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How to become a plumber in Tennessee

To work as a plumber in Tennessee, outside the cities and counties that issue their own building permits, you need your own license from the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. If you work in one of those cities and counties, ask its building department which license you need.

See your steps Find an apprenticeship

Your ladder

  1. ApprenticeStart here
  2. Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP)Your first state license
  3. Mechanical Contracting: Plumbing and Gas Piping (CMC-A)Run your own business

First: start as an apprentice.

Find an apprenticeship

Your steps

Steps for: New to the trade. Change where you are at the top of the page.

  1. Step 1, Start here

    Start as an apprentice

    An apprenticeship is a paid job with training. You work for an employer and you learn the trade on the job. Tennessee has 28 registered plumber apprenticeship programs. The median starting wage is $18.56 an hour.

    The programs with the most active apprentices

    See all 28 programs

  2. Step 2,

    Get the experience you need

    The Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors sets the experience you need for the Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP) license.

    Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP)

    You need 1 year of plumbing experience. You prove the experience with a copy of a local plumbing license or a notarized verification that lists your experience.

    The Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP) license costs $75.

    You must pass the exam named "LLP, Limited Licensed Plumber". The exam costs $53.

    You renew the Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP) license every 2 years. The renewal costs $50.

    You pay the $53 to Prov, the testing company, and not to the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. Some of its forms still list an older fee of $57.

  3. Step 3,

    Apply for your Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP) license

    Apply to the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors for the Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP) license. You must pass the exam named "LLP, Limited Licensed Plumber". Prov gives the exam.

  4. Step 4,

    Renew your license

    You renew the Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP) license every 2 years.

To run a plumbing business

These are the licenses for running a plumbing business.

Mechanical Contracting (CMC)

The Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors decides whether your experience is enough for the classification, and it prefers 3 years. It can consider previous employment, volunteer work, internships, education and training. You can prove your experience with letters of recommendation, certificates, diplomas or employment verification. The Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors also looks at your equipment and your financial statement. You need its approval before you can schedule the trade exam.

The Mechanical Contracting (CMC) license costs $250.

You must pass the exam named "CMC, Full Mechanical Contractor". The exam costs $53.

You renew the Mechanical Contracting (CMC) license every 2 years. The renewal costs $200.

You pay the $53 to Prov, the testing company, and not to the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. Some of its forms still list an older fee of $57. Before you can take the exam, you pay a separate $50 approval fee to the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors.

You take 2 exams for this license, the Tennessee Business and Law exam and the trade exam, and you pay the $53 fee for each.

Mechanical Contracting: Plumbing and Gas Piping (CMC-A)

The Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors decides whether your experience is enough for the classification, and it prefers 3 years. It can consider previous employment, volunteer work, internships, education and training. You can prove your experience with letters of recommendation, certificates, diplomas or employment verification. The Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors also looks at your equipment and your financial statement. You need its approval before you can schedule the trade exam.

The Mechanical Contracting: Plumbing and Gas Piping (CMC-A) license costs $250.

You must pass the exam named "CMC-A, Plumbing Contractor". The exam costs $53.

You renew the Mechanical Contracting: Plumbing and Gas Piping (CMC-A) license every 2 years. The renewal costs $200.

You pay the $53 to Prov, the testing company, and not to the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. Some of its forms still list an older fee of $57. Before you can take the exam, you pay a separate $50 approval fee to the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors.

You take 2 exams for this license, the Tennessee Business and Law exam and the trade exam, and you pay the $53 fee for each.

Take the exam

LicenseExam
Mechanical Contracting (CMC)CMC, Full Mechanical ContractorProv gives the exam.
Mechanical Contracting: Plumbing and Gas Piping (CMC-A)CMC-A, Plumbing ContractorProv gives the exam.
Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP)LLP, Limited Licensed PlumberProv gives the exam.

You take the exam for the license you apply for.

What plumbers earn in Tennessee

$28.17an hour

$58,600 a year, full time

Half of the plumbers on a payroll in Tennessee earn more than $28.17 an hour, and half earn less. The federal wage survey puts the yearly figure at $58,600.

These figures cover everyone on a payroll as a plumber in Tennessee, from apprentices to people with decades in the trade, so they aren't a starting wage. The survey counts 9,270 jobs. The figures don't include self-employed plumbers.

The yearly figure is for full-time work all year, which is 2,080 hours.

Use a license from another state

If you hold a license from one of the states listed for a license, you may be able to use your license to qualify in Tennessee.

Tennessee licenseRecognized from
Mechanical Contracting (CMC) licenseLouisiana, Mississippi and West Virginia
Mechanical Contracting: Plumbing and Gas Piping (CMC-A) licenseOhio and South Carolina

The Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors doesn't recognize a license from another state for the Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP) license.

If you're licensed in one of these states, you can ask for a waiver of the Tennessee trade exam. You can't work in Tennessee on a license from another state. So you still need to pass the Tennessee Business & Law exam and get a Tennessee license. Your state completes the License Verification form. Send it with your application.

Questions

Can you become a plumber with no experience?

Yes. You can start as an apprentice and learn the trade on the job.

Tennessee plumber apprenticeships

How much do most plumbers earn in Tennessee?

Half of the plumbers on a payroll in Tennessee earn between $22.72 and $35.32 an hour. These figures don't include overtime pay.

Can a plumber earn $100,000 a year in Tennessee?

The highest-paid 10% of plumbers on a payroll in Tennessee earn more than $82,020 a year before overtime, so most plumbers earn less than $100,000 a year from regular hours.

Contact the licensing office

Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractorstn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractors.html

Words to know

Apprentice
Someone who learns the trade on the job, working under a licensed worker.
JATC
A Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, an apprenticeship program run together by a union and contractors.
Reciprocity
An agreement that lets you use a license from one state to get a license in another.
Prov
A company that runs licensing exams for state and city offices.
Notarized
Signed in front of a notary public, who checks your ID and stamps the form.
Median
The middle figure. Half of the workers earn more, and half earn less.

Sources

14
  1. Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, plumber licensing, the licensing office
  2. Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP), exam
  3. Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, plumber licensing, who needs a license and license names
  4. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  5. Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, plumber licensing, license names
  6. Tennessee Secretary of State, Rule 0680-01-.16, Appendix A
  7. Prov, plumber licenses, exam and fees
  8. Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, plumber licenses, exam
  9. Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, plumber licenses, fees
  10. Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, plumber licenses, renewal
  11. Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, plumber licenses, licenses from other states
  12. Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP), experience
  13. Tennessee Secretary of State, Rule 0680-04-.01(a)
  14. U.S. Department of Labor national apprenticeship data, extract of August 17, 2026

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