New Jersey · plumber licensing · verified July 2026
New Jersey plumber license requirements
The short answer
As of July 2026, New Jersey licenses master plumbers statewide through the State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers (Division of Consumer Affairs); a master plumber license is required to run a plumbing business, and journeyman plumbers register with the board while apprentices register through the U.S. Department of Labor. To sit the master exam you must complete a four-year U.S. DOL-approved apprenticeship (or hold a bachelor's degree in mechanical, plumbing or sanitary engineering from a regionally accredited school including propane-services education) followed by one year (at least 1,200 hours) of practical hands-on experience as a journeyman plumber in New Jersey.
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in New Jersey?
New Jersey licenses plumbers statewide, so one credential is valid across the whole state.
Only the master plumber tier is a LICENSE; journeyman plumbers hold a board registration (no state journeyman exam found on official pages) and apprentices register through the U.S. DOL rather than the board. The board also certifies medical gas piping installers/instructors/brazers.
What licenses does New Jersey issue?
The New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers (Division of Consumer Affairs) issues the credentials below for this trade. Boards often list further classes for specialties and business licenses; these are the ones this page covers.
Hours are what each class asks for on its own terms. Where a senior class shows fewer than a journeyman, the board is counting time served after the earlier license rather than from the start; the prerequisite column says which.
| License | On-the-job hours | Classroom hours | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice Plumber (registered via U.S. DOL) | not published | not published | No |
| Journeyman Plumber (board registration) | not published | not published | No |
| Licensed Master Plumber | 1,200 | not published | Yes |
Source: New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers (Division of Consumer Affairs) (njconsumeraffairs.gov). Verified July 2026.
Licensed Master Plumber: Four-year US DOL apprenticeship or qualifying bachelor's degree, plus 1 year / minimum 1,200 hours as a journeyman plumber in New Jersey
What exam does New Jersey require?
New Jersey Master Plumber License Examination (licensure by examination).
How much does a New Jersey plumber license cost?
Getting a Journeyman Plumber (board registration) license in New Jersey costs $100 in board fees, before any training. That is the application fee charged once, with renewal charged separately below. No board publishes this total, so it is added up here from the schedule it does publish. An exam is required and its fee is not in that figure, because no amount for it appears in the board material this page is built from. Check the board's current fee schedule before budgeting.
- Application fee$100
- Renewal fee (recurring)$160
How often do you renew, and what continuing education is required?
Renewal period: 2 years, licenses expire biennially on June 30 of odd-numbered years
Continuing education: 5 credits of Board-approved continuing education per biennial renewal period
How does the apprenticeship route work?
The standard path is a four-year apprenticeship approved by the U.S. Department of Labor (employer registers the apprentice with US DOL), followed by 1 year / at least 1,200 hours of hands-on journeyman experience in New Jersey before qualifying for the master plumber examination; a qualifying engineering bachelor's degree can substitute for the apprenticeship.
Which states does New Jersey have license reciprocity with?
No published agreement for this trade names New Jersey. That is not the same as a closed door: states without a published list usually take out-of-state applicants through an endorsement or equivalency review instead, decided case by case on the requirements set out above.
How does New Jersey compare to neighboring states?
Requirements stop at the state line, which matters if you live near one or expect to move. Here is what the neighboring states ask of the same trade.
| State | Journeyman hours | Licensing model |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | not published | Statewide |
| Delaware | not published | Statewide |
| Pennsylvania | not published | City or county |
Source: state licensing boards. Verified July 2026.
Sources and verification
Every fact on this page traces to one of these
- NJ Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers - board page
- NJ Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers - Applications and Forms
- NJ Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers - FAQ (requirements, fees, renewal, CE)
Last verified July 2026. Found an error? Report it and it will be corrected and logged on the corrections page.
Other states with published requirements for this trade: New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon.
Price the whole path with the license cost estimator, or weigh earning against paying for school with the apprenticeship comparison. Back to plumbers overview.
Licensing requirements change between our verification sweeps. This page is informational only, so confirm current requirements with New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers (Division of Consumer Affairs) before making decisions. Not legal advice.