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How to become a plumber in North Carolina
North Carolina licenses plumbing contractors statewide: a Restricted Limited tier plus Class II (single-family dwellings) and Class I (all structures), each requiring hands-on experience and a PSI exam. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in North Carolina earned a median $57,080 a year in May 2025 ($27.44 an hour).
Plumber licensing in North Carolina
The licensing authority is North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors. The pages each row was read from are listed under the table, with the date each was read.
| License | What it takes | Experience | Exam | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted Limited Plumbing Contractor (RLP) | Exterior building sewer piping, exterior water-service piping 2 inches or less, exterior backflow preventers on piping 2 inches or less, and water filtration systems. 1,500 hours (about nine months) of experience, up to half from technical training; pass the restricted limited plumbing contractor exam and the business and law exam, both computer-based and administered by PSI. The business and law exam is not required of an applicant who holds a currently active contractor license with the Board and passed its business and law exam after August 2003. License fee $150/year; examination application fee $150. | 1,500 hrs | Restricted Limited Plumbing Contractor exam + NC business and law exam (PSI) | $300 |
| Plumbing Contractor Class II (P-II) | Single-family detached dwellings. Two years (4,000 hours) of on-site experience, up to half from technical training; pass the plumbing contractor exam and the business and law exam, both computer-based and administered by PSI. The business and law exam is not required of an applicant who holds a currently active contractor license with the Board and passed its business and law exam after August 2003. License fee $150/year; examination application fee $150. | 4,000 hrs (at least 2 yrs) | NC Plumbing Class II exam (trade + NC business and law, PSI) | $300 |
| Plumbing Contractor Class I (P-I) | All structures. Two years (4,000 hours) of on-site experience, up to half from technical training; pass the plumbing contractor exam and the business and law exam, both computer-based and administered by PSI. The business and law exam is not required of an applicant who holds a currently active contractor license with the Board and passed its business and law exam after August 2003. License fee $150/year; examination application fee $150. | 4,000 hrs (at least 2 yrs) | NC Plumbing Class I exam (trade + NC business and law, PSI) | $300 |
Reciprocity. No general reciprocity; all applicants must meet the North Carolina experience requirements. A technical-exam waiver exists with South Carolina, but the NC business exam is still required.
Renewal. Annual (all licenses expire December 31; renew in January).
Licensing sources: NC Board Applicant Information (retrieved 2026-09-16) · NC General Statutes Chapter 87, Article 2 (retrieved 2026-09-16) · 21 NCAC 50 .1102: license fees (retrieved 2026-09-23) · NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors: FAQ (retrieved 2026-10-03) · NC Board License Definitions: Contractor (retrieved 2026-10-03) · NC Board Exam Information (exam durations) (retrieved 2026-10-03). Requirements change; confirm with North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors before you act.
Years to this license at your hours a week → · Every fee here, itemised and totalled → · Compare time and cost across trades and states →
Common questions
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in North Carolina?
North Carolina licenses plumbing contractors statewide: a Restricted Limited tier plus Class II (single-family dwellings) and Class I (all structures), each requiring hands-on experience and a PSI exam.
What does it cost to get licensed as a plumber in North Carolina?
Each of the 3 published fees in the table above is $300, one for each step that lists it. Read each tier's requirements for any exam or license-issue fee charged on top.
How long does it take to become a plumber in North Carolina?
Plumbing Contractor Class II takes 4,000 hours of experience (up to half from technical training) over at least 2 years; the pages read do not say whether a worker needs a license to do the work, and the table above has each license's own requirement.
How much do plumbers make in North Carolina?
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in North Carolina earned a median $57,080 a year in May 2025, $27.44 an hour. That median is 11% below the national figure of $63,800, and North Carolina ranks 44 of 51 by pay for this trade.
What plumbers earn in North Carolina
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in North Carolina earned a median $57,080 a year in May 2025, $27.44 an hour. 14,510 people held the job, 2.9 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 11% below the national figure of $63,800, and North Carolina ranks 44 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in North Carolina
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.69 | $38,860 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $22.38 | $46,550 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $27.44 | $57,080 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $30.43 | $63,290 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $36.47 | $75,850 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $27.27 | $56,720 | The average. Pulled up by the top earners. |
Annual figures are the hourly rate times 2,080 hours, BLS's full-time year. Overtime is inside the survey's earnings but not separated out.
Pay by metro area in North Carolina
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC employs the most plumbers of the 15 metro areas based in North Carolina that BLS publishes, 3,840, at a median $58,690 a year. The best-paid is Raleigh-Cary, NC at $60,540.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 3,840 | $58,690 | $42,320 | $76,010 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 2,810 | $60,540 | $42,940 | $77,610 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | 1,110 | $57,510 | $39,550 | $73,860 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 860 | $49,240 | $37,830 | $72,160 |
| Wilmington, NC | 690 | $56,390 | $39,090 | $76,600 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 620 | $60,110 | $43,820 | $76,460 |
| Asheville, NC | 460 | $59,200 | $39,550 | $73,760 |
| Fayetteville, NC | 390 | $51,740 | $37,440 | $74,540 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 330 | $51,330 | $37,380 | $69,230 |
| Jacksonville, NC | 270 | $53,230 | $37,840 | $78,730 |
| Burlington, NC | 260 | $56,890 | $38,730 | $74,050 |
| Greenville, NC | 250 | $57,080 | $40,190 | $74,530 |
| Goldsboro, NC | 160 | $51,260 | $36,460 | $68,370 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | 140 | $56,220 | $37,300 | $74,140 |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 130 | $48,440 | $38,690 | $61,480 |
Metropolitan statistical areas as BLS publishes them in the same May 2025 estimates. A metro that crosses a state line is listed only under its primary state, so part of a neighboring state's metro can sit outside this table. Areas outside any metro are not shown. Listed under another state but reaching into North Carolina: Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC.
North Carolina against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Tennessee | $58,600 | 9,270 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $57,970 | 6,050 |
| 43 | Georgia | $57,200 | 8,930 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $57,080 | 14,510 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $56,980 | 1,830 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $55,480 | 3,360 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $53,940 | 5,770 |
The complete ranking is on the Plumbers and pipefitters page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $57,080 | $63,800 |
| Median hourly | $27.44 | $30.67 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $38,860 | $44,150 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $75,850 | $108,420 |
| Employed | 14,510 | 465,840 |
Apprenticeships in North Carolina
U.S. Department of Labor records list 57 registered apprentices active in North Carolina in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024) under the occupation titles DOL maps to plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (SOC 47-2152). The file's fiscal 2024 records largely stop after February 2024. In fiscal 2023, the latest year the file holds in full, 31 apprentices started; 31 have a starting wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs here. Of those who completed that year, 4 have an exit wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs.
Find a registered program: DOL's Apprenticeship Finder → · Every state's count and wages for this trade →
Which wages DOL counts, which titles count and how the state is assigned are on the data page.
Other trades in North Carolina
Electricians ($56,800) · HVAC technicians ($57,260) · Welders ($50,590) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($51,530) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($77,270) · Elevator installers ($107,700) · Ironworkers ($48,740) · Sheet metal workers ($50,730) · Carpenters ($49,100) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($49,940) · Auto service technicians ($48,200) · Diesel mechanics ($57,490) · Heavy equipment operators ($49,310) · Machinists ($55,230)
See all 15 ranked by pay in North Carolina.
The pay and employment figures on this page are the May 2025 BLS estimates, apart from the apprenticeship figures, which are DOL's; the licensing detail is read from the pages listed in the licensing section, each with the date it was read. See how the numbers are built.