New Mexico Plumber License Requirements (2026)

New Mexico’s Construction Industries Division (CID) licenses a plumbing business under the MM-1 Plumbing classification. MM-98 is the broader Mechanical classification, not the state’s stand-alone plumbing license. CID also issues individual Journeyman Plumber (JP) certificates. A contractor must have a CID-certified qualifying party for the work classification and maintain the required contractor bond; an individual performing plumbing work generally needs the appropriate journeyman certificate unless working as a supervised apprentice.

Regulatory Body

New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department — Construction Industries Division (CID) is the statutory authority responsible for issuing and enforcing this license under NMSA 1978, Chapter 60, Article 13; 14.6.3, 14.6.4 and 14.6.6 NMAC.. CID licenses construction businesses, certifies qualifying parties and journeymen, and administers construction-industry rules.

Official portal: https://www.rld.nm.gov/construction-industries/
Address: 2550 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505
Phone: (505) 476-4500

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Check the current application for identification and tax-number requirements. The reviewed CID rule requires a business entity to be legally authorized to do business in New Mexico; it does not create a general New Mexico-residency rule. Confirm current application identity and tax-registration documents with PSI/CID.

Good moral character

CID may deny a license or certificate for specified disqualifying felony convictions or conduct that violates the Construction Industries Licensing Act or rules.

Background investigation

Follow the current CID/PSI application. This audit does not claim a universal fingerprint requirement.

Experience and Education

At least 4 years of A qualifying party for MM-1 must have four years of practical or related plumbing-trade experience within the ten years immediately before application. For an individual JP certificate, the plumbing classification requires two years of experience; qualifying training may count at one-half year of experience per training year, up to one-half of the total requirement. has to be evidenced and confirmed. Retain payroll, tax, project, or supervisor records, since the board may audit the experience claimed.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

CID/PSI qualifying-party or journeyman application
Work-experience affidavit(s) required by CID/PSI
Training documentation when claiming a permitted training credit

Education substitution

For both qualifying-party and journeyman certification, qualifying technical training may receive one-half-year experience credit for each training year, but may not exceed one-half of the applicable work-experience requirement.

Exam Requirements

Testing provider or authority: CID or its current designee, PSI.. The following examination requirements cover the pathways described in this guide; follow each part's classification, waiver, and local-scope conditions. Unpublished format details do not remove an examination requirement:

MM-1 qualifying-party trade examination — question count: confirm with the authority, timing: confirm with the authority, passing score: confirm in the current candidate bulletin
Contractor Business and Law examination or CID-approved Business and Law course (qualifying party) — question count: confirm with the authority, timing: confirm with the authority, passing score: confirm in the current candidate bulletin
Journeyman Plumber examination — question count: confirm with the authority, timing: confirm with the authority, passing score 75%

Examination fee: The current CID page lists a $36 qualifying-party application/experience-affidavit fee and a separate $36 company application fee. It directs applicants to the current PSI candidate bulletin and registration form for examination fees.

Retake policy: A journeyman applicant who misses or fails an examination may reapply and pay the fee, but may not take the same examination more than twice in a 30-day period. CID says a passing score is valid for one year for the company-license application.

Insurance and Bonds

The applicant must secure and file a $10,000 surety bond before the CID will release the license.

General liability

This audit found no CID rule establishing a statewide general-liability minimum for this license. Project owners, lenders, or local authorities may set separate insurance requirements.

Workers' compensation

CID’s current application guidance says workers’ compensation coverage is required for licensed entities. Confirm the business’s obligations directly with the New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration.

Additional financial requirements

CID requires a $10,000 surety bond from a corporate surety authorized in New Mexico at initial licensing and renewal. The bond must remain effective through the licensing period; this audit does not state an unsupported financial-statement requirement.

Fee Schedule

Fee	Amount
Application	$36
Initial license	No separate amount recorded; confirm in the fee guidance
Renewal (every 2 years)	No separate amount recorded; confirm in the fee guidance

To turn these board fees into a realistic year-one budget — bond premium, liability insurance, and exam prep included — open the cost calculator preloaded for New Mexico plumber.

Renewal and Continuing Education

The New Mexico MM-1 Plumbing Contractor and JP Journeyman Plumber must be renewed every 2 years. A standalone statewide renewal fee is not published in the cited record. The statute generally provides a two-year contractor-license period, subject to CID’s expiration system. Journeyman certificates expire on the date set by CID, no later than three years from the month issued. Verify the exact credential expiration date and current fee on the renewal notice.

Continuing education: For contractor licenses, CID may require renewal education under the Construction Industries Licensing Act; follow the current renewal form. JP renewal requires 16 approved hours, including at least eight hours on the current CID code enforced for the classification.

Downloadable Asset

2026 New Mexico Plumber License Roadmap (PDF) — a printable step-by-step checklist for the application process.

Download the PDF roadmap →

Reciprocity

New Mexico grants no NASCLA reciprocity for this classification.

Reciprocal State	Accepted Exam	Conditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity agreements identified.

CID’s current reciprocity notice says the only reciprocated journeyman classification is EE-98J electrical. Do not assume plumbing contractor or JP reciprocity; obtain written CID confirmation before relying on an out-of-state credential.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares published Plumber license requirements by state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

Plumber Licensing in Neighboring States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare New Mexico's requirements against the bordering jurisdictions before committing to an application:

Arizona Plumber License Requirements — Arizona Plumbing Contractor — C-37 Commercial / CR-37 Dual / Residential Plumbing Classifications
Colorado Plumber License Requirements — Colorado Master, Journeyworker, Residential, and Apprentice Plumber — State Plumbing Board
Oklahoma Plumber License Requirements — Oklahoma Plumbing Journeyman and Contractor License
Texas Plumber License Requirements — Texas Master Plumber License
Utah Plumber License Requirements — Utah Master Plumber License and P200 Contractor License

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

Select the actual scope. Use MM-1 for the plumbing scope. Do not describe MM-98 as a plumbing-only credential; it is the broader Mechanical classification.
Document qualifying experience. For a contractor qualifying party, document four years within the preceding ten years. For an individual JP path, document the two-year plumbing experience requirement.
Submit CID/PSI materials. Submit the current application and work-experience affidavit(s) for approval before scheduling the applicable examination.
Complete the applicable examinations. A qualifying party needs the classification examination and the Contractor Business and Law examination or approved course. Journeyman certification requires the applicable journeyman examination after experience approval.
License the business. Submit the company application, $36 application fee, tax registration, organizational records if applicable, qualifying-party evidence, and the $10,000 license bond.
Maintain and renew. Keep the bond and qualifying party in place, renew on time, and complete renewal education if CID requires it for the credential.

Application Checklist

Before submitting to CID, the applicant should have each of the following ready:

MM-1 or JP scope decision
Required experience evidence and CID/PSI affidavit(s)
Applicable CID/PSI application fee
Qualifying-party trade and Business and Law results or approved course for contractor licensing
Journeyman examination result when pursuing a JP certificate
$10,000 New Mexico corporate-surety bond for the contractor
Tax registration and entity documents required for the company application
Workers’ compensation compliance and local permits where applicable

Common Filing Mistakes

These are the recurring mistakes that most often delay or reject a New Mexico Plumber application, based on the official instructions cited here.

Calling MM-98 a plumbing-only license

MM-1 is the plumbing classification; MM-98 is a broader Mechanical classification.

Using the wrong experience threshold

The contractor qualifying-party path requires four years; the JP journeyman classification requires two years.

Assuming out-of-state reciprocity

CID’s current notice identifies electrical EE-98J only. Get a written CID answer for any plumbing credential.

Treating the bond as general liability insurance

CID’s $10,000 contractor bond is a licensing requirement. It is not a substitute for insurance required by a customer or another authority.

Study and Reference Materials

The list below collects the board's cited references and the materials applicants typically study from. CLR is not paid to recommend any of them.

14.6.6 NMAC — classifications and scopes — New Mexico State Records Center and Archives. Use this to match the work to MM-1, MM-98, or another classification.
Current PSI New Mexico candidate information bulletin — PSI / CID. Obtain current examination references, format, fees, and scheduling instructions after experience approval.
Construction Industries Licensing Act and CID rules — New Mexico. Review contractor, bond, qualifying-party, and journeyman rules.

Other New Mexico Trade Licenses

For a different New Mexico credential, see these companion guides published by CLR:

Frequently Asked Questions

Is MM-98 the New Mexico plumbing license?

No. MM-1 is the Plumbing classification. MM-98 is the broader Mechanical license, which includes work in the MM-1 through MM-4 classifications and certain specialties.

How much experience does an MM-1 qualifying party need?

Four years of practical or related trade experience within the ten years immediately preceding the application.

How much experience does a Journeyman Plumber need?

The JP classification requires two years of experience. CID may award qualifying training credit, but not for more than one-half of the total work-experience requirement.

Is there a state plumbing contractor bond?

Yes. CID requires a $10,000 corporate-surety bond at initial licensure and renewal.

Does New Mexico reciprocate plumbing credentials?

CID’s current notice identifies only EE-98J electrical as a reciprocated journeyman classification. Confirm any plumbing request directly with CID before applying.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

Verified 2026-09-04 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-03

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Corrections and presentation updates

2026-09-30: Corrected examination detection when format details are unpublished and updated the summary layout and requirements score. Source-check dates are unchanged.
2026-09-08: Shared template updated to distinguish unspecified eligibility requirements, retain cost qualifications, and use consistent headings. Source-check dates are unchanged by presentation updates.
2026-09-21: Local-only guides now use a compliance-focused structure and terminology instead of implying a statewide license application. Source-check dates are unchanged by this presentation update.