Westchester County Plumber License: Exam, CE Requirements, and the 51% Ownership Repeal

Westchester Runs a Centralized County Licensing System

Unlike Nassau County — which splits licensing across individual towns and villages — Westchester County operates a single Trades Licensing Division that issues countywide plumber credentials. The Plumbing Board oversees examinations and discipline. If you pass the county exam, your license covers all municipalities within Westchester.

The county issues two credential levels: Journey-Level Plumber and Licensed Master Plumber. Both are administered through the Trades Licensing Division under the Department of Consumer Protection.

Experience and Exam Requirements

Journey-Level Plumber: Candidates must complete a registered four-year plumbing apprenticeship. The exam application fee is $25. Upon passing, the license fee is $75 for the biennial credential.

Master Plumber: Journey-level status is a prerequisite. On top of the apprenticeship, you must document a minimum of five years of verified field experience as a journey-level plumber. The exam application fee is $50, submitted directly to the Trades Licensing Division. The practical exam is conducted by an approved external testing agency, with a separate testing fee. Upon passing, the master license fee is $600, with a biennial renewal cycle.

Two Major Regulatory Changes for 2025–2026

Westchester has implemented two significant updates that affect every licensed and aspiring plumber in the county:

Mandatory Continuing Education

Starting in 2025, all licensed Master Plumbers must complete four hours of approved continuing education annually as a condition of license renewal. This is a new requirement — Westchester previously had no CE mandate for plumbers. The CE courses must come from approved instructors, and proof of completion must be submitted with your renewal application.

If you let your CE lapse, you won't be able to renew. And unlike some jurisdictions that offer grace periods, Westchester requires the hours to be current at the time of your renewal filing.

Repeal of the 51% Ownership Rule

On July 19, 2026, the Westchester County Board of Legislators voted 14-0 to remove the requirement that a licensed master plumber must hold at least 51% ownership in any corporate entity performing trade work in the county.

This is a major structural change. Previously, an energy company, mechanical contractor, or utility firm that wanted to pull plumbing permits in Westchester had to either partner with a master plumber who held majority equity, or hire one as a subcontractor. The forced equity partnership created a bottleneck: qualified master plumbers were scarce, and the ownership requirement gave them outsized negotiating leverage.

Under the new rules, companies can hire an in-house licensed master plumber as an employee — without giving up majority ownership — and that plumber can pull permits on behalf of the firm. This opens the door for larger employers to bring plumbing work in-house rather than subcontracting it.

Note that this change applies only to Westchester County. New York City's DOB still requires the 51% controlling interest rule for master plumber corporations operating in the five boroughs.

How Westchester Compares to NYC and Long Island

Westchester's system sits between NYC's rigid, exam-heavy structure and Nassau's fragmented town-by-town approach:

• Lower fees. The $50 master exam application fee compares to $585 for the NYC written exam alone.
• Biennial renewal. Westchester uses biennial renewal cycles for both journey-level and master licenses. NYC renews master plumber licenses every three years.
• CE requirement. Westchester is one of the few jurisdictions in the state to mandate annual continuing education for plumbers. NYC does not currently require CE for master plumber renewal.
• County-specific document process. Westchester's requirements are handled through its Trades Licensing Division rather than the NYC DOB process, so confirm the county's current document list before applying.

Credentials Don't Transfer

A Westchester County plumber license has no legal standing in NYC, Nassau, Suffolk, or any other jurisdiction. An NYC master plumber credential won't let you pull permits in Westchester either. If you plan to work across county lines, you'll need to apply separately in each jurisdiction and maintain independent insurance certificates for each.

The New York Plumber License Guide covers Westchester's requirements alongside every other major New York jurisdiction, including the new CE rules and the practical implications of the 51% ownership repeal for plumbing businesses expanding into the county.

See more New York guides →