North Carolina licenses plumbing at the contractor tier. The State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors examines Plumbing Contractor Class I (P-I) and Plumbing Contractor Class II (P-II) candidates in two parts — a Technical part and a Business and Law part — tested on the 2018 North Carolina Plumbing Code, and its rule requires a grade of 70 of 100 on each part. The PassProfessor North Carolina Plumbing Contractor Class I (P-I) and Class II (P-II) program prepares candidates for that sitting.
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The credential, named correctly
North Carolina has no license titled Master Plumber, and no statewide journeyman plumber license. Candidates who arrive looking for either title are looking for credentials this state does not issue. What North Carolina issues at the top of its plumbing ladder is a contractor license in two classes, and this program covers both.
Plumbing Contractor Class I (P-I) is the unlimited class. It covers potable water and drain, waste and vent piping systems in any building — residential, commercial, or industrial. Plumbing Contractor Class II (P-II) covers the same systems in single-family detached dwellings only. The class line is a scope line, drawn at the building type — and the sittings are the same length for both classes.
The adjacent Plumbing Technician classes sit outside this program: a technician has passed the technical examination but not the business law examination, and a technician license is not a contracting license. The technician pathway appears again below, because the two examination parts can be banked separately.
The examinations at a glance
| Item | Verified position |
|---|---|
| Program | North Carolina Plumbing Contractor Class I (P-I) and Class II (P-II): both contractor classes in one program |
| Regulator | State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors (G.S. Chapter 87, Article 2; rules at 21 NCAC 50) |
| Examination vendor | PSI Services LLC (PSI), under contract to the Board |
| Examination structure | Two parts, both required: a Technical part and a Business and Law part |
| Examination time | Technical part 4.0 hours; Business and Law part 1.5 hours — the same for Class I and Class II |
| Passing standard | A grade of 70 of 100, on each part, as the Board’s rule at 21 NCAC 50 .0305 provides |
| Book status | Open book, with candidate-supplied references from the list for the candidate’s approved category |
| Tested code | 2018 North Carolina Plumbing Code (built on the 2015 International Plumbing Code, as amended by North Carolina) |
| Practical component | None is published for these examinations |
| Administrator note | PassProfessor is independent and is not affiliated with the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors |
Two parts, and both must be passed
Every contractor candidate sits two parts: a Technical part of 4.0 hours and a Business and Law part of 1.5 hours, for both classes. The difference between P-I and P-II is the scope the license carries afterward, not the length of the day.
The passing standard comes from the Board’s rule, in the rule’s own form: Board examinations are based on a maximum obtainable grade of 100 points, and a grade of 70 of 100 is required to pass, on each part. A strong Technical score does not carry a weak Business and Law score. One exception is worth knowing in advance: the Business and Law part is not required of an applicant who already holds a currently active contractor license with this Board and passed the Board’s Business and Law examination after August 2003.
This program prepares candidates for the Technical part and for the structure of the full route. The Business and Law part is a distinct body of material, referenced to Business & Project Management for Contractors (NASCLA), Board edition; the companion guide at /north-carolina-master-plumber-exam-guide/ walks through both parts, the open-book rules, and the retake clock in full.
The code the examination actually tests
The tested code is the 2018 North Carolina Plumbing Code. That book is North Carolina’s own state code: built on the 2015 International Plumbing Code, as amended by North Carolina, it — not the national model code standing alone — is the examination reference, because the North Carolina amendments are part of the tested text.
The position on the later code edition needs stating exactly. The 2024 North Carolina code is not in effect, and the examinations remain on the 2018 codes — the Board’s position is that all plumbing, heating, fuel piping and fire sprinkler examinations are based on the 2018 editions until that changes. No date for a change is stated here, because none has been set as settled.
An open-book sitting with strict book rules
The examinations are open book, and the books are the candidate’s own. Candidates must bring all of their own reference materials, manuals, and codebooks, and only the books listed for the license category the candidate is approved for are allowed in the room. The physical rules are exacting:
- Books must be hard-bound, spiral-bound, or ring-bound, in original published condition.
- Highlighting is the only alteration allowed.
- Commercially available permanent tabs are allowed, and the only approved loose-leaf full-page inserts are ICC “Turbo Tabs.”
- There must be no writing, underlining, notes, or formulae in the books, before or during the examination.
- Printed PDF versions are not allowed.
Pencils, scratch paper, calculators, and the North Carolina Heating and Plumbing Figures are provided at the site, and all must be returned. That figures booklet supports figure-based items inside the written sitting; it is not a separate component. Some questions are based on field experience and trade practice and are not limited to the listed references. A pre-exam tutorial of up to 15 minutes does not count against examination time. A candidate who arrives with unauthorized materials or devices is not allowed to test, must wait 90 days before rescheduling, and has the materials confiscated and forwarded to the Board.
No practical component is published. No primary source publishes any hands-on practical, drawing, or isometric component for any North Carolina plumbing examination; the published format is a written, computer-based examination only.
Who may sit: the experience gate
Plumbing Contractor Class I and Class II examination eligibility requires two years — 4,000 hours — of on-site full-time experience in the installation, maintenance, service, or repair of plumbing systems related to the category sought, whether or not a license was required for the work. Up to one-half — 2,000 hours — may be academic or technical training directly related to the field, stated as 45 quarter hours or 30 semester hours, with each approved semester hour converting to 66.66 hours of experience credit. The Board prorates part-time work of less than 40 hours per week, and part-time academic work. An applicant may also be required to establish that they are at least 18 years old and of good moral character.
The application is a substantial filing, including an experience description with hours and type, notarized employer experience verification, a signed criminal-background-check authorization, a signed SSA-89, and disclosure of criminal charges and convictions. Every contractor examination applicant must obtain a nationwide criminal background record report through CastleBranch.com, pay the provider, and include a printed copy; a report more than six months old must be updated for re-examination. Experience from other states may be submitted; Certified Code Enforcement Official experience does not meet the requirements, and neither do certificates in fields not directly related. A licensee who has continuously maintained a license in good standing for a minimum of 10 years is accepted as having the experience for Class II qualifications.
The route, in order
The Board approves the application first; processing currently averages about six weeks. The candidate then registers with PSI and must take the examination within 90 days of the Board’s eligibility notification. Examinations are computer-based, delivered daily at seven North Carolina PSI centers — Asheville, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Greenville, Raleigh, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem — and out-of-state PSI testing may be allowed. Scores are reported immediately as PASS/FAIL.
On dollars, the layers stay separate. The application for license by examination is $150 in total — a $75 application fee plus a $75 examination fee — nonrefundable. The license fee must be paid within 45 days of notification of the result, or the candidate must retest; a person who obtains a license by passing an examination on or after October 1 may receive it for the remainder of that year by paying one-half the usual license fee.
When a part is failed: retakes and the technician pathway
A candidate who fails any part is not reexamined until after 90 days from the date last examined, and must submit a Re-Examination Application. The failed portion may be retaken within 6 months of the approval date without retaking the passed portion — the passed part is banked, but only inside that window. The Board may require an applicant who fails any part three times to receive additional education or wait one year before retaking. A failing candidate may also, on written request, review the examination at a Board-set time and place.
The two-part structure also creates a pathway with no equivalent in most states. An applicant who fails only the business portion but passes the technical portion may request a Technician license in the same class based on the technical pass; conversely, a Technician license holder may obtain the Contractor license in the same category and class by meeting the contractor experience requirement and passing only the business portion. The Technician classes are not part of this program, but the pathway changes what a partial result is worth.
Holding the license: renewal, and the continuing education position
All North Carolina licenses expire on the last day of December each year following issuance or renewal, and there is no grace period — all licensed activities must cease until the license is renewed. The renewal period begins 90 days before expiration, usually October 1. Annual license and renewal fees set by rule put contractor licenses at $150, with a late renewal processing fee of $25.
The continuing education position should be stated plainly, because candidates routinely assume the opposite: North Carolina has no continuing-education requirement for renewal. That requirement was eliminated December 31, 2012, and the former rules were repealed the same date; Board-ordered disciplinary education is a separate, complaint-driven mechanism, and no renewal hours are owed. An expired license may be reinstated within three years of expiration on written request with the current license fee, the fees for the unpaid prior years, and the processing fee; a license expired more than three years cannot be renewed at all, and reexamination is required.
On recognition from elsewhere, North Carolina has no reciprocity agreements with any other state. A South Carolina technical examination waiver agreement applies only to the technical section — the North Carolina business section must still be taken and passed — and current permanent residents licensed in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, or West Virginia may be eligible for equivalent licensure under the Neighbor State License Recognition Act.
What the PassProfessor program will cover
The 2018 North Carolina code as the tested text. The program is written to the 2018 North Carolina Plumbing Code, because that is the book the examination uses. Open-book preparation is a distinct skill from closed-book recall, and the program trains it as one: book organization, tab discipline within the Board’s rules, and rapid provision-finding inside a 4.0-hour clock.
Both classes, one scope line. Class I and Class II candidates sit the same part durations and face the same passing standard, so the program prepares them together and marks the scope line wherever a provision’s application turns on it.
Independence, stated plainly. PassProfessor is an independent preparation provider, not affiliated with the Board or with PSI, and this program is not a Board course. Completing it confers no license and no examination eligibility; the Board alone licenses.
Tell me when enrollment opens. The North Carolina Plumbing Contractor Class I (P-I) and Class II (P-II) program is in the works and enrollment is not yet open. Our catalog now includes preparation for contractor examinations across the trades: leave an email address and PassProfessor will write to you when the program is ready — and only about this program. No date is promised. The full route is in the companion guide at /north-carolina-master-plumber-exam-guide/.
Frequently asked questions
Does North Carolina have a Master Plumber license?
No. North Carolina has no credential titled Master Plumber and no statewide journeyman plumber license. The contractor tier is Plumbing Contractor Class I (P-I) and Plumbing Contractor Class II (P-II).
What is the difference between Class I and Class II?
Scope. Class I is unlimited — potable water and drain, waste and vent systems in any building. Class II covers the same systems in single-family detached dwellings only.
How long are the examinations?
Both classes sit a Technical part of 4.0 hours and a Business and Law part of 1.5 hours. Both parts are required.
What score passes?
A grade of 70 of 100, on each part, as the Board’s rule at 21 NCAC 50 .0305 provides.
Which code edition is tested?
The 2018 North Carolina Plumbing Code, built on the 2015 International Plumbing Code as amended by North Carolina. The 2024 North Carolina code is not in effect, and the examinations remain on the 2018 codes.
Is the examination open book?
Yes, with candidate-supplied references from the list for the approved category. Books must be bound in original published condition; highlighting is the only alteration allowed; permanent tabs are allowed; no writing or notes may appear in the books; printed PDF versions are not allowed.
Is there a practical or drawing examination?
No practical or drawing component is published. The published format is a written, computer-based examination; the North Carolina Heating and Plumbing Figures booklet is provided at the site to support figure-based items inside that sitting.
What experience is required to sit?
Two years — 4,000 hours — of on-site full-time experience in plumbing systems related to the category sought, with up to one-half permitted as directly related academic or technical training.
What does the application cost?
$150 in total — a $75 application fee plus a $75 examination fee — nonrefundable.
What happens if I pass one part and fail the other?
The failed portion may be retaken within 6 months of the approval date without retaking the passed portion, after the 90-day wait that follows a failure. An applicant who passes the technical portion but fails only the business portion may also request a Technician license in the same class; the Technician classes are not part of this program.
Does North Carolina require continuing education for renewal?
No. The requirement was eliminated December 31, 2012. The Board encourages voluntary continuing education.
Is PassProfessor affiliated with the Board?
No. PassProfessor is an independent preparation provider, not affiliated with the Board or with PSI. The Board alone licenses plumbing contractors in North Carolina.
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.