Tennessee Plumber License Requirements
Official classification: Contractor License, CMC-A (Plumbing and Gas Piping) classification · Issued by the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce & Insurance).
🔧 PlumberTN ✔ Verified 2026-06-18
License types
- Contractor License - CMC-A (Plumbing and Gas Piping) — Required before bidding or contracting any plumbing project where the total cost is $25,000 or more. Plumbing is a subcategory of the Mechanical (CMC) classification; Board pre-approval is required to sit for the CMC-A plumbing exam.
- Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP) — Lower-tier credential for plumbing projects under $25,000. Accepted only where the local code-enforcement office recognizes it.
Requirements at a glance
| Experience required | Tennessee sets no fixed statutory number of years; experience is weighed with the financial statement when setting the monetary limit. Board pre-approval is required before taking the CMC-A plumbing exam. |
|---|---|
| Application fee | $250 (application and initial license; Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0680-01-.20) |
| License fee | Included in the application fee |
| Renewal fee | $200 |
| Renewal period | Every 2 years |
| Continuing education | None required by the Board |
| Bond required | No statewide contractor surety bond is required for the full Contractor license. |
| Liability insurance | General liability insurance required (proof at application and each renewal); no fixed minimum dollar amount is published for the full Contractor license |
| Property damage | Covered under the general liability policy |
| Workers' comp | Required if you have employees; a certificate of coverage or an approved exemption is required at renewal |
| Background check | No statewide fingerprint-based background check for the Contractor license. |
| Credit requirement | Monetary-limit financial statement required: the limit is the lesser of 10x net worth or 10x working capital. A CPA/LPA compilation is accepted up to $1,500,000, a reviewed statement up to $3,000,000, and an audited statement above that (an unlimited license also requires $300,000+ in both working capital and net worth). |
| Reciprocity | Tennessee has trade-exam (exam-waiver) reciprocity agreements with several states — commonly Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio and South Carolina — but coverage varies by classification; confirm the current agreement with the Board. |
| Processing time | Variable; the Board reviews applications at its scheduled meetings. |
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Exams
| Plumbing (CMC-A) trade exam | Provider: PSI Passing: Not officially published by the Board Fee: Set by PSI (exam vendor), subject to Board approval — recently about $57 per exam |
| Tennessee Business and Law exam | Provider: PSI Passing: Not officially published by the Board Fee: Set by PSI (exam vendor), subject to Board approval — recently about $57 |
Plumber liability & workers' comp insurance —
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Local / municipal notes
The plumbing exam requires Board pre-approval. The LLP is valid only where the local jurisdiction accepts it for permits.
Fees and rules change frequently (often annually). This page was last verified on 2026-06-18 — always confirm current requirements directly with the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce & Insurance) before applying. This is not legal advice.
Official sources
https://www.tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractors/license/get/contractor.html
https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/tennessee/Tenn-Comp-R-Regs-0680-01-.20
https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/tennessee/Tenn-Comp-R-Regs-0680-01-.13
https://www.tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractors/license/get/llp.html