North Carolina’s Heating Group No. 1 Contractor licence covers the heating system of a building which requires the use of high or low pressure steam, vapour or hot water for comfort heating. The State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating, and Fire Sprinkler Contractors examines it in two parts — a technical part and a business and law part — each passed at a grade of 70 of 100, on each part, keyed to the 2018 North Carolina codes. The PassProfessor North Carolina Heating Group H1 program prepares candidates for that licence and its statutory scope.
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What this credential certifies
The licence is issued by the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating, and Fire Sprinkler Contractors, under Article 2 of Chapter 87 of the General Statutes and the Board’s rules at 21 NCAC 50. Its scope is fixed by statute. Under G.S. 87-21(a)(2), heating, group number one is the heating system of a building which requires the use of high or low pressure steam, vapor or hot water, including all piping, ducts, and mechanical equipment appurtenant thereto, within, adjacent to or connected with a building, for comfort heating.
In the Board’s plain language, that is wet, water-based comfort heating: H1 Class I covers such systems in any building, and H1 Class II covers the same work in single-family detached dwellings only. A candidate must settle two questions before studying anything else — is the work wet comfort heating within the statutory sentence above, and which class does the building require?
North Carolina licenses three heating groups, and they never blend. Heating Group H2 and Heating Group H3 are separate licences with separate statutory scopes for conditioned-air systems, divided as the statute provides. This program builds H1 only, and the Board examines each group as its own licence, with its own scope and reference set.
A technician licence also exists beside the contractor licence, and it is not this program: a technician has passed the technical examination but not the business and law examination, is not a contracting licence, and shall not contract work on it. An H1 Technician must be a full-time employee of an H1 Contractor and a sub-licensee of that contractor.
The examination at a glance
| Item | Verified position |
|---|---|
| Program | North Carolina Heating Group H1: Heating Group No. 1 Contractor |
| Regulator | State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating, and Fire Sprinkler Contractors |
| Statute | G.S. 87 Article 2; Board rules at 21 NCAC 50 |
| Structure | Two parts — a technical part and a business and law part; both must be passed |
| Duration | Technical part 4.0 hours; business and law part 1.5 hours |
| Book status | Open book, candidate-supplied approved references only |
| Passing standard | A grade of 70 of 100, on each part (21 NCAC 50 .0305) |
| Tested basis | 2018 North Carolina codes and Board Laws and Rules, as listed on this page |
| Vendor | PSI Services LLC, computer-based delivery |
| Administrator note | PassProfessor is independent and is not affiliated with the Board |
Scope in practice: where H1 work begins and ends
A licence in heating, group number one is required for the installation or replacement of a boiler in a heating group number one system. Fuel piping is wider: its contracting or installation from an approved fuel source to a point within the premises requires a plumbing, Heating Group 1, Heating Group 2, Heating Group 3, or fuel piping licence, regardless of the system served. One defined system sits across two licences by design — a ducted heating system supplied by ground water or by a coil from a domestic hot water heater not exceeding 150 degrees Fahrenheit — where the piping extension and the coil and duct work each carry their own either-licence rules in the statute.
A licence must be obtained before engaging or offering to engage in the business, and Article 2 does not apply to minor repairs or minor replacements to an already installed system, where minor includes replacement of parts such as a compressor, coil, contactor, motor, or capacitor that require no change in energy source, fuel type, or routing or sizing of venting or piping.
The two parts, and the standard on each
Each person examined for a contractor licence must pass both the business and law part and the technical part. The business and law part is a common part across the heating contractor groups, and this program treats it as structure — route, timing, and standard. It is not required if the applicant holds a currently active contractor licence with this Board and passed the Board’s business and law examination after August 2003.
The passing standard lives in the Board’s rule, at 21 NCAC 50 .0305, and this program states it only in that form: a grade of 70 of 100, on each part. Passing one part does not carry the other. The current PSI bulletin reports results as pass or fail and states no passing score of its own, so the rule form is the governing statement.
Timing is separate by part: the technical part runs 4.0 hours and the business and law part runs 1.5 hours. Class does not change the time, the passing standard, or the book status. The Board’s published sources state no question totals for these examinations, and this program states none.
Administration: approval, the authorisation window, and the room
Examinations are computer-based through PSI, and the result — pass or fail — is given immediately at the centre. The examination must be taken within ninety days of the approval date, the authorisation period listed in the approval letter. Identification may be a valid driver’s licence, a DMV-issued identification card, or a passport. If PSI is contacted at least three days in advance, the examination may be rescheduled at no additional charge; otherwise the fee is forfeited and the Board’s Exam Coordinator must be contacted.
Retakes follow the Board and the statute. A person who fails shall not be reexamined until after ninety days from the date last examined, and failing applicants submit a re-examination application, updating a criminal background report more than six months old. The failed portion may be retaken within six months of approval without retaking the portion passed. The Board may require applicants who fail any part three times to receive additional education, or to wait one year, before retaking.
Open book, approved books only
The sittings are open book in a disciplined sense: candidate-supplied approved references only, for the approved licence category. Books must be original editions in hard, spiral, or ring binding. Permanent tabs are allowed; highlighting is the only permitted alteration. Pencils, scratch paper, calculators, and the North Carolina heating and plumbing figures are provided at the site and must be returned. A candidate who arrives with unauthorised materials is not allowed to test and must wait ninety days before rescheduling.
Tested editions: the 2018 North Carolina codes
The Board’s Book Reference List, effective July 1, 2025, with the Board’s update of June 1, 2026, fixes the examination basis: the 2018 North Carolina codes — administration, fuel gas, mechanical, energy conservation, and residential — plus the Board’s Laws and Rules, 2025 or 2026 edition, and the business and project management reference named in the list. The Board’s update states the position directly: until the codes that follow become effective, all examinations for plumbing, heating, fuel piping, and fire sprinkler licensing will be based on the 2018 edition of the codes.
For H1, class matters to the reference set. H1 Class I carries the fullest set, including the Uniform Boiler and Pressure Vessel Act — a study copy for preparation, with the examination copy provided at the PSI centre — and the ACCA manuals named in the Board’s matrix for this group and class. H1 Class II carries a reduced set. Build the book set from the matrix row for the exact group and class, including the common heating references the list names.
The field layer is stated separately, even though it currently coincides: the 2018 North Carolina codes took effect January 1, 2019, carry the state’s own amendments alongside their 2015 International Code basis, and remain the effective field codes. The 2024 North Carolina code is not in effect, is not the examination basis, and has no settled effective date that this program prints.
Who may apply: experience, age, and character
Applicants present evidence, with the application, of two years of full-time experience related to the category sought — stated by the Board as 4,000 hours of on-site experience — whether or not a licence was required for the work. Up to one-half may be directly related academic or technical training. Part-time work is prorated, experience from other states can be submitted, and certified code-enforcement experience and unrelated-field certificates do not meet the requirement. Military personnel and spouses may receive credit for active-service experience, with the Board’s listed documentation.
Before taking the examination, an applicant may be required to establish that they are at least eighteen years of age and of good moral character. The application gathers the type requested, experience documents with notarised employer verification, the fee, criminal-history disclosures, and a signed authorisation for a criminal background check.
Fees, in their separate layers
North Carolina’s dollars sit in distinct instruments, never merged here. At the Board layer, the application for a licence by examination is $150, consisting of a $75 application fee and a $75 examination fee, and it is nonrefundable. At the PSI layer, the examination fee is $75, valid one year from payment — a vendor instrument distinct from the Board’s $150. At the licence layer, the annual licence fee is $150. On passing, that fee must be paid and the activation form submitted within forty-five days of notification of the result; a passing applicant who does not complete that step will have to retest. A person who passes on or after October 1 may elect a licence for the following year, and the statute provides a remainder-of-year licence at one-half the usual fee.
Holding the licence: renewal, supervision, and the working rules
All licences expire on the last day of December in each year following issuance or renewal, and renewal is annual; the renewal period begins ninety days before expiration, usually October 1, and a licensee who does not receive a notice is still responsible for renewing. Failure to renew and pay during January increases the fee by the published late amount. An expired licence may be reinstated within three years on written request and payment of the current fee, the fees for the unpaid prior years, and the processing fee; after three years, reexamination is required. North Carolina does not require continuing education as a condition of renewal for this Board’s licensees; the former requirement was eliminated at the end of 2012 and replaced by disciplinary education after a complaint.
A licence may issue in the name of a corporation, partnership, or assumed trade name where licensed individuals execute contracts to the extent of their qualifications and exercise general supervision to completion. In each business location, a contractor licensee in the required classification must be on duty for the lesser of 1,500 hours annually or all hours during which licensed activities are carried out; each licensee qualifies only one location and is listed on only one contractor licence at a time. A bona fide W-2 employee of a licensee is not construed to be engaged in the contracting business; persons paid on a 1099 basis are not bona fide employees. If the firm’s licence holder cannot perform a licensee’s duties, all contracting activity must cease until another licensee is in place.
General supervision requires review of the work by a licensee of the firm while the work is in progress, and on-site supervision requires a properly qualified licensee to personally supervise and review all work before it is covered or placed into service. The licence is posted in the business location, and its number appears on all proposals, contracts, and permit requests. A contractor ensures a permit is obtained before commencing licensed work, and ensures a request for final inspection within ten days of the system being made operational or placed in service. The Board may revoke or suspend a licence, or order reprimand or probation, for fraud, failure to comply with Article 2 or Board rules, or gross negligence, incompetency, or misconduct. Unlicensed practice is a Class 2 misdemeanour, and the Board may seek injunctive relief.
What the PassProfessor program will cover
The H1 scope, and only the H1 scope. Practice follows the statutory wet-heating sentence and its Class I and Class II division — with H2 and H3 present only as boundaries.
The 2018 layer, held steady. Material is keyed to the 2018 North Carolina codes on their 2015 International Code basis and to the Board’s Laws and Rules in the listed editions, with the business and law part covered as structure.
Independence, stated plainly. PassProfessor is independent, not affiliated with the Board or with PSI. Completing this program confers no licence; the Board alone examines, licenses, and renews.
Tell me when enrollment opens. This program is in the works and enrollment is not yet open. Leave an email address and PassProfessor will write to you when the program is ready — and only about this program. For the full route and study sequence, read the companion guide: North Carolina Heating Group H1 Exam Guide.
Frequently asked questions
What work does Heating Group H1 cover?
The statutory wet comfort-heating scope quoted on this page — Class I in any building, Class II in single-family detached dwellings only.
What score passes?
A grade of 70 of 100, on each part — the technical part and the business and law part must each be passed, under 21 NCAC 50 .0305.
How long is each part?
The technical part runs 4.0 hours and the business and law part runs 1.5 hours. Both are open book, with approved references only.
Which codes are tested?
The 2018 North Carolina codes — mechanical, fuel gas, residential, energy conservation, and administration — on their 2015 International Code basis, plus the Board’s Laws and Rules in the 2025 or 2026 edition named in the Board’s list. The 2024 North Carolina code is not in effect and is not the examination basis.
What experience must I show?
Two years of full-time experience related to the category sought, stated by the Board as 4,000 hours, with up to one-half permitted as directly related academic or technical training, verified as the application requires.
What are the fees?
In separate layers: the Board application is $150; the PSI examination fee is $75; and the annual licence fee is $150, payable on activation within forty-five days of passing.
How long must I wait to retest after failing?
Ninety days from the date last examined, with a re-examination application.
Is PassProfessor affiliated with the Board or PSI?
No. PassProfessor is independent. The Board examines and licenses; PSI delivers the sittings.
When does enrollment open?
The program is in the works and enrollment is not yet open. Leave an email address on this page and PassProfessor will write to you when the program is ready — and only about this program.