How to Obtain a Plumber's License in North Carolina
- 1). Obtain a job or an internship with a plumbing company. The state license board requires all applicants to have 4,000 hours of plumbing experience. You must have a minimum of 2,000 hours of hands-on work in installation, layout and design of plumbing systems. The remaining 2,000 may include maintenance and service work. College-level courses in plumbing may count up to 50 percent of the required hours.
- 2). Purchase a current North Carolina State Building Codes book, Laws and Rules book, and North Carolina Business and Project Management for Contractors (Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors' edition) from the license board. You are required to have these books before you submit the application.
- 3). Complete the license application and obtain plumbing experience documentation. Your supervisor must verify that you have 4,000 hours of more of the required experience. Notarize the forms.
- 4). Complete the background check by following the steps on the application. Print a copy and include it with your application.
- 5). Include copies of W-2's or 1099 to verify your working experience and $100 examination fee. Submit the application to the license board for review and approval. Incomplete applications will be returned.
- 6). Register to take a license exam after you receive an approval from the license board. Exams are open-book and will take about five hours. You must answer at least 70 percent of the questions correctly to pass.
- 7). Pay $125 license fee for the first year after you receive a notification that you passed the exam. The North Carolina State Board of Examiners for Plumbing, Heating and Sprinkler Contractors will issue a plumbers license to you after you pass the exam and pay the fee.