State Board of Examiners

There are currently no active reciprocity agreements with any other state. All persons desiring to obtain licensure with this Board must meet the requirements listed herein and satisfactorily complete the applicable examination(s).

All applicants are required to obtain a current copy of the Board's Laws and Rules book prior to making application to the Board for any examination or license. Click here for the book order form.

Please Note: The following eligibility requirements are provided as a general outline, and may not be detailed or inclusive of all eligibility requirements. Please consult the examination application form and the Board's Laws and Rules book for complete eligibility requirements.

Click here for license definitions

Plumbing and/or Heating Contractor License: To be eligible to take the Plumbing, Heating Group No. 1, Heating Group No. 2 and/or Heating Group No. 3 Contractor examination(s), an applicant must have 2 years (4,000 hours) on-site full-time experience in the installation, maintenance, service, or repair of plumbing or heating systems related to the category for which license is sought, whether or not license was required for the work performed. However, up to one-half (2,000 hours) (45 quarter hours or 30 semester hours) of the experience requirement may be in academic or technical training directly related to the field of endeavor for which the examination is requested.

Plumbing and/or Heating Technician License: To be eligible to take the Plumbing, Heating Group No. 1, Heating Group No. 2 and/or Heating Group No. 3 Technician examination(s), an applicant must have 18 months (3,000 hours) on-site full-time experience in the installation, maintenance, service, or repair of plumbing or heating systems related to the category for which license is sought, whether or not license was required for the work performed. However, up to one-half (1,500 hours) (34 quarter hours or 23 semester hours) of the experience requirement may be in academic or technical training directly related to the field of endeavor for which the examination is requested.

Fuel Piping Contractor License: To be eligible to take the Fuel Piping Contractor examination, an applicant must have 1 year (2,000 hours) of experience in the installation, maintenance, service, or repair of fuel piping. However, up to one-half (1,000 hours) (22 quarter hours or 15 semester hours) of the experience may be in academic or technical training directly related to fuel piping. Fuel piping privileges are included in the Plumbing and Heating Group 1, 2, and 3 licenses, and do not require a separate examination for persons applying for or currently holding one or more of these licenses.

Fuel Piping Technician License: To be eligible to take the Fuel Piping Technician examination, an applicant must have 9 months (1,500 hours) of experience in the installation, maintenance, service, or repair of fuel piping. However, up to one-half (750 hours) (17 quarter hours or 10 semester hours) of the experience may be in academic or technical training directly related to fuel piping. Fuel piping privileges are included in the Plumbing and Heating Group 1, 2, and 3 licenses, and do not require a separate examination for persons applying for or currently holding one or more of these licenses.

Fire Sprinkler Installation Contractor license: To be eligible to take the Fire Sprinkler Installation Contractor examination, an applicant must hold a current certification by NICET for "Fire Protection Engineering, Level III, Automatic Sprinkler System Layout".

Residential Fire Sprinkler Installation Contractor license: To be eligible to take the Residential Fire Sprinkler Installation Contractor examination, an applicant must have held a Plumbing license issued by the Board for at least two (2) years and must complete the required sixteen (16) hour educational course approved by the Board. The only class scheduled for 2013 is for October 23rd & 24th in Greensboro. License applications (including class registration) are required at least 4 weeks in advance. The exam may be taken on the second day of class or at a later date in Raleigh.

Fire Sprinkler Inspection Contractor license: To be eligible to take the Fire Sprinkler Inspection Contractor examination, an applicant must hold a current certification by NICET for "Inspection and Testing of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, Level III".

Fire Sprinkler Inspection Technician license: To be eligible to take the Fire Sprinkler Inspection Technician examination, an applicant must have 2 years (4,000 hours) experience in inspection and testing of previously installed fire sprinkler systems, or 2 years (4,000 hours) experience in the installation of previously installed fire sprinkler systems, or a combination of both. This license may be obtained without examination for individuals who hold a valid NICET Level II Certification in Inspection and Testing of Water-based Fire Protection Systems.

Fire Sprinkler Maintenance license: To be eligible to take the Fire Sprinkler Maintenance Technician examination, an applicant must be employed as a full-time maintenance person and have 2 years (4,000 hours) experience at the facility where the license is being sought, or 1 year (2,000 hours) at the facility and 4 hours of approved education.

Exam	Duration
Plumbing Contractor + Business and Law Plumbing Technician	4 hours 1 hour 4 hours
Heating, Group No. 1 Contractor + Business and Law	4 hours 1 hour
Heating, Group No. 2 Contractor + Business and Law	4 hours 1 hour
Heating, Group No. 3 Contractor + Business and Law Heating Technician	4 hours 1 hour 4 hours
Fuel Piping Contractor + Business and Law Fuel Piping Technician	2 hours 1 hour 2 hours
Fire Sprinkler Installation Contractor Business and Law Only	1 hour
Fire Sprinkler Inspection Contractor Business and Law Only	1 hour
Residential Fire Sprinkler Installation Contractor	2 hours
Fire Sprinkler Inspection Technician (no NICET certificate)	3 hours
Fire Sprinkler Inspection Technician (NICET Level II)	No examination
Fire Sprinkler Maintenance Technician	1 hour