There is no national plumbing licence in the United States. What you need depends on the state you are standing in, and in several states on the county too.
Three different systems
- Statewide licensing. One board, one set of classes, one exam. Most states work this way.
- Local licensing. No single state licence — cities and counties issue their own, and a card from one jurisdiction usually carries no weight in the next.
- Registration rather than licensing. Some states register plumbers without a competency exam, which is not the same as licensing and does not always travel.
Reciprocity is narrower than it sounds
Several states recognise licences from neighbours, but the agreements are specific: often only at certain licence classes, often requiring a set number of years held, and almost always requiring you to apply rather than simply show the card.
What a network should require of you
Any dispatch network sending you into somebody's home should be checking three things: the plumbing licence your state requires for the work, current general liability insurance, and a valid driver licence. If nobody asks, that should worry you rather than please you — it means your competition on that network was not asked either.
Pipe Well requires all three before your first appointment, and you remain the licensed contractor of record on every job. We do not hold the licence the work is done under; you do.
If your licence lapses
We put the account on hold rather than deleting it. Nobody can call, text or email a plumber on hold, and no appointment can reach them — but the record, the history and the ratings stay. Send through a current licence and current insurance and it lifts. It is a hold, not a ban.
Booked appointments, not leads
Free to join. No monthly fee, no charge per lead. Pipe Well is paid 50% of the job after your documented materials — and only once the customer has paid you.
See how it works →Or call (562) 800-5506 — one line, answered nationwide.