Tennessee Plumbing Exams

The Tennessee Plumbing License Exam covers many topics including: Vents & Venting; Administrative Procedures; Fixtures; Drainage Systems and more.  Whether you live in Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis or another city or county, the resources below will help you get started:

Need of a License:  Limited License Plumbers (LLP), doing jobs less than $25,000, and contractors (CMC-A) working on projects with a total cost of $25,000 or more need a license to work in Tennessee.

Who Grants a License:  Plumbing licenses are issued by the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors.

Procedures for Getting a License:   A candidate for an LLP or CMC-A license must take and pass an exam to get licensed. 

Qualifications to Receive a License:  Candidates for both the LLP and CMC-A licenses must first take and pass the related exams.  Test results are submitted with the application.  To qualify for the CMC-A license, the candidate should document 3 years of experience in the field.  To qualify for the LLP license, a candidate must document at least one year of plumbing experience.

Test Content:  The CMC-A exam consists of a business and law section and a trade knowledge section.  The LLP exam only covers trade knowledge.  A 73% score is needed to pass the exams.  The exams have the following specifications:

LLP - 40 questions, 120 minute written exam,  covering the following subjects with corresponding number of questions:

     General Knowledge and Math - 5

     General Requirements - 4

     Water Supply and Distribution - 4

     Fixtures including Water Heaters  - 2

     Drainage Waste and Vents - 10

     Traps, Cleanouts and Interceptors - 2

     Isometric Analysis - 7

     Gas Appliance and Piping - 4

     OHSA Safety - 2

Detailed information about the LLP exam can be found online in a Candidate Information Bulletin.  

CMC-A -  The Business and Law exam has 50 questions, 120 minutes is given to complete the test and it  covers such topics as estimating and bidding, labors laws and environmental and safety. 

The trade knowledge part of the test has 110 questions and 270 minutes is given to complete the test. The trade knowledge part of the test has the following content with number of questions:

     General Knowledge and Math - 14

     General Requirements - 10

     Water Supply and Distribution - 10

     Fixtures including Water Heaters  - 6

     Drainage Waste and Vents - 28

     Traps, Cleanouts and Interceptors - 6

     Isometric Analysis - 20

     Gas Appliance and Piping - 12

     OHSA Safety - 4

Tests are open book with limited materials.

Detailed exam information about the CMC-A exam can be found in a Candidate Information Bulletin.

Who Administers the TestPSI

How to Apply for the Test:  Before applying to the state, the candidate must take the appropriate exams and submit them with the application.  To register for the exams, contact PSI.

 The application for the CMC-A exam can be found online at CMC-A Exam Application.    

The application for the LLP exam can be found online at LLP Application.   

Fees:  There are fees to take the test.

License renewal:  Licenses must be renewed every two years.  There is no continuing education requirement.

Applicable Code:    Tennessee follows the International Plumbing Code established by the International Code Council as adopted by local municipalities.  

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