Tennessee plumbing license requirements and insurance

Who it applies to

1Who needs a plumbing license in Tennessee? What is this?

Contractor License, classification CMC-A (Plumbing and Gas Piping): any business that bids on, prices, or does plumbing work where the job is $25,000 or more, materials and labor included. That includes a plumbing subcontractor hired by a general contractor when the plumbing part alone is $25,000 or more

License	Who needs it	What it covers
Contractor License, classification CMC-A (Plumbing and Gas Piping)	Any business that bids on, prices, or does plumbing work where the job is $25,000 or more, materials and labor included. That includes a plumbing subcontractor hired by a general contractor when the plumbing part alone is $25,000 or more	Plumbing and gas piping anywhere in Tennessee, up to the monetary limit the board gives you (the largest single job you may take on)
Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP)	A person doing plumbing jobs under $25,000 in a town or county where the state Division of Fire Prevention issues the permits and does the inspections. General maintenance under $500 does not need it. Where a city or county runs its own plumbing license, you follow the local rule instead	Plumbing jobs under $25,000 each, in your own name. It is a personal license, not a business license, and you may not call yourself a contractor

License

Who needs it

What it covers

Contractor License, classification CMC-A (Plumbing and Gas Piping)

Any business that bids on, prices, or does plumbing work where the job is $25,000 or more, materials and labor included. That includes a plumbing subcontractor hired by a general contractor when the plumbing part alone is $25,000 or more

Plumbing and gas piping anywhere in Tennessee, up to the monetary limit the board gives you (the largest single job you may take on)

Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP)

A person doing plumbing jobs under $25,000 in a town or county where the state Division of Fire Prevention issues the permits and does the inspections. General maintenance under $500 does not need it. Where a city or county runs its own plumbing license, you follow the local rule instead

Plumbing jobs under $25,000 each, in your own name. It is a personal license, not a business license, and you may not call yourself a contractor

Who runs it

2Who issues plumber licenses in Tennessee? What is this?

Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Board for Licensing Contractors (BLC) issues plumbing licenses in Tennessee.

See how this compares in every state: How to check a contractor's license, state by state

Name	Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Board for Licensing Contractors (BLC)
Website	tn.gov
Look up a license	verify.tn.gov
The law	Tennessee Code Annotated Title 62, Chapter 6
The rulebook	Tennessee Rules and Regulations chapter 0680 (0680-01 for licensing, 0680-06 for insurance)
About the exam provider	Prov runs the exams from 1 July 2026. PSI keeps running them until September 2026 while the change happens.

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Getting licensed

3How to become a plumber in Tennessee What is this?

Tennessee has 2 licenses that matter to a plumber: Contractor License, classification CMC-A (Plumbing and Gas Piping), Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP). Each is below, with what you need before you apply.

License	Experience required	Training required	Exam
Contractor License, classification CMC-A (Plumbing and Gas Piping)	The board must pre-approve you before you can sit the CMC-A trade exam. You send a Pre-Approval Request Form with proof of your plumbing experience and a $50 fee. The board's page does not give the exact years of experience it wants. Ask before you apply	None required	Yes, two open-book exams run by Prov (PSI until September 2026). A Business and Law exam, plus the CMC-A trade exam. The same person does not have to take both. Up to two people from the business can be the ones who test
Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP)	One year of plumbing work, or a current local plumbing license from a Tennessee city or county	None required	Yes, a 40-question plumbing exam run by Prov (PSI until September 2026). No pre-approval needed. Waived if you already passed a Tennessee city or county plumbing exam. Out-of-state exams do not count

License

Experience required

Training required

Exam

Contractor License, classification CMC-A (Plumbing and Gas Piping)

The board must pre-approve you before you can sit the CMC-A trade exam. You send a Pre-Approval Request Form with proof of your plumbing experience and a $50 fee. The board's page does not give the exact years of experience it wants. Ask before you apply

None required

Yes, two open-book exams run by Prov (PSI until September 2026). A Business and Law exam, plus the CMC-A trade exam. The same person does not have to take both. Up to two people from the business can be the ones who test

Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP)

One year of plumbing work, or a current local plumbing license from a Tennessee city or county

None required

Yes, a 40-question plumbing exam run by Prov (PSI until September 2026). No pre-approval needed. Waived if you already passed a Tennessee city or county plumbing exam. Out-of-state exams do not count

What it costs

4How much does a plumbing license cost in Tennessee? What is this?

The government fees on this page add up to about $300 in Tennessee. Add insurance, tools, and a vehicle to get the real number.

License	Application	Exam	Renewal	Approval needed before the exam	Late renewal, per month late	Changing the business type
Contractor License, classification CMC-A (Plumbing and Gas Piping)	$250	null	$200	$50	$20	$100
Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP)	$75	null	$50	—	$10	—

Added up

Government fees, added up	$300
Government fees for the limited license, added up	75

Does not include exam fees, the CPA financial statement, insurance premiums, tools, a vehicle, or city permits and local licenses

Our estimate

Insurance

5How much plumbing insurance do you need in Tennessee? What is this?

The least liability insurance Tennessee lets a plumber work with is $100,000. Most customers ask for more. Workers' comp is required as soon as you have one employee.

Minimum liability insurance	$100,000
Liability insurance by license size	$100,000 if your monetary limit is $500,000 or less. $500,000 if it is $500,001 to $1,500,000. $1,000,000 if it is $1,500,001 or more, including unlimited.
Type of policy	General liability insurance
Who this applies to	Every business holding the contractor license. You send a certificate with the application and again at every two-year renewal
Who must be named on the certificate	The Board itself. Rule 0680-06-.03(3) says applicants and licensees must name the Board as the certificate holder on the general liability policy
Insurance for the limited license	The insurance amounts in the board's rule are set by a contractor's money limit, and a limited licensed plumber has no money limit. No amount is set for this license, and the board's own page for it asks for none
Workers' comp required?	Yes, as soon as you have one employee. Construction businesses must cover everyone, owners included, unless the owner registers an exemption. Most other Tennessee businesses only need cover at five or more employees
Who can opt out	Owners can register themselves as exempt. A sole owner must own all of the business. A partner or LLC member needs at least 20 percent. A family that together owns 95 percent also qualifies. Up to five owners per business. It costs $50 if you hold a contractor license and $100 if you do not and lasts two years. Exempt owners must still cover every employee

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Money checks

6Does Tennessee check your credit for a plumber license? What is this?

Tennessee does not check your credit for this license.

Credit score you need	None
Financial statement	A reviewed financial statement from a licensed CPA, less than 12 months old, in the exact name of the business. Audited if you want a monetary limit above $3,000,000. Your limit is ten times the lower of your working capital or net worth. For an unlimited license you need $300,000 in both
If your score is lower	From 1 July 2026 you can post a Contractors' Surety Bond for at least half the monetary limit you ask for instead of a financial statement
At renewal	A CPA-compiled statement if your limit is above $1,500,000. Below that a balance sheet you prepare yourself is enough

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Bonds

7Does a plumber need a bond in Tennessee? What is this?

Tennessee does not require a state bond for this license. Some cities ask for one before they issue permits.

Does the state require a bond?	No
Amount	Not listed yet

The state does not ask for a bond to hold the contractor license. From 1 July 2026 a surety bond (a promise, backed by an insurance company, that customers can be paid if you do not finish the job) is an option in place of the CPA financial statement, at half your monetary limit. Cities and counties that run their own plumbing license may ask for one, so check locally.

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Showing your number

8Where must a Tennessee plumber show the license number? What is this?

In Tennessee: your name, license number, expiry date and classification must be written on the bid envelope, or in the electronic bid. For a plumbing, heating, air conditioning or electrical bid this applies unless your part of the job comes to less than $25,000. Nothing in the contractor law puts the number on advertisements, invoices or vehicles.

The rule	Your name, license number, expiry date and classification must be written on the bid envelope, or in the electronic bid. For a plumbing, heating, air conditioning or electrical bid this applies unless your part of the job comes to less than $25,000. Nothing in the contractor law puts the number on advertisements, invoices or vehicles
If you forget	A bid without the license details is thrown out. The board can fine you up to $5,000 for a wilful breach. Taking a job of $25,000 or more with no license is a Class A misdemeanor

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Tax

9Does a plumber charge sales tax on labor in Tennessee? What is this?

Whether Tennessee taxes your labor, your materials, or neither.

See how this compares in every state: Can you charge sales tax on labor? The rule in 25 states

Materials	You are the final buyer. You pay sales tax when you buy pipe, fittings, water heaters, and fixtures, and you do not charge the customer tax on them
Labor on work that becomes part of the building	No sales tax. Installing or repairing something that becomes part of the house or building is not taxed
Labor on items that can be moved	You charge tax. Repairing or installing something that stays movable, like an appliance, is a taxable service
Homes versus businesses	No difference. The test is the property, not the customer
New buildings	Same rule. You pay tax on materials and charge none on labor
Working for a tax exempt customer	You still pay the tax on your materials even when the customer is a church, a school, or a government body. Their exemption is theirs, not yours
Tax rate	7 percent state plus a local rate of up to 2.75 percent, paid where you buy the materials

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Getting paid

10Getting paid: lien and notice deadlines for a Tennessee plumber What is this?

If you are not paid in Tennessee, a lien on the property is your backstop, but only if your notice goes out on time: a Notice of Nonpayment within 90 days after the last day of each month you did unpaid work (work done in January means notice by about May 1). Miss it and you lose the lien for that month's work.

The order things have to happen in, counted in days

Day 0
Your first day on the job
The clock starts here.
Day 90
Send your notice
A Notice of Nonpayment within 90 days after the last day of each month you did unpaid work (work done in January means notice by about May 1). Miss it and you lose the lien for that month's work
Day 90
File your lien
Record a sworn Notice of Lien with the county register within 90 days after the whole project is finished or abandoned. A prime contractor's lien lasts one year after completion, and any lawsuit to enforce it must start within that year

Each day count is counted from the day the rule beside it names, which is not always the same day. Read the sentence under each one.

Who has to send a notice	A remote contractor, meaning anyone hired by the contractor rather than by the property owner, on any job that is not a one- to four-family home. It goes to the owner and the prime contractor. If you were hired by the owner you do not send one
Send your notice by	A Notice of Nonpayment within 90 days after the last day of each month you did unpaid work (work done in January means notice by about May 1). Miss it and you lose the lien for that month's work
File your lien by	Record a sworn Notice of Lien with the county register within 90 days after the whole project is finished or abandoned. A prime contractor's lien lasts one year after completion, and any lawsuit to enforce it must start within that year
About home jobs	On an owner-occupied home of one to four units, only the prime contractor can claim a lien. Subcontractors and suppliers cannot

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Keeping it

11How do you renew a plumbing license in Tennessee? What is this?

The Contractor License, classification CMC-A (Plumbing and Gas Piping) renews every two years. No training hours are required.

License	Renewal	Training hours each renewal
Contractor License, classification CMC-A (Plumbing and Gas Piping)	Every two years	—
Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP)	Every two years	—

License

Renewal

Training hours each renewal

Contractor License, classification CMC-A (Plumbing and Gas Piping)

Every two years

—

Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP)

Every two years

—

Renewal fees are in what the license costs. The official page for each license is linked under how you get it.

Watch out

12What catches people out in Tennessee What is this?

The things people get wrong or do not expect about Tennessee, in a few sentences.

Tennessee does not license plumbers by trade level. A plumbing business that takes jobs of $25,000 or more needs a contractor license with the CMC-A classification, issued to the business, not the person. Below $25,000 the state only steps in where its own Division of Fire Prevention does the permits and inspections, and there you need the Limited Licensed Plumber license, which is issued to a person and costs $75 for two years.
The contractor license has no fixed insurance number. The board sets a monetary limit for your business, and your liability insurance floor follows it. Up to a $500,000 limit you need $100,000. From $500,001 to $1,500,000 you need $500,000. Above that you need $1,000,000.
To get the contractor license you must pay a CPA for a reviewed financial statement. Fifteen counties, including Dickson, Henry, and Obion, are outside the state plumbing law altogether and set their own rules.
Workers' comp starts at one employee for construction trades, not five like most Tennessee businesses. Owners can register an exemption for themselves for $50 if they hold a contractor license, or $100 if they do not.
A subcontractor on a commercial job must send a Notice of Nonpayment to the owner and the prime contractor within 90 days after the end of each month of unpaid work. On an owner-occupied home only the prime contractor can file a lien at all.
Tennessee treats you as the final buyer of your materials. You pay sales tax when you buy pipe and fixtures, and you do not charge the customer sales tax on labor that becomes part of the building.

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13Where these numbers come from

The labels under each table are explained on how to read a page.