New Hampshire Journeyman Plumber Exam Prep

About the New Hampshire Journeyman Plumber license

New Hampshire licenses plumbers through the Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board, administered by the state's Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC). The Journeyman Plumber license authorizes you to perform plumbing work, generally under the responsibility of a master plumber. You earn it by completing a board-recognized apprenticeship — 8,000 hours of documented field experience plus 600 hours of related classroom instruction over a typical four-year term — and passing the trade exam.

Your exam is built on the International Plumbing Code (IPC) as adopted by New Hampshire (confirm the exact edition on the bulletin — the exam is written to the adopted edition, not necessarily the newest). The two model codes — the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) published by IAPMO and the International Plumbing Code (IPC) published by the ICC — agree on the physics but differ in tables, fixture-unit values, and some sizing methods, so always work from the one your state adopted.

Know these scope facts cold: the license is held by the individual; most work requires a permit and inspection (rough-in/top-out and final); you must work within the classification you hold; and unlicensed or out-of-scope plumbing work is a violation that can cost you the license and carry penalties. Plumbing protects public health — the exam constantly returns to the two core purposes of the code: deliver safe potable water and remove waste without contaminating that water.

How New Hampshire licensing works

• Experience: 8,000 hours of documented, verified field experience as a registered plumbing apprentice; a master license additionally requires time working as a journeyman on top of the apprentice hours.
• Education: 600 hours of related classroom/technical instruction completed alongside your apprenticeship, documented on your apprenticeship completion certificate.
• Application: submit the Universal Application for Initial Licensure, the application fee (commonly around $198 — confirm current fees with OPLC), and your affidavit/proof of field experience before you are approved to sit for the exam.
• Exam vendor: the Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board currently approves two testing organizations for the Journeyman Plumber exam — NH Gasfitters and Prov, Inc. (ProV) — not PSI (PSI administers some other New Hampshire trades, so don't assume it carries over). Confirm which vendor(s) are current and register directly with them. The exam runs no fewer than 100 questions with a 3-hour time limit, mixing true/false, multiple choice, and fill-in-the-blank; the passing score is 70 percent for Journeyman (the Master exam is scored separately, commonly 75 percent). Confirm the current cut score, question count, and time limit on the candidate information bulletin before test day.
• Renewal: licenses renew on a 2-year cycle. Journeyman and Master plumbers must complete code-update continuing education — commonly 3 hours per year, totaling 6 hours per renewal cycle — to renew on time.