Plumbing license lookup by state
Of the 50 states we surveyed, 43 states license plumbers at the state level, 1 registers them without a competency license, and 6 leave licensing to cities and counties or have no state license we could find. The table names the state board and links its official license lookup where we could load it. Treat the board's own record as final.
Look up a plumbing license by state
| State | Credential | Board | Official lookup | Job-size threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | State license | Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board | Search Alabama licenses | None recorded |
| Alaska | State registration | Alaska DCCED, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing (mechanical contractor registration and mechanical administrator license); Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection Section (Certificates of Fitness) | Search Alaska licenses | None recorded |
| Arizona | State license | Arizona Registrar of Contractors | Search Arizona licenses | A license is required for any job of $1,000 or more (labor and materials combined) and for any job of any size that needs a local building permit; the handyman exemption below $1,000 covers only casual or minor work. |
| Arkansas | State license | Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (Committee of Plumbing Examiners) | Search Arkansas licenses | None recorded |
| California | State license | Contractors State License Board | Search California licenses | A CSLB license is required when labor, materials and other costs on the project total $1,000 or more, or the job needs a building permit or uses employee labor. |
| Colorado | State license | Colorado State Plumbing Board, Division of Professions and Occupations, Department of Regulatory Agencies | Search Colorado licenses | None recorded |
| Connecticut | State license | Plumbing and Piping Work Board, Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection | Search Connecticut licenses | None recorded |
| Delaware | State license | Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners, Division of Professional Regulation | Search Delaware licenses | None recorded |
| Florida | State license | Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation | Search Florida licenses | Work under $2,500 total (labor, materials and all other items) of a casual, minor or inconsequential nature is exempt, unless it is part of a larger job split up to evade the law or the person advertises as a contractor. |
| Georgia | State license | State Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Master Plumbers and Journeyman Plumbers, Georgia Secretary of State | Search Georgia licenses | None recorded |
| Hawaii | State license | Contractors License Board (DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing Division) | Search Hawaii licenses | A contractor license is required for any project over $1,500 in labor and material, or any project that needs a building, electrical or plumbing permit. |
| Idaho | State license | Idaho State Plumbing Board (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) | Search Idaho licenses | None recorded |
| Illinois | State license | Illinois Department of Public Health, Plumbing Program | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Indiana | State license | Indiana Plumbing Commission (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency) | Search Indiana licenses | None recorded |
| Iowa | State license | Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board (DIAL) | Search Iowa licenses | None recorded |
| Kansas | City or county | None at state level (cities and counties) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Kentucky | State license | Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Division of Plumbing | Search Kentucky licenses | None recorded |
| Louisiana | State license | State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (individual plumbers); Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (Plumbing classification for jobs over $10,000) | Search Louisiana licenses | Plumbing work of $10,000 or more also requires an LSLBC commercial plumbing license on top of the master plumber license. |
| Maine | State license | Plumbers' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) | Search Maine licenses | None recorded |
| Maryland | State license | Maryland State Board of Plumbing | Search Maryland licenses | None recorded |
| Massachusetts | State license | Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters (Division of Occupational Licensure) | Search Massachusetts licenses | None recorded |
| Michigan | State license | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes, Licensing Section | Search Michigan licenses | None recorded |
| Minnesota | State license | Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Construction Codes and Licensing Division (Plumbing Board) | Search Minnesota licenses | None recorded |
| Mississippi | State license | Mississippi State Board of Contractors | Search Mississippi licenses | No dollar threshold for residential plumbing work: an MSBOC license is required no matter the dollar amount; commercial plumbing contracts need a commercial license over $50,000. |
| Missouri | City or county | None at state level (cities and counties) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Montana | State license | Montana Board of Plumbers | Search Montana licenses | None recorded |
| Nebraska | City or county | City or county | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Nevada | State license | Nevada State Contractors Board | Search Nevada licenses | No dollar threshold: the $1,000 small repair exemption does not cover plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, heating or air conditioning work. |
| New Hampshire | State license | New Hampshire Mechanical Licensing Board (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) | Search New Hampshire licenses | None recorded |
| New Jersey | State license | State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers | Search New Jersey licenses | None recorded |
| New Mexico | State license | New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division | Search New Mexico licenses | No dollar threshold: the handyman exemption does not apply to electrical wiring, plumbing or gas fitting work, so a license is required regardless of job size. |
| New York | City or county | None at state level (local: city examining boards of plumbers, NYC Department of Buildings, Suffolk and Westchester county consumer offices) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| North Carolina | State license | North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors | Search North Carolina licenses | None recorded |
| North Dakota | State license | North Dakota State Plumbing Board | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Ohio | State license | Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance) | Search Ohio licenses | None recorded |
| Oklahoma | State license | Oklahoma Construction Industries Board | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Oregon | State license | Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Building Codes Division | Search Oregon licenses | None recorded |
| Pennsylvania | City or county | City or county | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Rhode Island | State license | Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Division of Professional Regulation (Board of Examiners of Plumbers) | Search Rhode Island licenses | None recorded |
| South Carolina | State license | South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board (commercial, PB classification); South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (Residential Plumber) | Search South Carolina licenses | Residential plumbing work over $500 requires a license. |
| South Dakota | State license | South Dakota State Plumbing Commission | Search South Dakota licenses | None recorded |
| Tennessee | State license | Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors | Search Tennessee licenses | A state contractor license is required for plumbing work of $25,000 or more per project, including materials, equipment and labor. |
| Texas | State license | Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners | Search Texas licenses | None recorded |
| Utah | State license | Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) | Search Utah licenses | No dollar threshold: plumbing work on a project under the $7,000 handyman exemption must still be performed by a licensed contractor. |
| Vermont | State license | Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (Plumber's Examining Board) | Search Vermont licenses | None recorded |
| Virginia | State license | Virginia Board for Contractors (Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation) | Search Virginia licenses | A Class C contractor license is needed once a single contract or project is over $1,000 (Class B from $30,000, Class A from $150,000). |
| Washington | State license | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), Plumbing Program | Search Washington licenses | None recorded |
| West Virginia | State license | West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board (contractor); West Virginia Division of Labor (plumber certification) | Search West Virginia licenses | Contractor license needed when the job costs $5,000 or more for residential work or $25,000 or more for commercial work. |
| Wisconsin | State license | Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) | Search Wisconsin licenses | None recorded |
| Wyoming | City or county | City or county | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
Questions
- How do I look up a plumbing license?
- Find the state in the table and use its official lookup button. Where the table says the lookup is not confirmed, we could not load it when we checked, so go through the board site instead.
- Which states license plumbers at the state level?
- 43 of the 50 states we surveyed issue a state license to plumbers. Each row names the board that issues it.
- What if my state does not license plumbers?
- In 6 states, we found no state-level license for plumbers. Check with the city or county building department where the work is done, since local rules apply there.
- What is a state registration?
- A registration records the business with the state but is not a test of skill. 1 state registers plumbers this way.
This is not a government site. The licensing board's own record governs; always confirm on the official lookup. Information as of October 6, 2026.