Licensing · The states this directory covers
Plumber licensing by state
There is no national plumber license. Each state below licenses plumbers its own way, and each state page names the authority, the model, and the official register where a license is checked. General information, checked against the authorities' publications in November 2026; the register governs.
| State | Model | Authority | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | State licensing | Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) | 80 |
| California | State licensing | Contractors State License Board (CSLB), C-36 Plumbing | 138 |
| Colorado | State licensing | Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), State Plumbing Board | 60 |
| Florida | State licensing | Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) | 57 |
| Georgia | State licensing | State Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Plumbers | 60 |
| Illinois | State licensing | Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) | 74 |
| Massachusetts | State licensing | Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters | 45 |
| Maryland | State licensing | Maryland State Board of Plumbing (Department of Labor) | 57 |
| Michigan | State licensing | Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) | 30 |
| Minnesota | State licensing | Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) | 55 |
| Missouri | Local licensing | City and county boards of examiners (no state license) | 68 |
| North Carolina | State licensing | State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors | 43 |
| New Jersey | State licensing | State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers (Division of Consumer Affairs) | 3 |
| New York | Local licensing | City and county licensing (no state license) | 48 |
| Ohio | Layered: state (commercial) and local (much residential) | Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | Layered: state registration and local licensing | No state plumber license: Attorney General HIC registration plus city trade licenses | 119 |
| Texas | State licensing | Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE) | 77 |
| Washington | State licensing | Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) | 57 |
The method, and what a license does and does not prove, is set out in the licensing guide. How this directory checks licenses for its own Verified badge is on how we verify.