How to get a plumber license in Nevada

Licensing office Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) · (702) 486-1100 [1][12]

The license pathway in Nevada

1. 1

   Helper or apprentice (no state license)

   You work for a licensed plumbing contractor. Registered apprentices sign an agreement under a program registered with the State Apprenticeship Council. In Clark County a master, qualified individual or journeyman plumber must supervise on site. [7][10][26]

2. 2

   Journeyman plumber (NBOPE certificate)

   • 8,000 hours on the job
   • Yes: 50 open-book and 100 closed-book questions on the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code; 75% to pass (NITC)
   • $250 exam ($340 at a Prometric test center)
   • Every 3 years, by continuing education or an online test

   Four years in a state-registered, accredited apprenticeship or 8,000 hours of verified plumbing experience qualify you for the exam. You get a color-coded photo ID card and must carry it while you work. [4][5][9]

3. 3

   Master plumber (NBOPE certificate)

   • 2,000 hours on the job
   • 1 year of experience
   • Yes: same format on the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code; 75% to pass
   • $250 exam ($340 at a Prometric test center)
   • Every 3 years

   You need a current NBOPE journeyman certificate in good standing for 1 year or 2,000 hours. [4][5][9]

4. 4

   Plumbing contractor (NSCB C-1 or C-1d)

   • 4 years of experience
   • Yes: Business and Law (CMS) exam, open book, plus a trade exam, both through PSI
   • $300 application; $600 license (2 years); exam fees extra
   • Every 2 years; $600

   The license for a business that contracts for plumbing. Its qualified individual needs 4 years at journeyman level or above within the last 15 years and passes the exams; the business needs a bond and a financial statement. [1][11][12][13][14]

Who needs a license in Nevada

Nevada's state law licenses contractors: anyone who builds, alters or repairs a structure, personally or "by or through" employees. Plumbing falls under classification C-1, Plumbing and Heating, whose subclassifications include plumbing (C-1d: water supply, drain, waste and vent systems, roof drainage, small hydronic heating, irrigation, water heating, gas piping and medical gas), water heaters (C-1h), gas pipes and vents (C-1g) and boilers (C-1a). The license belongs to the business.

Plumbing work is never covered by the small-repair exemption: the law's exemption for repairs under $1,000 doesn't apply to work "of a type performed by a plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, heating or air-conditioning contractor." [1][2][7][8]

The journeyman plumber certificate

Individual plumbers in Nevada's two big metro areas carry a certificate from the Nevada Board of Plumbing Examiners (NBOPE). NBOPE isn't a state agency: by its own account it was founded in 2002 through an industry effort led by trade organizations in Southern and Northern Nevada, and it works "in partnership with Clark County." No Nevada statute creating it was found. Its candidate bulletin says applicants "must be qualified as mandated by Clark County and the City of Reno."

The City of Reno says no one may install, alter or add to a plumbing system in the city unless done by a person with a valid journeyman certificate; apprentices need a card from an approved apprenticeship program, and the exceptions are homeowners, a contractor's employees working under a written direct-supervision agreement kept on site, and contractors with reciprocal licenses (for their first 12 months in the city). Reno sends you to NBOPE for the exam. In unincorporated Clark County, the building code requires a master plumber, plumbing qualified individual or journeyman plumber on site, supervising, whenever permitted plumbing work is going on.

• Journeyman: four years in a state-registered, accredited apprenticeship or 8,000 hours of substantiated plumbing experience. Your affidavit of experience is completed by a plumbing contractor, or backed by employer letters and past W-2s.
• Master: a current NBOPE journeyman certificate held for 1 year or 2,000 hours.
• The exam: 50 open-book questions (2 hours), then 100 closed-book questions (2 hours) on pipe sizing, drainage and the code, based on the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC). You need 75%. (Reno's page calls the exam open book; NBOPE's bulletin describes both the open-book and closed-book parts.) The fee is $250, plus $90 at a Prometric test center; groups also test through UA Local 525, UA Local 350, ABC and PHCC of Nevada.
• The card: you get a color-coded photo ID card and certificate, and must carry the card during work hours. Certificates last 3 years; renew with continuing education or an online open-book test.

[3][4][5][6][9][10]

The C-1 plumbing contractor license

To contract for plumbing work yourself, the business needs an NSCB license and a qualified individual who supervises the work. That person needs:

• 4 years of experience "as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor" in the classification, within the 15 years before applying. Nevada law defines a journeyman as someone fully qualified to do the work unsupervised, or who finished an apprenticeship approved by the State Apprenticeship Council (or an equivalent the NSCB accepts).
• Proof: four Certification of Work Experience forms, a current master's certification issued by a government agency, or transferable military experience. Apprenticeship or college training can count for up to 3 of the 4 years.
• Passing scores on the open-book Business and Law (CMS) exam and the closed-book trade exam, both through PSI. You get three tries each and must finish within 6 months of applying.

Fees: $300 to apply and $600 for the 2-year license (renewal $600). The NSCB sets a bond from $1,000 to $500,000, and every applicant files a financial statement. Residential contractors pay a recovery fund assessment ($200 for limits up to $1,000,000). [1][11][12][13][14][15]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships in Nevada

• UA Local 525 (Las Vegas): separate 5-year plumber/pipefitter and HVAC programs. Requirements: 18 or older, diploma or GED with transcripts, birth certificate or passport, Social Security card, a math exam and an interview. As of October 2026, the next online application period runs November 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027 for classes starting September 2027. Not accepted? Many apprentices worked as helpers first, which also earns application points.
• UA Local 350 (Sparks): a 5-year plumber and pipefitter program (and a 4-year HVAC program) covering Reno-Sparks and much of northern and central Nevada. Applicants must be 17 or older with a diploma or equivalent, transcripts and a driver's license; there's a math test and an interview, and accepted applications stay in the pool for two years.
• Open shop: ABC Nevada runs a plumbing program in Reno, and the Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors of Nevada (PHCC) runs a registered plumber program in Henderson.

See the Labor Commissioner's list of current programs for contacts, and union vs. non-union. [16][17][18][19][20]

If you're licensed in another state

Contractor license (endorsement). The NSCB waives the trade exam and the experience paperwork for a qualified individual who has held the matching license for the past four years with no discipline. For C-1 the matching licenses are Arizona CR-77 (plumbing including solar), California C-36 plumbing together with C-4 boiler and steam fitting, and Tennessee CMC (full mechanical). A Florida CF license waives experience only. Everyone takes the Nevada Business and Law exam.

Any-state routes. Nevada law (NRS 622.530) tells state licensing boards to adopt rules for licensure by endorsement of people licensed in any state with substantially similar qualifications; the NSCB's rule works through its list of equivalent states above. Separately, through December 31, 2029, NRS 624.242 lets a contractor licensed for at least 4 consecutive years in any state get a no-fee Nevada license by endorsement, but only for attainable housing projects in rural areas.

Journeyman certificate. No transfer route for out-of-state journeyman plumbers was found on NBOPE's pages; the experience affidavit and exam above apply. Reno lets contractors with reciprocal licenses from another city, county, state or country work in the city for 12 months before they must get the certification. Contact NITC at (877) 457-6482. More: license reciprocity. [4][6][21][22][23][24]

Steps to get licensed in Nevada

1. Get hired or accepted into an apprenticeship

   Work for a licensed plumbing contractor as a helper, or apply to a registered apprenticeship such as UA Local 525, UA Local 350, ABC Nevada or PHCC of Nevada. [7][16][18][20]

2. Build 8,000 hours or finish 4 years of apprenticeship

   Keep proof: the NBOPE affidavit of experience must be completed by a plumbing contractor, or backed by employer letters on company letterhead and W-2s. [4][9]

3. Apply and pass the journeyman exam

   Send the application, affidavit, photo ID and $250 fee to NBOPE c/o NITC; score at least 75% on the 2024 UPC exam. [4][5][9]

4. Carry and renew your card

   Journeyman plumbers must carry the photo ID card at work. Renew every 3 years by continuing education or the online recertification test. [4][5]

5. Later: qualify a C-1 contractor license

   With 4 years at journeyman level or above, you can be the qualified individual on an NSCB C-1 or C-1d license: apply first, then pass the Business and Law and trade exams at PSI. [11][12][13]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train plumbers in or for Nevada, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

• Union

  UA Local 525 JATC (Las Vegas)

  Five-year plumber/pipefitter apprenticeship for Southern Nevada, fully funded. Apply online during the yearly window; helpers (pre-apprentices) can sign up at the hall. [16][17][20][25]

• Union

  UA Local 350 JATC (Sparks)

  Five-year plumber and pipefitter program covering Reno-Sparks and much of northern and central Nevada. Applications are taken year-round; classes include day school in the first two years and evening classes two nights a week. [18][20]

• Open shop

  ABC Nevada plumbing apprenticeship (Reno)

  Registered plumber program in Reno: work 40 hours a week for an ABC member contractor and attend class one night a week. [19][20]

• Open shop

  Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors of Nevada (Henderson)

  Contractor association with a registered plumber apprenticeship program in Clark County. [20]

• State program

  Nevada registered apprenticeship (Office of the Labor Commissioner)

  Nevada's state apprenticeship agency; its list of current programs gives contacts for each registered program. [20][27]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask