The journey toward becoming a licensed plumber in New Hampshire is long and arduous. Your journey is going to begin at High School, and it is going to continue for many years. However, it is a journey worth making. Licensed plumbers can command a high salary for the work that they carry out. There will be no shortage of employment options either.
Here, we want to give you an overview of the journey toward becoming a licensed plumber.
What is a licensed plumber?
A licensed plumber, whether a journeyman or master, is seen as being at the absolute top of the profession. A licensed plumber has an in-depth knowledge of plumbing standards in New Hampshire. They are the only people allowed to provide certification for certain plumbing installations. There are some jobs that only licensed plumbers are able to tackle in the state.
If you become a licensed plumber, then you can command larger fees for your work. This is because everything that you do is backed up by your professional standards.
How to obtain a plumbing license in New Hampshire
We are going to be talking about your journey toward becoming a journeyman plumber here. This is the first point that you can consider yourself officially licensed to be a plumber. Although, six months on, you will be able to apply to become a Master Plumber. This is a license that opens up a lot more employment options.
High school education
While you could, in theory, qualify for an apprenticeship without completing your High School education, it is difficult. Most apprenticeships are going to require you have to have completed High School or have a GED. There will likely be minimum requirements for grades in both science and math. This is because they are both important subjects when it comes to plumbing.
It is worth noting that the completion for an apprenticeship is so high that you may actually find it beneficial to attend a technical or community college. The more experience and qualifications you have, the more chance you have of being able to secure an apprenticeship position.
Apprenticeship
Once you have graduated from High School (or have a GED) you can start looking for an apprenticeship. This can be one of the more difficult parts of the process as there are only a limited number of apprenticeships available each year.
Being an apprentice involves two things:
- You will attend 144-hours a year of classes at a trade school
- You will have 8,000 total hours of on-the-job experience
This will happen over the course of 4-years. There is no way to speed up the process.
During the apprenticeship, you will be provided with on-the-job teaching by a Master Plumber. As the apprenticeship goes on, you will find that you have more and more responsibilities delegated to you.
Complete the journeyman plumber exam
At the conclusion of your apprenticeship, you must complete the journeyman plumber exam. Completion of this exam does not mean that you become a licensed plumber. It is just one final step before the final application.
There are only a few places in New Hampshire that administer the exam:
- Prov, Inc
- New Hampshire Gasfitters Plumbing Exams
If you score at least 70% on the exam, then you are going to be able to move onto the next step of the application process. That is when you will finally become a licensed plumber!
Applying to become a licensed plumber in New Hampshire
The final step to becoming a licensed plumber in New Hampshire is to apply to become one. You will need a few pieces of information here:
- You will need the results from your completed exam
- Contact information from your employer
- A copy of your apprentice card
- A Master Plumber will have to state that you worked for them and that they believe that you have the skills to become a journeyman plumber.
Applications to become a licensed plumber are handled by the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification.
Plumbing license requirements in New Hampshire
This means that in order to become a plumber in New Hampshire, you will have to meet the following requirements:
- Pay all applicable fees (more on those in a short while)
- Have completed High School or hold a GED
- Completed a plumbing apprenticeship over 4-years.
- Completed the exam to become a journeyman plumber.
- A letter from a Master Plumber.
Excluding High School, the journey toward becoming a licensed journeyman plumber in New Hampshire will be at least 4-years.
You will have to renew your journeyman plumber license every 2-years (if you opt not to continue to become a master plumber)
The costs of a plumbing license in New Hampshire
The costs of becoming a licensed plumber in New Hampshire are not all that high. We will put aside any costs for tools or your apprenticeship here (you will be paid for your apprenticeship)
The current fees are as follows:
- $90 to obtain your apprentice card
- $100 for the exam
- $190 to apply for your journeyman plumbing license.
Becoming a master plumber
Once you have been a licensed journeyman plumber for 6-months, you can take the exam to become a Master Plumber. As a Master Plumber, you will be able to run your own plumbing jobs (i.e. become your own boss)
The exam fee to become a master plumber is $100. The cost to apply for a license (once you have passed the exam) is just $85, which is a little bit cheaper than becoming a licensed journeyman plumber.
Once you have become a master plumber, you can run your own plumbing business. You are also allowed to take on your own apprentices if you wish.
Application forms to become a licensed plumber in New Hampshire
Whether you are looking to become a plumber, journeyman, or master plumber, all licensing is handled by the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification:
https://www.oplc.nh.gov/applications-mechanical-safety-and-licensing
Conclusion
The journey toward becoming a licensed plumber in New Hampshire will take at least 4-years. Over the course of the 4-years, you will be learning everything that there is to know about becoming a plumber. This will involve thousands of hours of on-the-job training with a licensed master plumber.
Should you complete your apprenticeship, all you need to do is complete one more exam and pay a licensing fee. You will then be a fully licensed plumber in New Hampshire.
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