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Large states · 4 trades verified · checked 2026-10-20

North Carolina trade licenses

Electrician, Plumber, HVAC and General contractor credentials in North Carolina, from the issuing board's page or the statute: who issues each one, the levels, the time it takes and the exam.

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  1. 1Electrician up to 4.5 years
  2. 2Plumber up to 2 years
  3. 3HVAC up to 2 years
  4. 4General contractor UNL
TradeIssued byTop credentialTime to topExamFees printed
ElectricianNorth Carolina State Board of Examiners of Electrical ContractorsUnlimited Electrical Contractorup to 4.5 yearsYesNo
PlumberNorth Carolina State Board of Examiners of PlumbingPlumbing Contractor, Class Iup to 2 yearsYesNo
HVACNorth Carolina State Board of Examiners of PlumbingHeating Group No. 1up to 2 yearsYesNo
General contractorNorth Carolina Licensing Board for General ContractorsUnlimited licensetime not statedYesNo
Electricianup to 4.5 yearsPlumberup to 2 yearsHVACup to 2 years
Years to the top credential in each North Carolina trade covered here, from the hours and years in each source. "+" means the earlier level's time is not stated.

Electrician in North Carolina

Statewide electrical contractor licenses in three classifications set by project value, plus special restricted classifications. Unlimited Electrical Contractor: up to 4.5 years of experience at most, plus an exam.

Limited Electrical Contractor — up to 1.5 years, exam. Intermediate Electrical Contractor — up to 2.9 years, exam. Unlimited Electrical Contractor — up to 4.5 years, exam. No reciprocity partner is named in the source.

What the top level asks for: No more than 9,000 hours of experience, at least 8,000 of them primary. G.S. 87-43.3(a)(3).

North Carolina electrician details · Electrician in every state

Plumber in North Carolina

Statewide plumbing contractor licenses in two classes under G.S. 87-21. Plumbing Contractor, Class I: up to 2 years of experience at most, plus an exam.

Plumbing Contractor, Class II — up to 2 years, exam. Plumbing Contractor, Class I — up to 2 years, exam. No reciprocity partner is named in the source.

What the top level asks for: The same two-year ceiling on required experience; a two-part exam (business and law, and technical). G.S. 87-21(b)(3) and (b)(6).

North Carolina plumber details · Plumber in every state

HVAC in North Carolina

Statewide heating contractor licenses in three heating groups defined by G.S. 87-21, issued in Class I (all structures) and Class II (single-family dwellings). Heating Group No. 1: up to 2 years of experience at most, plus an exam.

Heating Group No. 3 — up to 2 years, exam. Heating Group No. 2 — up to 2 years, exam. Heating Group No. 1 — up to 2 years, exam. No reciprocity partner is named in the source.

What the top level asks for: The same two-year ceiling and the two-part exam. G.S. 87-21(a)(2).

North Carolina HVAC details · HVAC in every state

General contractor in North Carolina

A general contractor license is required for projects of $40,000 or more (G.S. 87-1). Licenses carry a limitation by project value and a classification: building, residential, highway, public utilities or specialty. Unlimited license: the source states no minimum time, plus an exam.

Limited license — time not stated, exam. Intermediate license — time not stated, exam. Unlimited license — time not stated, exam. No reciprocity partner is named in the source.

What the top level asks for: Financial responsibility as set by the Board, and a qualifier who passes the exam. G.S. 87-10(a1).

North Carolina general contractor details · General contractor in every state

Moving to or from North Carolina

Electrician: no route is named in the source, and Texas lists North Carolina in return. Plumber: no route is named in the source. HVAC: no route is named in the source. General contractor: no route is named in the source. Conditions differ by board, so read the state page for each trade before relying on a partner list.

Nearby and comparable: California · Florida · Georgia · Michigan · Ohio. Guides: how long each state takes · license or registration.

General information from the North Carolina sources on 2026-10-20, not legal advice. Each board is the authority; confirm before applying.