How Do You Get a Plumbing License in New Jersey?

Yes.

New Jersey licenses plumbers statewide through the State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers, one of the licensing boards under the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, and licenses renew every two years.

The board's rule on who may perform plumbing is narrow: only a master plumber, an authorized plumbing contractor, or employees paid on a W-2 who work under a master plumber's supervision.

Journeymen and apprentices work inside that umbrella, registered with the board rather than licensed by it.

There is one license — Master Plumber — with two registrations beneath it.

Journeymen are registered, not examined: the board takes applications for Registration as a Journeyman Plumber, and the state defines a journeyman plumber as someone who works under the supervision of a licensed master plumber or supervisory journeyman plumber after completing four years in a USDOL-approved apprenticeship program or holding a bachelor's in mechanical, plumbing or sanitary engineering.

A supervisory journeyman plumber has the apprenticeship plus three additional years as a journeyman working with tools, and apprentices must be under constant on-site supervision by a licensed master plumber or a supervisory journeyman.

There is no separate plumbing-contractor license: a plumbing business operates through a licensed master plumber — its bona fide representative — who must hold at least 10 percent of the business, so the master license is also the key to contracting.

The master exam's eligibility rules are the requirements.

You must be at least 21 and have completed a 4-year apprenticeship approved by the US Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship — including propane education — followed by one year of practical hands-on experience as a journeyman plumber in New Jersey, at least 1,200 hours.

A bachelor's in mechanical, plumbing or sanitary engineering replaces the apprenticeship, but not the 1,200-hour journeyman year.

The board accepts only USDOL-approved apprenticeships, and the employer must sponsor and register the apprentice.

Fees run from the registrations up: $50 to register as an apprentice, $75 to register as a journeyman ($50 with a prior registration), then $100 to apply for the master license if you have no prior registration — ask the board for the fee with one.

The initial license is $160 ($80 if paid in the second year of the biennial cycle), and a $3,000 surety bond is due after you pass.

After the board approves your application, you schedule the exam through PSI.

It has three parts: a written exam on the National Standard Plumbing Code as adopted by the State of New Jersey, a practical exam, and a written laws-and-regulations exam; the test itself is run by a third-party vendor.

Fail a section and you must wait six months to retest; fail a section two more times and you forfeit all passing scores and must retake the whole exam.

Our research does not state a passing score or a content outline beyond the three parts, so check the board's candidate materials.

Master plumber licenses renew every two years and expire on June 30 of odd-numbered years.

Renewal costs $160, and a $50 fee applies to late renewal.

Continuing education is counted in credits, not hours: every licensee must complete 5 credits of continuing education at an approved course per biennial period, and licensees applying for their first biennial renewal are exempt.

Our research did not capture renewal requirements for the journeyman and apprentice registrations — ask the board.

Not automatically.

New Jersey grants master plumber licenses by reciprocity only where the other state's licensure standards are equal to or comparable with New Jersey's and that state reciprocates with New Jersey.

The board keeps a reciprocity review list, but it is dated; use it as a starting point and confirm your state's current status with the board before you rely on it.

The Division of Consumer Affairs runs one public verification site for its trade boards, including the Master Plumbers Board: newjersey.mylicense.com/verification.

Check it before you hire a master plumber — and before you take a job with a business that says it is licensed, confirm the license behind the work shows up there.

One specialty carries its own credential: installing or repairing medical gas piping in health-care, dental and veterinary facilities requires a separate certification from the Master Plumbers Board — the rule covers piping located after the source valve and intended for patient or animal use.

Eligible applicants include licensed master plumbers, journeymen who completed a USDOL-approved apprenticeship, and apprentices with 3 or more years.

The certification renews every three years for $150.

Our research did not cover backflow tester certification and found no separate gas-fitter credential under the plumbing board; ask the board where that work sits.