Obtaining a Nevada Plumbing License: Here’s What You Need to Know

Being a licensed plumber is a cornerstone of success for any contractor.

Licensing not only reflects your expertise and professionalism, but it also ensures that all your work meets the necessary industry standards and regulations set by the Nevada state contractors’ board, providing enough credibility, legitimacy, and protection. 

If you’re a plumbing contractor in Nevada and wondering about starting a plumbing business in the state, it is a must that you understand the licensing requirements for obtaining a plumbing license. 

We will walk you through this comprehensive guide to the Nevada plumbing license process. It will focus on the types of licenses offered, eligibility criteria, and the examination process.

Nevada Plumbing License Requirements

In order to get a plumbing license in Nevada, one must fill out the license application form after fulfilling the basic educational and experience requirements levied by the Nevada state contractors’ board. Also, some essential documents, the application fees, and the examination fees need to be duly submitted for availing of the Nevada state business license.

There are basically two types of Nevada plumbing licenses that are issued by NSCB. They are

• Nevada journeyman plumber license
• Nevada master plumber license

Becoming a Plumbing Apprentice in Nevada

If you are just beginning your plumbing contractor’s journey, it is advisable that you go through the plumbing apprenticeship programs. To undergo the apprenticeship programs, one must follow the basic requirements mentioned here:

• Age: Your age must be at least 18 years old to enroll in a plumbing apprenticeship program.
• Education: There are no specific educational requirements to become an apprentice plumber in Nevada. However, it is recommended that you have a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Get registered under the Nevada licensed plumber: After completing education, now it’s time to start your apprenticeship. You must find a licensed plumbing contractor that can be either a licensed journeyman or a licensed master plumber. Your only job while working as an apprentice is getting on-the-job training and mentorship as you work towards becoming a licensed plumber.
• Complete hours: The last goal should be to complete 8,000 hours of documented on-the-job training and 320 hours of related classroom instruction to qualify for a licensed journeyman plumber in Nevada. This training will typically take four years to complete.

The documents you need to submit while your accredited apprenticeship program is specified below:

• Nevada driver’s license
• Birth certificate
• Social security card
• Diploma/GED
• Proof of prior experience (if any)
• Proof of experience within an accredited training program

Obtaining a Journeyman License in Nevada

If you are the one who is applying as a journeyman licensing contractor in the state of  Nevada, all you need to do is qualify for the experience criteria framed by the NSCB board. Also, ensure that the examination requirement designed by the board of plumbing examiners have been complied. However, going through the apprenticeship program, as mentioned above, is a must. 

• Journeyman license experience requirements

  To become eligible for applying for a journeyman license, an apprentice plumbing contractor must show a minimum substantiated experience of 4 years (8000 hours) within the 15 years immediately preceding the year working in a state-registered accredited apprenticeship.

• Applying for a journeyman license

  After matching the experience requirements for a journeyman license, now it’s time to provide the below-mentioned documents:
  • Official journeyman license application
  • Affidavit of experience 
  • Photo ID
  • Application fees
  • Test fees

Note: The application fee for applying for the plumbing license in Nevada is $300, and an additional fee of $600 is to be paid every two years to keep the Nevada plumbing license active.

A candidate for a journeyman license must send the above-stated documents to the National Inspection Testing Certification (NITC) at the following address:

Nevada State Contractors Board 
2310 Corporate Circle, Suite 200, 
Henderson, Nevada, 89074

• Journeyman license examination requirements

  Once the application gets reviewed, the Nevada Board of Plumbing Examiners (NBOPE) will review the application form, and you will be contacted by a licensing analyst via a letter informing you that you are eligible to schedule the journeyman plumbing exam. 
  The letter sent by the licensing analyst will contain instructions as to where the journeyman exam can be accessed and scheduled. However, for a plumbing contractor, Nevada not only requires to complete a journeyman trade exam, but also a construction management exam (CMS) administered by the NITC and PSI.
  • Examination fees: 
    • $140 (if you apply for both tests together), or 
    • $95 (if you apply separately)
  • Duration: Valid for 5 years
  • Passing criteria: 75%

There will be two different examination patterns. Have a look:

Exam Type	Duration	No of questions
Open book	2 hours	50 multiple choice questions
Close book	1 hour 45 minutes	100 multiple choice questions

Obtaining Nevada Master License

After obtaining the Nevada journeyman license, now it’s time to go for applying for the master plumbers’ license. The pattern of becoming a licensed master plumber is exactly the same as applying for a journeyman license. 

From applying for the master plumbers license to paying application fees to appear for the exam and paying the examination fees, all are just the same as a journeyman plumber license. 

However, for the experience requirements, there is a minor change, as stated here. 

• To become eligible to apply for a master plumbing license, you need to gain an additional experience of at least a year or 2000 hours working as a licensed journeyman plumber in Nevada. 

After this, the same pattern that you follow for applying for a  journeyman license is to be followed. 

• Match the master plumbing experience criteria.
• Apply for the master plumbing license by submitting the stated documents: official journeyman license application, affidavit of experience, photo ID, application fees, and test fees.
• Once the application is approved and you clear the master plumber examination, now it’s time to get your license and start generating plumbing leads.

Plumbing Trade Schools

Trade school/Institute	Type of institute	Tuition fees	Contact	Address
National Technical Institute (NTI)	Public	$5000/year	(702) 948-9000	1870 Whitney Mesa Dr, Henderson, NV 89014
Plumbers and Pipefitters of Local 525	Public	$2000/semester	(760) 452-1520	760 N Lamb Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89110
Western Nevada College	Public	$2,900/year (if within-state) & $9,700 (out-of-state)	(775) 445-3000	2201 W College Pkwy, Carson City, NV 89703

Consequences of Unlicensed Plumbing in Nevada under NRS 624.700

If the Nevada board of plumbing found that the plumbing contractor is unlicensed then he gets fined with some heavy penalties. Here’s is the table showing the different comparison of penalties and imprisonment every time when the contractor gets caught:

Offense type	Penalties	Jail	Restitution payment
First-time offender (Misdemeanour)	Upto $1,000	Upto 6 months of jail	Possible restitution payment is to be paid in all the three cases.
Second-time offender (Gross misdemeanor)	$2,000 to $4,000	Upto 364 days in jail
Third-time or the subsequent offender (A category E felony)	$5,000 to $10,000	Incarceration of 1 to 4 years in Nevada State Prison

Scope of Work Covered and Contractors Classification for Nevada Licensed Contractor

The NSCB has classified the contractors into three different classifications:

• Class A – General Engineering Contractor: Those having expertise in engineering knowledge and skill falls under this. 
• Class B – General Building Contractor  –  Those contractors who are involved in constructing or renovating buildings or structures with the intent to render support, shelter, and confinement to people, animals, belongings, or any other movable property come under this.
• Class C – Speciality Contractor – Last is the “C” license classification for contractors whose construction work requires particular skill and whose principal contracting. Further, there are sub-classifications under the C -specialty contractors, which are:
  1. Plumbing and heating contractors (C-1)
  2. Plumbing Contractors (C-1D)

The scope of work covered for the Nevada plumbing contractors include:

• To create sanitary conditions in buildings, material, and fixtures are installed. These are the permanent means for the supply of safe water and any sanitary waste and vent systems to ensure the appropriate removal of waste.
• Installing the boilers and all the related components like fittings, piping, valves, gauges, pumps, radiators, convectors, tanks, and lines.
• Installation and maintenance of drainage systems, hydronic heating systems, irrigation systems, and potable water heating systems.
• Installing the permanent means to supply gas for residential and industrial purposes and the pipe fittings for compressed air, vacuums, and gases for medical use.

Furthermore, those individuals holding a C-1D license may install piping for water and gas beginning at the edge of a building and ending at its utility meter.

Conclusion

Now that you have gone through the whole licensing prices, it’s time to take a quick call, get licensed ASAP, and make the right move for your plumbing business. As said above, licensing is a cornerstone of success, but InvoiceOwl will take your business to the next level. It will release your stress, at least for estimating and invoicing operations for plumbers.

You can use this software to create estimates, invoices, purchase orders, credit memos, and reports. Start using InvoiceOwl today and streamline your invoicing and financial management processes with its user-friendly interface.