How do you become a plumber in Nevada?

Pick your classification: C-1d Plumbing, or full C-1 Plumbing and Heating. Name a qualified individual with 4 years of experience in that work in the last 15 years. Gather experience certificates, a financial statement, and the background disclosure and fingerprint form. The rest of the steps are on this page.

Do you need a plumbing license in Nevada?

Yes. Nevada requires plumbing contractors to be licensed by the Nevada State Contractors Board, under the C-1 Plumbing and Heating classification.

How much experience does Nevada require?

At least 4 years as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor in the classification, within the last 15 years. Up to 3 years can come from accredited college or equivalent training. Transferable military training or a master certification from a government agency can also count.

How much do plumbers make in Nevada?

The median was $29.62 an hour, or $61,610 a year, in May 2025, from the BLS wage survey. The national median was $30.67.

Who runs apprenticeships in Nevada?

Nevada's State Apprenticeship Agency registers and oversees programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor. Programs themselves are sponsored by employers, unions and trade groups.

How to Become a Plumber in Nevada: Steps, License and Pay

The short version for Nevada

Nevada requires plumbing contractors to be licensed by the Nevada State Contractors Board, under the C-1 Plumbing and Heating classification.
At least 4 years as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor in the classification, within the last 15 years. Up to 3 years can come from accredited college or equivalent training. Transferable military training or a master certification from a government agency can also count.
Plan for two exams: the trade exam and a business and law exam.
Pay runs from about $20.29 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of plumbers to $56.94 for the top tenth.
Jobs are projected to grow 8.9% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally.

The path in Nevada, step by step

Nevada licenses plumbing work at the state level through the Nevada State Contractors Board. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

Pick your classification: C-1d Plumbing, or full C-1 Plumbing and Heating.
Name a qualified individual with 4 years of experience in that work in the last 15 years.
Gather experience certificates, a financial statement, and the background disclosure and fingerprint form.
Apply online with the $300 application fee.
Pass the PSI trade exam and the Business and Law exam.
After approval, post the bond, show workers comp, and pay the $600 license fee and any Residential Recovery Fund assessment.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: plumbing license in Nevada.

Finding an apprenticeship in Nevada

Nevada runs Registered Apprenticeship through its own State Apprenticeship Agency, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor to register and oversee programs there. Its staff are state employees, and it may use the federal paperwork or forms of its own. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Nevada State Apprenticeship Agency as the contact.

Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.

Across the country. Most plumbers learn the trade in a 4 or 5 year apprenticeship, with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training plus some classroom instruction each year.

License levels and exams in Nevada

The license to aim for: C-1d Plumbing (or the full C-1 Plumbing and Heating license).

Trade exam. Trade exam for your classification, given by PSI.

Business exam. Business and Law exam (Construction Management Survey), given by PSI.

Keeping it. Every two years, with the $600 license fee.

Coming from another state. Licensure by endorsement: if you held an active license in a qualifying state for the past 4 years with the same qualified individual, the board can waive the trade exam and the experience check. You still take the Nevada Business and Law exam.

License	What it covers
C-1 Plumbing and Heating	Full specialty license covering all C-1 subclassifications.
C-1d Plumbing	Water supply, sanitary waste and vent systems, roof drainage, hydronic heating up to 200,000 BTU, landscape irrigation and related systems.

What the Nevada license costs

The fees the Nevada State Contractors Board lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

Fee	Amount
Application fee	$300
License fee, every two years	$600
Residential Recovery Fund assessment for residential work, monetary limit up to $1,000,000	$200

What plumbers earn in Nevada

The median plumber in Nevada earned $29.62 an hour in May 2025, 35th of 51 states, with 5,370 on payrolls. The national median was $30.67.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of plumbers in Nevada earned under $23.34 an hour and a tenth under $20.29. At the top, a quarter earned over $43.05 and a tenth over $56.94.

Pay level	Hourly	Yearly
10th percentile	$20.29	$42,210
25th percentile	$23.34	$48,540
Median	$29.62	$61,610
75th percentile	$43.05	$89,550
90th percentile	$56.94	$118,430

Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: plumber salary in Nevada.

Jobs ahead in Nevada

Nevada's labor market office projects jobs for plumbers growing from 5,300 in 2022 to 5,770 in 2032, a change of 8.9%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 520 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 8.9% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally, ranking 22nd of the 50 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters.

Starting your own plumber business in Nevada

To contract on your own in Nevada, the license is the C-1d Plumbing (or the full C-1 Plumbing and Heating license).

Insurance. Proof of workers comp coverage is required to get, keep and renew a license, unless you are exempt and sign an exemption affidavit.

Bond. A license bond set by the board at approval, from $1,000 to $500,000, based on license type, monetary limit, finances, experience and character.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Nevada median of $29.62 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $122.61 per billable hour. Try your own in the plumber labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start a plumbing business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.

Where this comes from

The license steps, fees and rules are from the official pages below, read on the date shown. Pay is the BLS May 2025 state estimate, the job outlook is Nevada's own long-term projection, and the apprenticeship details are from the U.S. Department of Labor. A detail an official page did not confirm is left out.

Training, schools and certifications for every state: how to become a plumber.

How to become a plumber in Nevada