvement Contractor registration administered by the Division itself)YesRead guide →New MexicoNew Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries DivisionYesRead guide →New YorkNo statewide plumbing license. Licensing is municipal. In the five boroughs the New York City Department of Buildings issues the Licensed Master Plumber license; Buffalo licenses through its Examining Board of Plumbers.Local / limitedRead guide →North CarolinaNorth Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler ContractorsYesRead guide →North DakotaNorth Dakota State Plumbing BoardYesRead guide →OhioOhio Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Industrial Compliance, Ohio Department of CommerceYesRead guide →OklahomaOklahoma Construction Industries BoardYesRead guide →OregonOregon Building Codes Division, Department of Consumer and Business Services (State Plumbing Board)YesRead guide →PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Office of Attorney General (Home Improvement Contractor registration); Pennsylvania has no state plumbing licensing board, and plumber licensing is handled by the City of Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections and the Allegheny County Health Department Plumbing ProgramLocal / limitedRead guide →Rhode IslandBoard of Examiners of Plumbers, Division of Professional Regulation, Rhode Island Department of Labor and TrainingYesRead guide →South CarolinaSouth Carolina Residential Builders Commission (Residential Plumber license) and South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board (Mechanical Contractor license, plumbing subclassification), both within the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and RegulationYesRead guide →South DakotaSouth Dakota State Plumbing Commission (Department of Labor and Regulation)YesRead guide →TennesseeTennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division)YesRead guide →TexasTexas State Board of Plumbing ExaminersYesRead guide →UtahUtah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), Department of CommerceYesRead guide →VermontPlumbers' Examining Board, Division of Fire Safety, Vermont Department of Public Safety (with separate residential contractor registration administered by the Office of Professional Regulation at the Vermont Secretary of State)YesRead guide →VirginiaBoard for Contractors, Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), which issues both the individual tradesman plumber license and the Class A, B or C contractor license with the PLB plumbing classificationYesRead guide →WashingtonWashington State Department of Labor and Industries (L and I), which certifies individual plumbers by grade under chapter 18.106 RCW and separately licenses the plumbing contractor business under the same chapterYesRead guide →West VirginiaWest Virginia Division of Labor (individual plumber license) and the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board (contracting business license)YesRead guide →WisconsinWisconsin Department of Safety and Professional ServicesYesRead guide →WyomingNo state plumbing licensing authority. Plumbing is licensed by individual cities and towns, principally the City of Cheyenne Contractor Licensing Board and the City of Casper Community Development Department.Local / limitedRead guide →Licensed plumbing businesses still need to be findable.
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