Connecticut’s top plumbing credential is the P-1 Unlimited Plumbing Contractor license, issued by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection with the Plumbing and Piping Work Examining Board under Chapter 393 of the Connecticut General Statutes. There is no license class styled “master plumber” in Connecticut — the P-1 is the contractor tier, above the P-2 Unlimited Journeyperson Plumber license, earned through two separately scored PSI examination portions: an eighty-question trade examination and a fifty-question Business and Law examination, each passed at a minimum of 70 percent. The PassProfessor Connecticut P-1 Unlimited Plumbing Contractor program prepares candidates for both portions and the responsibilities the license carries.
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What this credential certifies
A P-1 Unlimited Plumbing Contractor may perform all plumbing and piping work as defined in Section 20-330 of the Connecticut General Statutes. That scope is the widest the Connecticut structure offers, and it is held by an individual: Chapter 393 licenses individuals only, and no company or business plumbing license exists in Connecticut. The contractor and journeyperson licenses are separate licenses, each valid statewide without further municipal examination or licensing. The distinction matters in daily practice: a P-2 Unlimited Journeyperson Plumber may perform plumbing and piping work only while in the employ of a contractor licensed for that work; the P-1 holder is the licensed contractor under whom that work is organized, contracted, and answered for. Moving from P-2 to P-1 is not a pay grade — it is the step from working under a contractor’s license to holding it.
Because the license is individual, the application is individual as well: only individuals may apply, the Department does not pre-approve or review applications before submission, and every applicant must take the required examinations. A contractor applicant must also evidence compliance with Connecticut’s workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance requirements — an early sign that this license certifies a business operator, not only a tradesperson.
The examinations at a glance
| Item | Verified position |
|---|---|
| Program | Connecticut P-1 Unlimited Plumbing Contractor: the contractor tier of Connecticut plumbing licensure (journeyman tier: P-2 Unlimited Journeyperson Plumber) |
| Regulator | Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP), with the Plumbing and Piping Work Examining Board, under CGS Chapter 393 and RCSA §§ 20-332-1 to 20-332-21a |
| Examination administrator | PSI Services LLC, under contract with the State; eligibility for examination is determined by the State, not by PSI |
| Examination structure | Two portions, each separately scored, both required: P-1 trade examination + Business and Law examination |
| Trade portion | 80 scored questions / 3 hours / open book / computer-delivered |
| Business and Law portion | 50 scored questions / 2 hours / open book; sole allowed reference is the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, Connecticut, 5th Edition |
| Passing standard | Minimum passing score of 70 percent on EACH portion, separately |
| Tested code references | International Plumbing Code or International Plumbing Code Commentary in the 2015, 2018, or 2021 edition; preparation in this program is keyed to the 2021 IPC as the lead edition |
| Examination fees | $59 to PSI for each examination portion |
| Administrator note | PassProfessor is independent and is not affiliated with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection or PSI |
Two portions, two separate passes
A P-1 candidate sits two examinations, and the results do not blend. The trade portion is an eighty-question, three-hour, open-book, computer-delivered examination. Questions appear one at a time on screen; a tutorial of up to fifteen minutes precedes the sitting and is not counted as examination time; and one to five unscored experimental questions may be added, neither scored nor counted against the candidate’s time. The Business and Law portion is a fifty-question, two-hour, open-book examination built entirely on one allowed reference: the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, Connecticut, 5th Edition. Journeyperson candidates take the trade portion only.
Each portion carries a minimum passing score of 70 percent, reached on its own. On the trade examination, the bulletin works the arithmetic: 70 percent is fifty-six questions correct. The regulation layer agrees — a license issues to a person attaining a minimum grade of seventy percent on the examination and paying the license fee, and a grade below that is a failure. Scores are given immediately on screen, with an official score report printed at the site. A passed portion is not perishable in the short term: any portion score remains valid for two years from the date it was passed, so a candidate who clears one portion carries that pass forward while correcting the other.
What the trade portion examines
The trade outline spans sixteen areas across the eighty questions, and its shape tells a candidate where the weight sits. Drain, Waste, and Vent carries fourteen questions — the largest single block. Isometric Analysis carries nine, examining the reading of piping drawings rather than their production; there is no drawing-production component and no hands-on practical in this examination. Gas Systems carries nine. Safety and Excavation and Water Supply carry six each; Fixtures and Equipment, five; General Plumbing Regulations, Cleanouts, and Traps and Interceptors, four each; Piping, Valves, and Controls, Backflow, Hangers and Supports, Joints and Connections, and Water Treatment, three each; Water Heaters and Developed Length close the outline at two each.
The Business and Law outline is equally explicit: Estimating and Bidding seven; Contracts six; Licensing, Tax Laws, Labor Laws, Project Management, and Environmental and Safety five each; Financial Management and Risk Management four each; Lien Law and Business Organization two each. Read together, the two outlines describe the contractor Connecticut intends to license — a plumber who can size and vent a system, price the work, contract it lawfully, and run the business behind the license.
The code-edition question, stated carefully
Connecticut’s edition position needs two layers kept apart, because collapsing them is the most common preparation error for this license. The examination layer is a range, not a single edition: the PSI reference list for both the P-1 and the P-2 allows the International Plumbing Code, or the International Plumbing Code Commentary, in the 2015, 2018, or 2021 edition. All of the bulletin examinations are open book, and candidates bring their own references — which may be highlighted, underlined, annotated, or indexed before the session, never written in during it, with permanent tabs only, alongside a silent, nonprinting, non-programmable calculator. The full trade reference list also includes NFPA 54 and its Handbook, NFPA 58, the OSHA construction standards at 29 CFR Part 1926, Water Processing, and NFPA 56 — candidates who prepare only a plumbing code are leaving listed references unopened.
The adoption layer is narrower. Connecticut’s adopted plumbing code is the 2021 International Plumbing Code as amended by the Connecticut amendment document, part of the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code for permit applications filed from October 1, 2022. Because 2021 is both the newest listed edition and the adopted edition, this program keys preparation to the 2021 IPC as the lead edition, flagging points where earlier listed editions answer differently as edition-sensitive. No Connecticut amendment document appears on the examination reference lists, so amendment content is field knowledge for permitted work, not examination-keyed material here.
Who may sit: the journeyman step comes first
The P-1 is a second-step license. Qualification runs through the journeyman tier: a candidate must bring experience and training as an unlimited licensed journeyperson, or equivalent experience and training — stated qualitatively here, in the trade’s own terms: service as a journeyman in the trade, or satisfactory education and experience shown to the Board. The Department’s equivalent path keeps its classroom component mandatory; on-the-job hours cannot substitute for it. General applicant requirements include being at least eighteen years old, holding an eighth-grade diploma or equivalent education, and evidencing the competency and requisite skill the Board requires. State approval opens a one-year eligibility window, with examinations on an unlimited basis within that year — a structure that rewards candidates who prepare before the window opens.
Connecticut’s position on out-of-state licenses should be understood before an experienced plumber plans around it. The Department states that Connecticut has no reciprocal agreements with any other jurisdiction, and no state is named in any primary source as a reciprocating partner. An equivalent out-of-state license goes through the Department’s equivalency route — a review, not reciprocity — so an incoming contractor should expect evaluation, and examination, rather than a transfer of license.
Fees, timing, and retakes
The charges arrive in distinct layers. PSI charges $59 for each examination portion, first time or repeat, neither refundable nor transferable — a first-time P-1 candidate pays $118 across the two portions. On the state side, the Department’s contractor application fee is $150.00, and the statute sets the initial license fee for a contractor’s license at $150; renewal is also $150, and all Connecticut plumbing licenses expire annually on October 31. License fees are not prorated; replacing a missing license costs $5.00 on a notarized statement.
The retake rules are workable but unforgiving about procedure. There is no same-day reappointment after a sitting; an unsuccessful candidate may rebook promptly and retest as soon as space allows, paying the same $59 per portion, inside the one-year eligibility window, with no attempt cap stated beyond that window. Cancelling or rescheduling without forfeiting the fee requires notice two days before the scheduled date through the PSI website or a representative — voicemail is not an acceptable cancellation — and the fee is forfeited for a late cancellation, a no-show, a late arrival, or improper identification. After a failed portion, the candidate receives thirty minutes at the end of the examination to review missed items at no charge, together with a diagnostic report of strengths and weaknesses: the first study session for the retake, if it is used that way.
Holding the license: renewal and continuing education
Connecticut plumbing licenses renew annually, expiring October 31, at the $150 contractor renewal fee. Continuing education exists for Connecticut plumbers under the statute and the continuing-education regulation, on a two-year cycle that closes months ahead of the renewal it supports: courses must be approved, no continuing education is required before a first renewal, licensees attest at renewal, and certificates must be retained for at least four years against audit. This program states the structure without printing an hour figure for the unlimited contractor tier: the hour count a P-1 holder must complete is a detail to confirm against the Department’s current continuing-education page for the license class at renewal time, rather than take from any provider’s summary — including this one.
What the PassProfessor program will cover
Both portions, weighted as the outlines weight them. The PassProfessor Connecticut P-1 Unlimited Plumbing Contractor program is built in the two halves the license itself is built in. The trade half works the sixteen-area outline at its published weights — drainage, waste, and venting first, then isometric analysis, gas systems, safety and excavation, and water supply, through to developed length — keyed to the 2021 International Plumbing Code as the lead edition, with edition-sensitive points flagged where the earlier listed editions answer differently, and the listed gas, safety, and water-treatment references covered alongside the code. The business half works the eleven-area Business and Law outline from the NASCLA Connecticut guide.
Contractor framing throughout. Because the P-1 is the license under which other plumbers work, the program keeps the contractor’s duties in view — individual licensure with no company license, workers’ compensation and unemployment evidence, the October 31 renewal, and continuing education on its two-year cycle. Every item is written from scratch against primary sources.
Independence, stated plainly. PassProfessor is an independent preparation provider, not affiliated with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, the Plumbing and Piping Work Examining Board, or PSI, and this program is not a Connecticut course. Completing it confers no license and no exemption; the Department alone licenses, and candidates register for examinations through PSI after state approval. The companion Connecticut P-1 Unlimited Plumbing Contractor Exam Guide at /connecticut-master-plumber-exam-guide/ walks through both portions and the edition question in full detail.
Tell me when enrollment opens. The Connecticut P-1 Unlimited Plumbing Contractor program is in the works and enrollment is not yet open. Our catalog now includes preparation for the top plumbing tiers across the country, and this program joins it when it meets the standard described above. Leave an email address and PassProfessor will write to you when it is ready — and only about this program. No date is promised.
Frequently asked questions
What is Connecticut’s top plumbing license called?
The P-1 Unlimited Plumbing Contractor license. Connecticut has no license class styled “master plumber”; the P-1 is the contractor tier, above the P-2 journeyperson license.
Who issues the P-1 license?
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, with the Plumbing and Piping Work Examining Board, under CGS Chapter 393.
Who administers the P-1 examinations?
PSI Services LLC, under contract with the State. Eligibility is determined by the State, not by PSI.
What examinations must a P-1 candidate pass?
Two portions, each scored separately: the trade examination — eighty scored questions, three hours — and the Business and Law examination — fifty scored questions, two hours. Both are open book; both must be passed.
What score passes each portion?
A minimum of 70 percent on each portion — fifty-six of eighty questions on the trade examination.
Which plumbing code edition does the examination use?
The reference list allows the International Plumbing Code or its Commentary in the 2015, 2018, or 2021 edition. This program prepares candidates on the 2021 IPC as the lead edition — the newest listed, and the edition Connecticut adopted with amendments in the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code — and flags cross-edition differences as edition-sensitive.
What experience is required before the P-1?
Experience and training as an unlimited licensed journeyperson, or equivalent experience and training. The equivalent route keeps a mandatory classroom component that on-the-job hours cannot replace.
What do the examinations and license cost?
PSI charges $59 per portion — $118 across both portions for a first-time P-1 candidate. The Department’s contractor application fee is $150.00; the statutory initial license fee and renewal fee are each $150.
Can a plumbing company hold the P-1 license?
No. Chapter 393 licenses individuals only; there is no company or business plumbing license in Connecticut. A P-2 journeyperson may perform plumbing and piping work only while employed by a contractor licensed for that work.
Does Connecticut accept a contractor license from another state?
No. The Department states Connecticut has no reciprocal agreements with any other jurisdiction; an equivalent out-of-state license is handled through an equivalency review, not reciprocity.
When does the P-1 license renew, and is continuing education required?
All Connecticut plumbing licenses expire annually on October 31. Continuing education applies on a two-year cycle of approved courses, with attestation at renewal and certificates retained for at least four years; it is not required before a first renewal.
Is PassProfessor affiliated with the Department of Consumer Protection or PSI?
No. PassProfessor is an independent preparation provider. The Department alone licenses; examinations are registered through PSI after state approval.
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 it is ready — and only about this program.