How Do You Get a Plumbing License in New Mexico?
Yes.
New Mexico licenses plumbing work statewide: the Construction Industries Division (CID) of the Regulation and Licensing Department issues journeyman certificates of competence to every individual doing plumbing work, except apprentices under a certified journeyman's direct supervision.
The plumbing classes include JP (plumber), JPF (pipe fitter), JG (natural gas fitter) and JPG (plumber and gas fitter); the base rule is two years of experience within the last 10 years, plus a PSI exam passed at 75% and 16 hours of continuing education to renew.
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At a glance
Yes.
A CID journeyman certificate of competence is required of every individual doing mechanical or plumbing work; apprentices under a certified journeyman's direct supervision are the exception.
The Construction Industries Division (CID) of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department.
Journeyman certificates: JP (plumber), JPF (pipe fitter), JG (natural gas fitter), JPG (plumber-gas) and JS (sprinkler), plus the JW (welder) and JMG (medical gas) add-ons; the plumbing contractor class is the MM-1 business licence.
Two years of experience within the 10 years before application, unless otherwise specified; accredited training counts at half credit and can cover at most half the requirement.
PSI, under contract to CID, runs the approval process and testing; after you are pre-approved, 75% passes.
The JP exam has a written and a practical part at $68.88 each (PSI's 2023 bulletin).
16 hours of approved CE per renewal, at least 8 of them on the current CID code; CID's renewal fee is $25 per year per classification.
The general certificate term is not stated in the rules we read.
The journeyman rules we read contain no general reciprocity provision; military service members, spouses, dependents and veterans licensed in another jurisdiction get expedited certification.
CID's Verify a License page at rld.nm.gov/about-us/public-information-hub/verify-a-license/.
The New Mexico plumbing license ladder
- Journeyman Plumber(JP)Journeyman
The plumber certificate: a JP can work under an MM-1, MS-3, MS-6 or MM-98 licence.
- Journeyman Pipe Fitter(JPF)Journeyman
The pipe fitter certificate — its own class, with a single PSI exam rather than the written-plus-practical pair the plumber class sits.
- Journeyman Natural Gas Fitter(JG)Journeyman
The natural gas fitter certificate: a JG can work under an MM-2 or MM-98 licence.
- Journeyman Plumber and Natural Gas Fitter(JPG)Journeyman
The combined certificate that covers both plumbing and natural gas fitting work.
- Journeyman Sprinkler(JS)Journeyman
The sprinkler classification, one of CID's mechanical-plumbing journeyman certificates.
- Journeyman Welder (add-on)(JW)Specialty
A welding add-on to a base plumbing certificate rather than a stand-alone plumbing class.
- Journeyman Medical Gas Installer (add-on)(JMG)Specialty
A medical gas add-on: you must already hold JP, JG, JPG or JPF and show approved medical gas certification under 14.9.5 NMAC.
- Plumbing Contractor Licence(MM-1)Contractor
The plumbing contractor class: MM-1 requires four years of experience, includes hot-water heating up to 30 psi/400,000 BTU/h, and excludes natural gas piping and gas appliances.
Does New Mexico require a state plumbing license?
Yes.
New Mexico requires a journeyman certificate of competence, issued by the Construction Industries Division (CID) of the Regulation and Licensing Department, of every individual doing mechanical or plumbing work.
The only exception is an apprentice working under the direct supervision of a certified journeyman.
The requirement is statewide, and the same rule set covers the mechanical trades — HVAC and sheet metal sit alongside plumbing in CID's journeyman system.
CID held an April 2026 rule hearing that amends these rules, so confirm the current rule text with CID before you apply.
“required of all individuals performing electrical wiring, or mechanical and plumbing work”
What are the New Mexico plumbing license levels, and what can each legally do?
CID issues the plumbing trades' worker credentials as journeyman certificates: JP (Journeyman plumber), JPF (pipe fitter), JG (natural gas fitter), JPG (plumber and natural gas fitter) and JS (sprinkler), plus the JW (welder) and JMG (medical gas) add-ons.
A JP works under an MM-1, MS-3, MS-6 or MM-98 licence.
Gas fitting is separate: JG works under an MM-2 or MM-98 licence, and JPG combines plumbing and natural gas fitting.
The JMG medical gas add-on requires an existing JP, JG, JPG or JPF certificate plus approved medical gas certification under 14.9.5 NMAC.
A certificate holder may only work when employed by an entity licensed, or holding an annual permit, for that type of work; certificates are individual and non-transferable, and no one under 18 can be issued one.
Above the worker level sits the plumbing contractor licence: MM-1 (Plumbing) requires four years of experience, includes hot-water heating up to 30 psi/400,000 BTU/h, and does not include natural gas piping or gas appliances — that is MM-2.
What are the requirements for each level: hours, training and fees?
CID's mechanical and plumbing journeyman classes require two years of experience unless otherwise specified, and that experience must fall within the 10 years before you apply.
Accredited technical or apprenticeship training counts at half credit — each year of training is half a year of experience — and can cover at most half of the requirement.
No one under 18 can be issued a certificate.
CID's rule-set fee is $25 for the exam plus $25 per year to renew each classification; PSI charges its own exam fee on top, per its 2023 candidate bulletin: the JP exam has a written and a practical part at $68.88 each ($137.76 combined), JPF is a single $68.88 exam, and JG is written plus practical ($137.76 combined).
“Each year of equivalent training shall be applied as one-half year of experience, but in no case shall accredited training exceed one-half of the total work experience requirement.”
Who gives the New Mexico plumbing exam, and what is on it?
CID contracts with PSI to run its examination approval process and testing for journeyman certificates.
You must be pre-approved before you schedule with PSI, and you must test within 6 months of eligibility.
The passing score is 75%, and an exam cannot be repeated more than twice in 30 days.
The JP exam has a written and a practical part; per PSI's 2023 candidate bulletin, the JP written exam is 70 questions with 185 minutes and 75% (53 points) to pass.
That 2023 bulletin lists the exam references — the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (IAPMO) and the New Mexico Plumbing Code — so confirm the current reference list with PSI before you test, in case the bulletin has been updated.
How do you renew, and how many CE hours does New Mexico require?
Renewing or reinstating a New Mexico journeyman certificate takes 16 hours of approved course work, and the rule names JP, JPF, JG and JPG among the classes it applies to.
At least 8 of those hours must cover the current CID code enforced for the classification being renewed.
CID's renewal fee is $25 per year for each classification held.
The rules we read do not state how long a certificate term runs — the three-year validity our research confirmed applies only to military-expedited certificates — so confirm your renewal cycle with CID.
“A minimum of eight hours of approved course work must cover the current CID code that is enforced by each journeyman classification to be renewed or reinstated.”
Does New Mexico accept plumbing licenses from other states?
The CID journeyman rules we read contain no general reciprocity provision, and our research did not find a route that converts an out-of-state plumbing licence into a New Mexico certificate — so plan on New Mexico's own experience and exam requirements, and confirm your situation with CID before you rely on an out-of-state licence.
The rules do provide an expedited certification path for military service members, spouses, dependents and veterans who hold a licence in another jurisdiction.
“currently licensed or certified and in good standing in another jurisdiction, including a branch of the United States armed forces”
How do you look up a New Mexico plumbing license?
CID's public licence lookup is the Verify a License page on the Regulation and Licensing Department site, at rld.nm.gov/about-us/public-information-hub/verify-a-license/.
Search it to confirm a contractor's licence or a journeyman's certificate before you take a job or hire, and to check that your own certificate shows up once CID issues it.
How does New Mexico handle gas fitting and backflow work?
Gas fitting is its own track.
The JG natural gas fitter certificate works under an MM-2 or MM-98 contractor licence, and the JPG certificate combines plumbing and natural gas fitting — natural gas piping takes the JG or JPG certificate rather than the JP certificate.
At the contractor level, MM-2 (Natural gas fitting) covers natural gas piping, warm-air heating and gas appliances, but it may not install LP gas systems; LP gas sits with the state's separate LP Gas Bureau.
On backflow, the MS-6 lawn sprinkler class includes backflow devices, and our research did not cover a stand-alone backflow tester credential — check with CID if that is your specialty.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the New Mexico board pages, statutes, rules and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state plumbing licensing series, current as of September 2026.
It is not a substitute for the instructions the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division (CID) publishes.
For the rest of the picture in New Mexico, see HVAC licensing in New Mexico, plumbing apprenticeships in New Mexico, plumbing contractor licensing in New Mexico, and plumber pay in New Mexico.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get a plumbing license in New Mexico?
The experience rule drives the timeline: the base rule is two years of experience within the 10 years before you apply, with accredited training counting at half credit and covering at most half of the requirement.
Once you are pre-approved through PSI's approval process, you must test within 6 months of becoming eligible, and you need 75% to pass.
JP candidates sit both a written and a practical exam.
Is there a master plumber license in New Mexico?
Our research found no master plumber certificate.
CID's plumbing credentials are the journeyman certificates — JP, JPF, JG, JPG, JS and the JW and JMG add-ons — plus the MM-1 plumbing contractor licence above them, which requires four years of experience.
If a New Mexico job posting asks for a master plumber, ask the employer which credential they actually mean.
Can a New Mexico journeyman plumber work on natural gas piping?
No. Natural gas fitting is its own certificate: JG works under an MM-2 or MM-98 licence, and JPG combines plumbing and gas fitting.
A JP certificate holder works under an MM-1, MS-3, MS-6 or MM-98 licence.
If your work will include gas piping, plan on the JG or JPG certificate.
Do you need a license to assist a plumber as an apprentice in New Mexico?
Not a journeyman certificate.
New Mexico's requirement covers everyone performing plumbing work except apprentices working under the direct supervision of a certified journeyman — the entry point.
The journeyman certificate then requires two years of experience within the last 10 years, and accredited training counts at half credit toward it.
How much does a New Mexico plumbing license cost?
Two fee layers.
CID's rule-set fee is $25 for the exam plus $25 per year to renew each classification.
PSI's exam fees are separate — per PSI's 2023 bulletin: the JP exam charges $68.88 for the written part and $68.88 for the practical ($137.76 combined), and JPF is a single $68.88 exam.
Confirm current fees with CID before you apply.
More New Mexico Resources
Sources
- New Mexico Administrative Code — journeyman certificates of competence (CID rules) (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- New Mexico Administrative Code — CID fee schedule (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- New Mexico Administrative Code — contractor classifications (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- PSI: New Mexico Construction Industries candidate bulletin (journeyman exams) (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- NM Regulation and Licensing Department — Construction Industries Division (retrieved 2026-09-29)
Sourced from the documents listed above.
Verified September 2026.
This is career information, not legal advice.
Confirm current rules with the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division (CID).