- New Hampshire requires plumbers and plumbing businesses to be licensed by the state.
- To apply for master plumber you send a copy of a New Hampshire journeyman plumbing license held at least 6 months, plus a letter from the licensed plumber who supervised your journeyman work.
- Plan for a trade exam.
- Pay runs from about $21.56 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of plumbers to $42.18 for the top tenth.
- Jobs are projected to grow 8.5% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally.
The path in New Hampshire, step by step
New Hampshire licenses plumbing work at the state level through the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, Mechanical Licensing Board. These are the steps it lays out, in order.
- Register as an apprentice plumber and learn the trade under supervision.
- Pass the journeyman exam and get your journeyman license.
- After at least 6 months as a licensed journeyman, apply for master plumber with a supervisor letter and pass the master exam.
- Pay the $330 two year master license fee.
- If you operate as a company, get a mechanical business entity license, register with the Secretary of State and carry liability insurance.
- Renew every 2 years with 6 hours of continuing education.
The full license guide, with every fee and form: plumbing license in New Hampshire.
Finding an apprenticeship in New Hampshire
New Hampshire has no recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, so the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship registers and oversees programs there through a state field office. Apprenticeship.gov lists the New Hampshire Apprenticeship Office 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 New Hampshire
The license to aim for: Master Plumber.
Trade exam. Board approved exam. The master plumber exam fee is $90.
Keeping it. Every 2 years. You need at least 6 hours of continuing education per plumbing endorsement in each 2 year cycle.
Coming from another state. The state may license plumbers from states that have a mutual reciprocity agreement and equivalent or stricter requirements.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Master Plumber | Runs a plumbing business, or does plumbing as a principal business on their own account. Also qualifies as a journeyman. |
| Journeyman Plumber | Installs, maintains and repairs plumbing under the direction of a master plumber. |
| Apprentice Plumber | Registration license for people learning the trade under supervision. |
| Mechanical Business Entity | License for a corporation, partnership or LLC with a licensed master plumber as an officer, member or designee. |
What the New Hampshire license costs
The fees the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, Mechanical Licensing Board lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Master plumber license, 2 years (initial or renewal) | $330 |
| Journeyman plumber license, 2 years | $198 |
| Apprentice plumber license, 2 years | $88 |
| Master plumber exam | $90 |
| Mechanical business entity license, 2 years | $275 |
What plumbers earn in New Hampshire
The median plumber in New Hampshire earned $32.12 an hour in May 2025, 19th of 51 states, with 1,950 on payrolls. The national median was $30.67.
At the bottom of the range, a quarter of plumbers in New Hampshire earned under $25.29 an hour and a tenth under $21.56. At the top, a quarter earned over $37.06 and a tenth over $42.18.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $21.56 | $44,850 |
| 25th percentile | $25.29 | $52,610 |
| Median | $32.12 | $66,810 |
| 75th percentile | $37.06 | $77,080 |
| 90th percentile | $42.18 | $87,730 |
Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: plumber salary in New Hampshire.
Jobs ahead in New Hampshire
New Hampshire's labor market office projects jobs for plumbers growing from 2,340 in 2022 to 2,540 in 2032, a change of 8.5%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 230 openings a year.
Jobs are projected to grow 8.5% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally, ranking 25th 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 New Hampshire
To contract on your own in New Hampshire, the license is the Master Plumber.
Insurance. Business entities must show proof of liability insurance before the license is issued and at each renewal.
Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the New Hampshire median of $32.12 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $127.00 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 New Hampshire'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.
- RSA 153:27 to 153:36, mechanical licensing (checked 2026-10-08)
- Saf-Mec 100 rules, Mechanical Licensing Board (checked 2026-10-08)
- Saf-Mec 300 rules, plumbing licensing (checked 2026-10-08)
- Saf-Mec 400 rules, continuing education (checked 2026-10-08)
- Plc 1000 rules, OPLC fees (checked 2026-10-08)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 47-2152
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2022 to 2032 (state labor market offices) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Apprenticeship System (Office of Apprenticeship and State Apprenticeship Agencies) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, State Offices (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship Program (checked 2026-10-09)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (checked 2026-10-09)
Training, schools and certifications for every state: how to become a plumber.