The essentials
- Licensing authorityNH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board — official site
- Statewide?Yes — New Hampshire licenses at the state level
- Experience required8,000 hours of on-the-job training plus 600 classroom hours (roughly 150 hours per calendar year over four years) for the journeyman license — confirm current figures with OPLC
- ExamState licensing examination required for each license level (administered under the Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board); reinstatement after lapse requires retaking the exam
- Renewal & CEIndividual licenses expire every two years on the last day of the licensee's birth month; minimum 6 hours of approved continuing education per endorsement per two-year cycle (typically 3 hours of code update per year)
- Bond / insuranceNot published in a form we could verify — confirm with the board
- ReciprocityNone we could confirm
License classes in New Hampshire
New Hampshire issues the following classes. Getting the class right matters — several states have residential-only or limited-scope licenses that will not cover commercial or multifamily work:
- Plumbing Apprentice — registration license; must be enrolled in an approved plumbing apprentice education program
- Journeyman Plumber — works independently under the general supervision of a master plumber
- Master Plumber — may contract for plumbing work and supervise journeymen and apprentices
- Domestic Appliance Technician — limited appliance-related endorsement issued by the same board
Experience and training
8,000 hours of on-the-job training plus 600 classroom hours (roughly 150 hours per calendar year over four years) for the journeyman license — confirm current figures with OPLC
One thing worth knowing regardless of state: the hours only count if they were logged properly at the time. Several boards require you to register as an apprentice before the clock starts, and hours worked while unregistered are simply gone. If you are early in the trade, get the registration paperwork right now rather than reconstructing it four years later.
The exam
State licensing examination required for each license level (administered under the Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board); reinstatement after lapse requires retaking the exam
Renewal and continuing education
Individual licenses expire every two years on the last day of the licensee's birth month; minimum 6 hours of approved continuing education per endorsement per two-year cycle (typically 3 hours of code update per year)
Letting a license lapse is more expensive than it looks. Some states allow a short grace period with a penalty fee; others treat a lapsed license as forfeited and make you retest from scratch. Put the renewal date in your calendar with a 90-day warning, not a 7-day one.
Insurance and bonding
We could not verify a published state bond or insurance minimum for New Hampshire. That does not mean you should work uninsured — local permit offices, general contractors and property managers routinely require a certificate regardless of what the state demands.
Separately from whatever the state requires: Pipe Well requires every plumber on the network to carry current general liability insurance and to upload the certificate before the first appointment is sent.
Working across state lines
We could not confirm any published reciprocity agreement for New Hampshire. That does not always mean there is none — several states evaluate out-of-state licenses case by case, or let you sit for the exam on the strength of a license held elsewhere. If you are relocating, call the board and ask specifically about endorsement or credential review rather than assuming you start over.
What plumbers actually get wrong here
Under RSA 329-A:14 nobody may contract for plumbing work for compensation without holding a master plumber license or working under one, so a journeyman alone cannot run the business. CE seminar providers must themselves hold a NH master license for 3+ years or a journeyman license for 5+ years.
Once you are licensed: getting the work
A license gets you legal. It does not get you a full schedule. The usual next step is buying leads — $40 to $85 for a contact that three or four other shops bought at the same moment, which at a realistic 10–20% close rate works out to somewhere between $300 and $1,000 for every job you actually book, plus the unpaid hours spent chasing the ones that go nowhere.
Pipe Well works the other way round. We book appointments, not leads, and we handle everything up to the moment you knock on the door: the advertising, the phone call, qualifying the job, getting the address and access details, and agreeing a date and time window with the homeowner. What reaches your phone is a scheduled appointment — name, address, time window and what is wrong. You reply YES and it is yours.
What it costs
Nothing to join. No subscription, no per-lead charge. You do the job, you set your own price, and you collect payment from the customer directly. Then Pipe Well is paid 50% of the job after your documented materials come off the top:
(amount collected − documented materials) × 50%
| Collected | Materials | Net | Pipe Well | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $400 | $40 | $360 | $180 | $220 |
| $1,200 | $520 | $680 | $340 | $860 |
| $2,800 | $800 | $2,000 | $1,000 | $1,800 |
| $8,500 | $3,200 | $5,300 | $2,650 | $5,850 |
Due within 48 hours of the customer paying you. If they never pay, you owe nothing. And look honestly at that last row — on a big repipe our share is a large number. If your book is already full of $8,500 jobs you are better off filling that capacity yourself. We are worth most to a shop with open capacity it cannot currently fill.
Apply free → Run your own numbersQuestions plumbers ask about licensing in New Hampshire
Do you need a license to do plumbing work in New Hampshire?
Yes. NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board is the licensing authority for New Hampshire. Under RSA 329-A:14 nobody may contract for plumbing work for compensation without holding a master plumber license or working under one, so a journeyman alone cannot run the business. CE seminar providers must themselves hold a NH master license for 3+ years or a journeyman license for 5+ years.
Who issues the plumbing license in New Hampshire?
NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board. The official site is https://www.oplc.nh.gov/mechanical-safety-and-licensing-board.
What license classes exist in New Hampshire?
Plumbing Apprentice — registration license; must be enrolled in an approved plumbing apprentice education program. Journeyman Plumber — works independently under the general supervision of a master plumber. Master Plumber — may contract for plumbing work and supervise journeymen and apprentices. Domestic Appliance Technician — limited appliance-related endorsement issued by the same board.
How many hours of experience do you need for a New Hampshire plumbing license?
8,000 hours of on-the-job training plus 600 classroom hours (roughly 150 hours per calendar year over four years) for the journeyman license — confirm current figures with OPLC
Who administers the New Hampshire plumbing exam?
State licensing examination required for each license level (administered under the Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board); reinstatement after lapse requires retaking the exam
How often does a New Hampshire plumbing license renew?
Individual licenses expire every two years on the last day of the licensee's birth month; minimum 6 hours of approved continuing education per endorsement per two-year cycle (typically 3 hours of code update per year)
Can I get booked plumbing appointments in New Hampshire once I am licensed?
Yes. Pipe Well Plumbing books customer appointments in New Hampshire and texts them to licensed plumbers whose service radius covers the address. Joining is free — no subscription and no per-lead fee. Pipe Well is paid 50% of the job after your documented material costs are deducted, and only after the customer has paid you.
Booked appointments in New Hampshire
Set your ZIP and a service radius of at least 30 miles and we will match appointments inside it. Free to join.
Join Free → Plumbing jobs in New HampshirePlumbing license requirements in other states
Compiled from NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board published materials, last reviewed July 2026. Where a figure could not be verified against a primary source we have said so rather than estimate it. Spotted something out of date? Email info@pipewellplumbing.com and we will correct it.