Getting A North Carolina Plumber License FAQ

Who needs to be licensed for plumbing in North Carolina?

Individuals must be licensed to perform any type of plumbing work without a licensed supervisor.

What are the types of plumbing licenses available in North Carolina?

P-I (Plumbing-Class I) Contractor: Potable water and drain/waste/vent piping systems in any building (residential, commercial, industrial).
P-II (Plumbing-Class II) Contractor: Potable water and drain/waste/vent piping systems in single-family detached dwellings only.
RLP (Restricted Limited Plumbing) Contractor: Exterior building sewer piping, exterior water service piping 2″ or less, exterior backflow preventers on 2″ or less piping, water filtration systems.
SLGT-P (State & Local Government Technician – Plumbing): Potable water and drain/waste/vent piping systems. Must be an employee of a state or local government. This is not a contracting license.

How do I get my plumbing contractor (P-I & P-II) license or Restricted Limited Plumbing (RLP) license in North Carolina?

Obtain a copy of the Board’s Laws and Rules book.
Meet state requirements
- You must have 2 years or a total of 4,000 hours of experience to take the exams. At least 2,000 of these hours must consist of hands-on work in installation, layout, and design.
Complete an examination application & pay the $100 exam fee
- Include a criminal background report from CastleBranch.com
Pass the state exams – study with online exam prep!

What are the examination fees for a plumbing contractor (P-I & P-II) license or Restricted Limited Plumbing (RLP) license in South Carolina?

$100

What code is the North Carolina plumber test based on?

North Carolina International Plumbing Code

What can I expect from the North Carolina Plumbing Contractor (P-I & P-II) license or Restricted Limited Plumbing (RLP) exams?

The state of North Carolina does not publish an outline of materials or topics that will be covered during the exam, and specifically within their reference information “Some questions are based on field experience and knowledge of trade practices, therefore, questions are not limited to information contained within the listed reference materials.”

Since we author and instruct plumbing exam preparation courses across the nation, we have a pretty good idea of the topics that will be covered. To the best of our knowledge candidates should be familiar with the following topics before sitting for the exam.

Business & Law – You will be Allotted 90 Minutes
Plumbing Portion – You will be Allotted 240 Minutes

What can I expect from your plumbing contractor (P-I & P-II) license or Restricted Limited Plumbing (RLP) exam prep course?

Business Law Exam

Estimating and Bidding
Business Organization
Risk Management
Contracts
Project Management
Employee Management
Financial management
Taxes
Liens
Recordkeeping
OSHA Safety
Licensing

Plumbing Exam

Administration, Scope, Intent/Purpose
Definitions and Symbols
Plumbing Math
General Regulations
Fixtures, Faucets, and Fixture Fittings
Water Heaters
Water Supply and Distribution
Sanitary Drainage
Indirect and Special Waste
Vents
Traps, Interceptors, and Separators
Storm Drainage
Nonpotable Water Systems
Subsurface Landscape Irrigation Systems
Appendix E
Isometric Theory
Hands-on-Practical Application
International Fuel Gas Code
Copper Projects
Practice Tests

Bonus Materials

An overview on reading and understanding the ProV Bulletin
A list of books you should have during the exam
A guide to studying effectively

Is the North Carolina plumbing contractor (P-I & P-II) license or Restricted Limited Plumbing (RLP) exam open book?

Yes

What should I bring to the South Carolina plumbing contractor (P-I & P-II) license or Restricted Limited Plumbing (RLP) exams?

Hard-bound edition of reference materials, manuals, and codebooks, in original published condition.
The only alterations allowed in reference material, manuals, codebooks may be highlighting. No added or written text, underlining or other foreign marks are allowed. • Reference material, manuals, codebooks may be tabbed with permanent index page tabs manufactured and/or provided by the publisher.

Books

North Carolina Administration Code and Policies, 2012 Edition
Plumbing Code with NC Amendments, 2012 Edition
Fuel Gas Code with NC Amendments, 2012 Edition
Energy Conservation Code with NC Amendments, 2012 Edition
North Carolina Board’s Laws and Rules
Business & Project Management for Contractors 5^th

Do not bring

Candidates may not write, highlight, underline, index, or mark their reference materials, manuals, or codebooks during the examination(s).
Candidates are not permitted to have their reference materials, manuals, codebooks tabbed with homemade, DIY, or non-manufactured/publisher tabs.
Any additional paper (loose, taped, adhered, stapled etc.) will not be allowed in the examination room.
Loose-leaf, spiral-bound, or ring-bound copies of the reference material, manuals, and codebooks will not be allowed in the examination room. The only exceptions to this are the spiral-bound NASCLA Contractor’s Guide (examinee’s copy) and the 3-ring bound Boiler & Pressure Vessel book (provided at the exam site).
Taking notes of any kind at the examination site is prohibited.
Pencils, scratch paper, calculators, ductilators, NC Heating and Plumbing Figures and the Uniform Boiler & Pressure Vessel Act of NC manual will be provided at the test sites. All materials, including scratch paper, shall be returned to the examination proctor before leaving the examination site.