New Jersey licenses exactly one plumbing credential: the Licensed Master Plumber, issued by the State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers. Journeyman Plumber and Apprentice Plumber in New Jersey are registrations, not licenses, and neither is examined. The master examination has three areas — a written examination on the National Standard Plumbing Code as adopted by New Jersey, a part named the Practical examination, and a written examination on the laws and regulations governing plumbing — and an applicant must receive a minimum grade of 70 in each of the three areas. The PassProfessor New Jersey Licensed Master Plumber program prepares candidates for that examination.
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What this credential is — and what it is not
The Licensed Master Plumber is the only license in New Jersey plumbing. There is no examined ladder of licenses to climb: experience is gathered under registrations, eligibility is proved to the Board, and the one examined step is the master examination itself.
Journeyman Plumber and Apprentice Plumber are registrations only — not licensed, and not examined. A Supervisory Journeyman Plumber is likewise not a separate credential: it is a supervision status inside the bona fide representative ladder described below. There is also no separate plumbing-contractor license and no contractor examination: a plumbing business operates only through a bona fide representative, a Licensed Master Plumber holding the required ownership interest in that business.
Under the rule definitions, a master plumber has the qualifications, training, experience and technical knowledge necessary to properly plan, lay out, install and repair plumbing apparatus and equipment, and to supervise others in that work. Plumbing work may be performed only by a master plumber, an authorized plumbing contractor, or W-2 employees working under a master plumber’s supervision as permitted. The license therefore carries both trade competence and responsibility for the work of others, and the examination tests both sides of that role.
The companion guide at /new-jersey-master-plumber-exam-guide/ covers the route, retake rules, and code-edition position in depth.
The examination at a glance
| Item | Verified position |
|---|---|
| Program | New Jersey Licensed Master Plumber — the state’s only plumbing license |
| Regulator | State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers, in the Department of Law and Public Safety, administered through the Division of Consumer Affairs |
| Governing law | The State Plumbing License Law of 1968, N.J.S.A. 45:14C-1 et seq.; Board rules at N.J.A.C. 13:32 |
| Examination structure | Three areas: (1) written examination based on the National Standard Plumbing Code as adopted by the State of New Jersey; (2) Practical examination; (3) written examination of laws and regulations governing the occupation and business of plumbing |
| Passing standard | A minimum grade of 70 in each of the three areas, stated exactly as the rule publishes it |
| Tested code | The National Standard Plumbing Code as adopted by New Jersey by incorporation — see the code-edition section below |
| Adopted code | National Standard Plumbing Code/2024, New Jersey edition, adopted August 17, 2026 |
| Application fee | $100, for an application without prior registration, non-refundable |
| License term | Biennial, expiring June 30 of odd-numbered years; biennial renewal fee $160 |
| Surety bond | $3,000, required after passing and before licensure |
| Administrator note | PassProfessor is independent and is not affiliated with the State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers |
No examination vendor is named on this page, because no primary source names one. The rule provides that examinations are prepared and administered by a third-party vendor, but that no license is granted except by the Board — and the Board has not named that vendor in the statute, the rules, its published answers, or its minutes. Material that names a vendor for this examination is going beyond the record.
The Board, approval, and why there is no same-day route
The State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers has seven members, appointed by the Governor: three master plumbers of at least ten years’ experience, one local plumbing inspector of at least ten years’ experience, one journeyman plumber of at least ten years’ experience, and two public members. The Board reviews completed applications at its monthly meetings, so there is no same-day licensure. Board approval comes before any examination sitting: an approved applicant receives an eligibility letter stating the time and place. Examinations are held at least four times a year. The application, the experience proof, and the Board’s monthly review all come first — a candidate cannot register for a sitting first and present a score to the Board afterwards.
The code New Jersey tests: the National Standard Plumbing Code
New Jersey is a National Standard Plumbing Code state — neither an International Plumbing Code state nor a Uniform Plumbing Code state — and preparation built on either of those model codes is preparation for a different examination.
The examination rule defines the tested code by incorporation: the National Standard Plumbing Code as adopted by the State of New Jersey under the Uniform Construction Code Act, at N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.15. The rule names no separate edition, and no separate examination reference list exists in the primary record. The adopted layer is current and specific: the National Standard Plumbing Code/2024, New Jersey edition, including appendices, as amended by N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.15(b), was adopted on August 17, 2026, succeeding the National Standard Plumbing Code/2021, adopted September 19, 2022.
Because the tested layer tracks the adopted layer by reference, the August 17, 2026 adoption presumptively moves the examination basis to the 2024 New Jersey edition. No primary source, however, states when examination content switched or switches editions, so this page states no switch date — and no permit-transition date may be treated as an examination date, because permit rules and examination rules are different instruments. Prepare on the National Standard Plumbing Code in its New Jersey adopted form.
The three areas of the examination
Area one — written examination on the code. A written examination based on the National Standard Plumbing Code as adopted by the State of New Jersey: the technical core of the sitting, applied to the planning, layout, installation and repair work the license authorizes.
Area two — the Practical examination. The second area is named, in the rule, the Practical examination. That name is all the primary record gives. No primary source describes what this part consists of, and this program does not describe it either: it is not called hands-on on this page, and it is not called computer-based on this page, because neither description is in the record. A written preparation program cannot be said to rehearse this part.
Area three — written examination on laws and regulations. A written examination of the laws and regulations governing the occupation and business of plumbing — in New Jersey, the State Plumbing License Law of 1968 and the Board’s rules at N.J.A.C. 13:32: the licensing, supervision, bona fide representative, bond, renewal and continuing education framework a master plumber is personally responsible for observing.
A first-time candidate must complete all three sections. The passing standard then applies area by area, with no averaging across them: an applicant must receive a minimum grade of 70 in each of the three areas.
Who may sit: age, education, and the 1,200 hours
An applicant must be 21 years of age or older and must qualify under one of two experience paths. Both paths include propane-services education meeting N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2(c).
Path A — apprenticeship. Completion of a four-year apprenticeship program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor, plus, after the apprenticeship, one year of practical hands-on experience as a journeyman plumber in New Jersey consisting of at least 1,200 hours.
Path B — engineering degree. A bachelor’s degree in mechanical, plumbing or sanitary engineering from an accredited college or university, plus the same one year of practical hands-on experience as a journeyman plumber in New Jersey, consisting of at least 1,200 hours.
Practical hands-on experience has a precise meaning here. For experience from December 21, 2016, it is work performed under the plumbing subcode and inspected by a licensed New Jersey plumbing inspector. It excludes managerial time — supervising, engineering and estimating — and non-plumbing tasks: a year spent running jobs from an office does not satisfy it, however senior the role. Citizenship is not required, and a Social Security number is not required.
Working as a contractor: the bona fide representative
Operating a plumbing business takes one further, specific step. To act as a plumbing contractor, the master plumber must be the business’s bona fide representative, which requires a 10 percent interest measured three ways: 10 percent of net profits, 10 percent equity interest, and 10 percent of net proceeds on sale. The master plumber must register with the Board within 30 days of assuming the role, may serve only one contractor, and must maintain a place of business in New Jersey.
This mechanism replaces a contractor license in New Jersey: every plumbing business stands behind one named, licensed master plumber who owns a real share of it and answers for its plumbing work. Candidates should learn the bona fide representative rules as operating rules — they define what the license holder may sign for, supervise, and be responsible for from the first day of practice.
After passing: bond, seal, term, and continuing education
Passing all three areas does not itself issue the license. A successful candidate must post the $3,000 surety bond, complete the pressure-seal application, and pay the licensing fee; the Board’s published answers state that a license issues in 15 to 20 days after the fee is processed. The application fee is $100 for an application without prior registration, non-refundable, and no Board examination or re-examination fee appears in the Board’s fee schedule at N.J.A.C. 13:32-5.1(a).
The license runs on a biennial term expiring June 30 of odd-numbered years, and the biennial renewal fee is $160. Continuing education applies to master plumbers only: five credits per biennial period at Board-approved courses, where one credit is one hour of instruction, and one of those hours in every period must review the State Plumbing License Law of 1968 and the Board’s rules. Licensees applying for their first biennial renewal are exempt, and records must be kept for four years. No continuing education requirement for apprentice or journeyman registrants appears in the rules as read — another consequence of the one-license structure.
A reciprocity mechanism exists in the statute, for applicants from a state whose standards are equal to or comparable with New Jersey’s and which reciprocates with New Jersey. No state is named here, because the Board’s reviewed-states list is not part of this program’s verified record.
What the PassProfessor program will cover
The code area, on the adopted New Jersey code. Original written practice built on the National Standard Plumbing Code as adopted by New Jersey — the New Jersey edition and its amendments, not a generic national plumbing syllabus.
The laws-and-regulations area, at rule depth. The State Plumbing License Law of 1968 and N.J.A.C. 13:32 taught as a working system: the one-license structure and the two registrations, Board approval, the two eligibility paths, the bona fide representative’s three 10 percent measures, the bond, the biennial term, and the five-credit continuing education duty.
The limit of written preparation, stated plainly. The second area is named the Practical examination, and no primary source describes its format. A written program cannot be said to rehearse that part. What written preparation can do — thoroughly — is the code area and the laws-and-regulations area.
Independence, stated plainly. PassProfessor is an independent preparation provider, not affiliated with the State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers, and this program is not a Board course. Completing it confers no license, no registration, and no exemption; the Board alone licenses, and candidates apply and sit through the Board’s own channels.
Tell me when enrollment opens. The New Jersey Licensed Master Plumber 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. No date is promised.
Frequently asked questions
How many plumbing licenses does New Jersey issue?
One. The Licensed Master Plumber is the state’s only plumbing license and its only examined plumbing credential. Journeyman Plumber and Apprentice Plumber are registrations, not licenses, and neither is examined.
Who issues the Licensed Master Plumber license?
The State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers, in the Department of Law and Public Safety, administered through the Division of Consumer Affairs, under the State Plumbing License Law of 1968 and the rules at N.J.A.C. 13:32.
What are the three areas of the examination?
A written examination based on the National Standard Plumbing Code as adopted by the State of New Jersey; a part named the Practical examination; and a written examination of laws and regulations governing the occupation and business of plumbing.
What score passes the New Jersey master examination?
An applicant must receive a minimum grade of 70 in each of the three areas. That is the rule’s published form, and it is stated on this page exactly as published — area by area, with no averaging.
What is the Practical examination part?
The rule names the second area the Practical examination and describes it no further in any primary source. This page does not describe its format, and a written preparation program cannot be said to rehearse it.
Which code does the examination test?
The National Standard Plumbing Code as adopted by the State of New Jersey, defined by incorporation at N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.15. The adopted edition is the National Standard Plumbing Code/2024, New Jersey edition, adopted August 17, 2026. New Jersey is neither an International Plumbing Code nor a Uniform Plumbing Code state.
Who may apply for the examination?
An applicant aged 21 or older who completes either a four-year U.S. Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship, or a bachelor’s degree in mechanical, plumbing or sanitary engineering — and who, under either path, also completes one year, of at least 1,200 hours, of practical hands-on experience as a journeyman plumber in New Jersey, with propane-services education meeting the rule. Board approval must come before any sitting.
What does it cost to apply, renew, and be licensed?
The application fee is $100 for an application without prior registration, non-refundable. The biennial renewal fee is $160. A $3,000 surety bond is required after passing and before licensure.
How does a master plumber operate a plumbing business in New Jersey?
As the business’s bona fide representative: holding 10 percent of net profits, 10 percent equity interest, and 10 percent of net proceeds on sale; registering with the Board within 30 days of assuming the role; serving only one contractor; and maintaining a place of business in New Jersey. There is no separate contractor license or contractor examination.
What continuing education does the license require?
Five credits per biennial period at Board-approved courses for master plumbers, including one hour in every period reviewing the State Plumbing License Law of 1968 and the Board’s rules. Licensees applying for their first biennial renewal are exempt, and records must be kept for four years.
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.