Home / Plumbers / New Hampshire
Pick your way in
Every route ends at the same place: 8,000 logged hours and the state exam.
Earn while you learn
A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.
- Pay
- From day one
- In NH
- 209 registered programs
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
- In NH
- Community colleges nearby
Start on a crew
Get hired as a helper by a licensed plumbing contractor and log hours on the job.
- Pay
- Paid on the job
- Start
- No experience needed
The license steps
Journeyman license from the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, Mechanical Licensing Board.
Start as an apprentice or trainee$88 registration
Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.
- Issued by
- New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, Mechanical Licensing Board
- Cost
- $88 registration
Log 8,000 hours8,000 hrs
About 4 years of full-time work under a licensed plumber. Keep your own log of hours and pay stubs.
- Issued by
- Your employer signs off
- Time
- 8,000 hrs
Pass the journeyman exam
Apply to the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, Mechanical Licensing Board with your hours, then book the exam.
- Issued by
- New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, Mechanical Licensing Board
Keep it currentEvery 2 years
Renew every 2 years. 6 hours per 2-year cycle for each plumbing endorsement, taken in board-approved seminars of at least 3 hours
- Issued by
- New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, Mechanical Licensing Board
- Time
- Every 2 years
Run your own shop
To bid and contract on your own you need a plumbing contractor license or registration.
- Issued by
- NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC)
Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the New Hampshire journeyman license.
$66,810
a year is the median for plumbers in New Hampshire ($32.12 an hour, May 2025).5
Pay by city and percentileQuestions
How long does it take to become a plumber in New Hampshire?
About 4 years of full-time work: the journeyman license requires 8,000 hours of supervised experience.2
Do you need a license to work on your own as a plumber in New Hampshire?
Check the NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) before you bid work on your own.3
Are plumbers in demand in New Hampshire?
Projections Central expects about 240 plumber openings a year in New Hampshire through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.4
Find an apprenticeship near you
209 registered programs in New Hampshire. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for plumbers in New Hampshire
Sources
- New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, Mechanical Licensing Board (gencourt.state.nh.us, 2026-10-27)
- New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, Mechanical Licensing Board: experience requirements (gencourt.state.nh.us, 2026-10-27)
- NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) (oplc.nh.gov)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, New Hampshire, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)