New Mexico Plumbing Exams

The New Mexico Plumbing License Exam covers many topics including: Vents & Venting; Administrative Procedures; Fixtures; Drainage Systems and more.  Whether you live in Albuquerue, Las Cruces, Rio Rancho or another city or county, the resources below will help you get started:

Need of a License:   A plumber needs a journeyman's certificate or a contractor's license to work in New Mexico as a plumber.   A contractor must have at least one qualified person under the classification it seeks to work under in New Mexico.  Therefore, a contractor must either be a qualified plumber or have a qualified plumber on its staff to work as a plumbing contractor in New Mexico.

Who Grants a License:  The plumbing trade is regulated by the New Mexico Regulation & Licensing Department.

Procedures for Getting a License:   A candidate for a plumbing contractor license (MM-I) must take and pass an exam consisting of two parts - a business and law exam and trade knowledge exam.  A contractor does not have to take the business and law exam if the contractor has taken an approved course in business and law.  Detailed information about the contractor's test is provided in a Candidate Information Bulletin.  

A candidate for a journeyman plumbing certificate must take a written and practical exam.  Detailed information about the journeyman plumbing certificate is provided in a Candidate Information Bulletin.

Qualifications to take the Exam and receive a License:  To qualify to take the journeyman exam, the candidate needs a minimum of 2 years and 4000 hours of experience in the trade.  To qualify for the contractor's license, the contractor must be or have a qualified plumber who has at least 4 years and 8000 hours of experience in the trade.

Who Administers the Test:  PSI

How to Apply for the Test:  Information on how to obtain your contractor's license can be found online at Get Licensed.   

You can register to take the test by contacting PSI.  

Test Content:  The contractor and journeyman exams have the following specifications:

Contractor exam - The business and law section of the exam has 50 questions covering such subjects as estimating and bidding, labor laws and safety.  The business and law section must be completed in 125 minutes.  The trade knowledge part of the exam consists of 100 questions, must be completed in 240 minutes and covers the following areas with numbers of questions:

     Drainage Waste and Vents - 25

     Water Supply Systems - 8

     Backflow Prevention - 7

     Storm Drainage Systems - 4

     Plumbing Fixtures, including  Water Heaters - 10

     General Knowledge and Regulations - 12

     Interceptors and Traps - 9

     Isometric Analysis - 10

     Hydronics - 5

     Septic and Sewer - 6

     Fuel Dispensing Stations - 4

Journeyman -   The journeyman plumbing written exam consists of 70 questions, must be completed in 180 minutes and covers the following areas with number of questions:

     Drainage Waste and Vents - 21

     Water Supply Systems - 6

     Backflow Prevention - 4

     Storm Drainage Systems - 4

     Plumbing Fixtures, including  Water Heaters - 8

     General Knowledge and Regulations - 10

     Interceptors and Traps - 4

     Isometric Analysis - 5

     Hydronics - 4

     Septic and Sewer - 4

The exams are open book with limited materials.  The candidate needs a score of 75% to pass both the contractor and journeyman exams.

Fees:   There are fees to take the test.

License Renewal:  Licenses must be renewed every year.   Journeyman plumbers must take a minimum of 16 hours of continuing education coursework as a condition to renewal.

Applicable Code:   New Mexico follows the New Mexico Plumbing Code based on the Uniform Plumbing Code published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials.

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For more information on licensing and exam preparation, go to Tests.com's

Journeyman Plumbing Test Guide

Master Plumbing Test Guide

And take Tests.com's Plumbing Practice Test.

For plumbing exam preparation products and services, such as study guides, practice tests, flashcards and courses, go to Tests.com's Journeyman Plumber Exam and Master Plumber Exam listings.