Tennessee · plumber licensing · verified July 2026
Tennessee plumber license requirements
The short answer
As of July 2026, Tennessee is a hybrid system run by the Board for Licensing Contractors: a full Contractor license (plumbing classifications CMC or CMC-A) is required for any plumbing project of $25,000 or more, while the state-issued Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP) covers work under $25,000 per project, but only in municipalities that use the state Division of Fire Prevention for permits/inspections. Elsewhere, cities and counties license plumbers locally, and the state has no journeyman/master tier of its own.
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Tennessee?
Tennessee regulates this trade at the contractor level rather than licensing individual plumbers.
Hybrid structure: the state licenses plumbing contractors (>= $25,000) and LLPs (< $25,000, only where the state Division of Fire Prevention has permit/inspection jurisdiction); larger cities such as Nashville and Memphis run their own local plumbing licensing/permitting programs, and the board instructs applicants to check whether their local government accepts the LLP or has its own licensing (the LLP application itself accepts local municipal plumbing licenses as proof of experience). $50 of the LLP application fee is non-refundable.
What licenses does Tennessee issue?
The Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce & Insurance) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP) | not published | not published | Yes |
| Contractor - CMC-A (Plumbing) or CMC (Full Mechanical - Plumbing & HVAC) | not published | not published | Yes |
Source: Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce & Insurance) (tn.gov). Verified July 2026.
What exam does Tennessee require?
LLP trade exam (open book, 40 questions, 2 hours, 73% to pass per board application packet). Administered by Board testing vendor - current LLP page lists Prov; the board is transitioning exam administration from PSI to Prov during 2026 (Prov administers starting July 1, 2026; PSI continues scheduling through September 2026).
Business and Law exam + CMC/CMC-A trade exam (contractor license). Administered by Prov from July 1, 2026 (transition from PSI).
How much does a Tennessee plumber license cost?
Tennessee sets its fees per license class rather than as one figure for the trade, so no single total would be true of every applicant. The published items are below exactly as the board sets them.
- Application feeset per license class
- Renewal fee (recurring)$75
How often do you renew, and what continuing education is required?
Renewal period: 2 years (LLP is a two-year license; contractor licenses renew on a cycle not to exceed two years)
How does the apprenticeship route work?
No state apprentice registration tier. The one year of experience for the LLP is documented via a local plumbing license/registration from a Tennessee municipality or a notarized experience verification; apprenticeship/journeyman credentialing happens at the local level.
Which states does Tennessee have license reciprocity with?
Tennessee does not license this trade at state level, so there is no state agreement to publish. Whether an out-of-state license helps is decided by the city, county or contractor board that issues the credential where you intend to work.
How does Tennessee 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | not published | Contractor level only |
| Alabama | not published | Statewide |
| Arkansas | not published | Statewide |
| Georgia | not published | Statewide |
| Kentucky | not published | Statewide |
| Mississippi | not published | Contractor level only |
| Missouri | not published | City or county |
| North Carolina | not published | Statewide |
| Virginia | not published | Statewide |
Source: state licensing boards. Verified July 2026.
Sources and verification
Every fact on this page traces to one of these
- TN Board for Licensing Contractors - Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP)
- TN Board for Licensing Contractors - Contractor license
- TN Board for Licensing Contractors - Get Licensed
- TN LLP Application (official board packet)
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: Texas, Utah, Vermont.
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 Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce & Insurance) before making decisions. Not legal advice.