Pen-and-ink New York scene: a brownstone with a fire escape and a rooftop water tower on one side, a tall apartment building with a plumber’s van at the curb on the other.

New York plumbing licenses

who licenses
New York
plumbers?

The city or county, not the state. Here’s how New York City does it.

get started

MARKETS WE PLACE THROUGH

the short answer

New York has no statewide plumbing license, so the city or county where the work is licenses the trade. In New York City, the Department of Buildings licenses master plumbers and wants general liability, workers’ comp and disability insurance on file for the business.

how New York licenses plumbers.

Local boards, with New York City as the worked example.

The state: No statewide plumbing license. The city or county where the work is does the licensing.
New York City: The Department of Buildings licenses master plumbers and registers journeymen.
Master plumber license: A written and practical exam, years of supervised experience, and business paperwork that includes insurance.
The business: One the licensee controls, with an approved business location and formation papers for a corporation or LLC.
General liability: At the Department’s published minimum per occurrence, on an ACORD certificate, with the Department as certificate holder.
Comp and disability: Each on the state’s own form, not on the liability certificate. Updates go through the Department’s online system.
Other cities and counties: Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and others run their own boards. A license from one doesn’t automatically carry to another.

Sources: NYC Department of Buildings master plumber license page and licensing insurance guidelines, New York State Workers’ Compensation Board. Last reviewed September 2026.

what the city wants on file.

Tap a certificate to see what the Department of Buildings asks for.

What it shows

general liability.

Your liability policy at the Department’s minimum per occurrence, on an ACORD form, with the Department named as certificate holder.

Who asks: The Department of Buildings, for a master plumber’s business.

get started

what’s different about
plumbing in New York.

Check where the work is.
A job in the five boroughs runs under a city license. A job in Nassau or Suffolk runs under that county’s board, with its own exam and paperwork.
Three forms, three dates.
Three certificates from three policies can lapse on different days. A lapse puts the license and its permits at risk, so we calendar all three.

good to know.

Straight answers on New York plumbing licenses.

Does New York have a state plumbing license?

No. New York has no statewide plumbing license, so the city or county where the work is licenses the trade. New York City’s Department of Buildings licenses master plumbers and registers journeymen. Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and other places run their own boards, and a license from one doesn’t automatically carry to another.

What insurance does NYC require for a master plumber license?

The Department of Buildings says every master plumber business must carry general liability, workers’ comp and disability insurance. It sets a general liability minimum per occurrence and wants to be the certificate holder, and it wants the comp and disability certificates on the state’s own forms, each filed as its own document.

Can I work in New York City on a county plumbing license?

No. Plumbing work in the five boroughs runs under a licensed master plumber’s city license and business. A county license from Nassau, Suffolk or Westchester doesn’t carry into the city, and the city license doesn’t automatically carry out. Each board has its own exam, experience rule and paperwork, so check where the work is first.

Sources: NYC Department of Buildings, New York State Workers’ Compensation Board. Last reviewed September 2026.

Insurance words, in plain English: waiver of subrogation · certificate of insurance · additional insured · primary and noncontributory · hold harmless agreement · contractual liability · per-project aggregate · completed operations