Plumbing Contractor License in West Virginia: Requirements, Qualifier, Bond and Exams

Yes — statewide.

The West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board requires a contractor license when the cost of the undertaking is $5,000 or more for residential work or $25,000 or more for commercial work.

The worker-level rule is separate: since January 1, 2009, no plumber may perform or offer to perform plumbing work in West Virginia without a Division of Labor plumber license — the Division's statement of that rule, as quoted here, sets no dollar threshold.

The Division of Labor also reads 'plumbing work' narrowly at the edges: replacing faucets or washers, unclogging sinks and installing dishwashers is not plumbing work requiring a plumber license.

The West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board issues the license.

HB 2006 moved the Board to Chapter 30, Article 42 of the WV Code, effective June 15, 2021, and the Board is made up of eight licensed contractors and two code officials.

Licensing is by classification: 'Plumbing contractor' is one of the classifications, alongside 'Heating, ventilating and cooling contractor', and the plumbing class covers gas piping and hydronic and chilled-water piping.

The license carries operating rules too: the contractor's license number shall be included in all contracting advertisements and all fully executed and binding contracts, and the license must be posted at every job site.

And the business license does not fold the worker certifications into it — the Division of Labor's HVAC FAQ states that a contractor license with the HVAC classification does not let a person do HVAC work, and on the plumbing side the worker rule stands on its own, in place since January 1, 2009.

This is the gap in West Virginia's public record.

Our research could not confirm the Board's qualifier rules: who may qualify a plumbing contracting business, what experience or individual certification that person must hold, or whether the Board issues the license without one.

Do not import another state's qualifier model — ask the Contractor Licensing Board directly before you structure the business.

What is on record is the crew underneath: every plumber performing or offering plumbing work needs a Division of Labor plumber license (Master Plumber, Journeyman Plumber or Plumber in Training), and plumbing helpers must hold the Plumber in Training certification and cannot work alone.

The experience hours and continuing education behind the tested Master and Journeyman certifications were not confirmed, so verify what qualifies a candidate before you count on promoting one.

Two.

The plumbing contractor license requires taking the master Plumber or Plumbing exam and the WV Business & Law exam.

The tested plumber certifications on the ladder beneath it are the Division of Labor's: Master and Journeyman applicants pass written exams administered by Prov, and there has been no grandfathering since July 1, 2009.

What our research does not confirm is the vendor for the contractor-level exams or how the WV Business & Law exam is delivered — ask the Contractor Licensing Board before you book study time.

The Board's enabling act requires all contractors to be registered with the West Virginia Tax Department, to verify workers' compensation and unemployment coverage if applicable, and to be in compliance with the wage bonding requirements.

Our research found no bond amount and no insurance minimum stated for the license — a gap in our research, not a confirmed absence — so ask the Board what bond or insurance, if any, it requires before you bid.

HVACHires' separate guide to contractor license bonds and insurance explains how these instruments work.

Not established for the contractor license: our research did not confirm the Board's application fee, renewal fee or renewal cycle, so ask the Contractor Licensing Board for its current fee schedule.

What is on record are the Division of Labor's separate plumber certification fees: $75 initial certification and renewal for Master Plumber and Journeyman Plumber, $25 for Plumber in Training, and a $25 late fee.

Budget those for the workers on your crews even after the business license is in hand.

We did not find a reciprocity agreement covering West Virginia plumbing contractor licenses in the sources we read, so we cannot tell you whether the Board waives an exam for another state's licensees or credits an out-of-state license.

Treat the West Virginia requirements as fully applying to your business until the Contractor Licensing Board says otherwise, and confirm with the Board before you staff a job around an agreement you have not verified.

No West Virginia replacement rule is on record: our research did not confirm whether the Board gives you a deadline to name a new qualifier, whether the license stays active in the meantime, or whether one person may qualify several contractors.

Get that answer from the Board before you need it.

Plan around what is on record instead: if the Board requires the qualifier to hold an individual credential, that person has to earn it — the tested Master and Journeyman plumber certifications require written exams administered by Prov with no grandfathering since July 1, 2009, and the experience hours behind them were not confirmed — so line up and test a possible next qualifier before you need one.

HVACHires' guide to naming a qualifier or qualifying agent for a contractor license covers how these arrangements work while you wait on the Board's answer.