New York Plumbing Licensing and How to Verify a Contractor

Effective August 13, 2026 · Last updated

Who licenses plumbers in New York

New York does not license plumbers at state level at all, so the credential that matters is the local one, most prominently the New York City Department of Buildings Licensed Master Plumber licence, and a plumber licensed in one New York city is not thereby licensed in another.

The authority is New York City Department of Buildings (DOB), the largest of New York's municipal plumbing licensing authorities; New York has no state-level plumbing licence. Its public register is at https://a810-dobnow.nyc.gov/publish/Index.html#!/.

The same licence and permit rules apply in all 175 New York cities and towns covered here, and to every job listed under all plumbing services.

Licence classes in New York

Plumbing licence classes recognised in New York
ClassScope
Licensed Master Plumber (LMP)New York City licence permitting the holder to perform or oversee plumbing work in the city; the only person who can pull a New York City plumbing permit.
Journeyman Plumber registrationNew York City registration, a minimum two-year prerequisite toward the Licensed Master Plumber licence, working under an LMP.

How to verify a contractor before work starts

  • Ask for the licence number and the exact registered name it is held under.
  • Check that name against the company on the estimate, the invoice and the vehicle.
  • Check the status is current, not expired, suspended or revoked.
  • Ask for a certificate of insurance issued to your address, not a policy number read out on a call.
  • For gas, sewer, water-heater or repiping work, ask which permit is being pulled and by whom.

Which plumbing code applies

2025 Plumbing Code of New York State (derived from the 2024 International Plumbing Code), part of the 2025 Uniform Code effective December 31, 2025; New York City enforces its own 2022 NYC Plumbing Code The 2025 Uniform Code took effect on 31 December 2025, repealing the 2020 edition, and its plumbing volume is the 2025 Plumbing Code of New York State, a derivative of the 2024 International Plumbing Code published in July 2025. New York City is not covered by the state Uniform Code and enforces its own NYC Plumbing Code instead, so a job in Manhattan and a job in Albany are governed by different documents.

Permits

Plumbing permits are issued locally, and in New York City only a Licensed Master Plumber may file for and obtain one, which means neither a homeowner nor an unlicensed handyman can legitimately pull a New York City plumbing permit.

Complaints

Because plumber licensing is municipal, verification is local: in New York City the DOB NOW public portal returns a licence holder's name, business information and insurance by licence number, surname or business name, while home improvement contractor registration is checked separately through NYC DCWP or the relevant county consumer affairs office.

PlumberNewYork is not a licensed contractor

PlumberNewYork is an independently operated referral service. PlumberNewYork is not a plumbing contractor, holds no contractor licence, employs no plumbers and performs no plumbing work. Every job arranged through this site is performed by an independent, separately licensed professional who contracts directly with the homeowner.

Consumer protection

General Business Law Article 36-A (sections 770 to 777) governs home improvement contracts in New York, setting written contract requirements, treating consumer deposits as trust or escrow funds and restricting progress payments.