1.4 Examination Logistics, Reference Books & Code Editions

Examination Logistics, Reference Books & Code Editions

Why this section exists: more North Carolina candidates lose a testing appointment to a book-and-tab violation or an expired authorization window than to a technical question. The Board publishes the rules in three separate documents — the application packet, the Exam Information sheet, and the Book Reference List and Requirements — and the examination is written to whichever code editions the Board has declared current.

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1. From Application to Authorization

The Board, not PSI, decides eligibility. The sequence is fixed:

1. Assemble the application packet (Form PHFP-1). A separate application is filed for each classification sought. The packet must include experience verification forms (1-B for work under a North Carolina licensee, 1-C for other employment history, 1-D as needed) with notarized signatures, supporting W-2s, 1099s, or a Social Security Administration detailed earnings statement (firm tax returns if self-verifying), and written statements describing any criminal charges, convictions, incarcerations, paroles or probations.
2. Order the criminal background report. Every applicant must obtain a nationwide criminal record report through CastleBranch.com using package code ST46, pay the reporting service directly, and include a printed copy of all pages with the application. Answering falsely or submitting an inaccurate report can be treated as fraud or deceit in obtaining a license under G.S. 87-23 and prosecuted under G.S. 87-25.
3. Certify readiness. By returning the application the applicant states that he or she already holds every required reference book and is prepared to test.
4. Wait for review. Depending on volume, processing runs about 4 to 6 weeks. Applications may be mailed to the Board at 1109 Dresser Court, Raleigh, or submitted through the online portal.
5. Receive the approval letter. It lists a 90-day Authorization Period within which the examination must be taken, and the exam/candidate ID number used to create the PSI account.

Fees. The examination application fee is $150.00 per exam and is non-refundable (21 NCAC 50 .0307). G.S. 87-22.1 caps the application and examination fee at $150 for each examination or any part of an examination. On passing, the applicant pays the annual license fee of $150.00 (G.S. 87-22) to be issued a license; a person who passes on or after October 1 may take a license for the remainder of that year for one-half the usual fee.

Rescheduling. Contact PSI at least three days in advance to reschedule at no additional charge. Fail to reschedule or appear and the exam fee is forfeited — the candidate must contact the Board's Exam Coordinator and pay the fee again.

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2. Exam Structure, Duration and Passing Grade

G.S. 87-21(b)(6) requires that examinations be given at least twice each year and that the examination be conducted in two parts — a business and law portion and a technical portion. Candidates receive the score from each part of a computerized examination immediately upon completion.

• Passing grade: 21 NCAC 50 .0305 — "Examinations provided by the Board are based upon a maximum obtainable grade of 100 points, and a grade of 70 is required to pass." Both parts must be passed (21 NCAC 50 .0301(b)).
• Item counts are not published. The Board publishes durations, not question counts. Treat any specific item count you see on a commercial prep site as unverified.
• Business and Law waiver: the Business and Law exam is not required if the applicant already holds a currently active contractor license with this Board and passed the Board's Business and Law exam after August 2003.
• Technician upgrade: an applicant holding an active Plumbing, Heating or Fuel Piping Technician license obtained by examination may obtain the corresponding Contractor license in the same category and class by meeting the contractor experience requirement and passing only the business portion (21 NCAC 50 .0301(i)).

Failing, Retesting and Review

• 90-day wait: "A person who fails to pass any examination shall not be reexamined until after 90 days from the date the person was last examined" (G.S. 87-21(b)(6)).
• Six-month partial retake: an applicant who fails one part may take the failed portion within six months of the date approved to take the examination without retaking the portion passed.
• Three failures: the Board may require applicants who fail any part three times to receive additional education before retaking, or to wait one year before retaking any portion.
• Re-examination paperwork: if applying for the same classification, only a Re-Examination application and fee are required; if the criminal background report is more than six months old, a new report is required.
• Exam review: any person who fails may, on written request, review the examination at a time and place determined by the Board (21 NCAC 50 .0308).
• Testing out of state: the application asks whether the applicant wishes to test outside North Carolina; if the candidate resides in another state with PSI centers, testing there may be allowed.

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3. Reference Books — the Open-Book Rules That Disqualify Candidates

The examination is open book with the candidate's own materials, and PSI enforces the Board's rules at the door. Only the books listed for the classification you were approved for are allowed into the room.

Allowed

• Hard-bound, spiral-bound or ring-bound editions of the reference materials, manuals and codebooks, in original published condition.
• Commercially available non-removable index tabs permanently attached to the pages. The only approved loose-leaf full-page inserts are ICC "Turbo Tabs."
• Highlighting — the only alteration permitted anywhere in the books.
• A candidate-supplied ductulator ("each candidate for a heating or cooling examination is expected to furnish his or her own ductolator").

Not allowed

• Printed PDF versions of reference materials.
• Any printed or written text, notes, formulae, underlining, or other additions inserted before or during the exam.
• Homemade or DIY tabs and any tabbed divider pages other than Turbo Tabs.
• Books with markings that have been whited out.
• Any additional paper — loose, taped, adhered or stapled.
• Photocopies of the reference materials.

The Board also warns that some questions are based on field experience and knowledge of trade practices, so questions are not limited to information contained in the listed reference materials. Open book does not mean look-it-up.

Books by Heating Classification (Exam Reference Book List, effective July 1, 2025)

H1-II and H3-II carry a reduced list (A, F, G, H plus the manuals relevant to the class). The Boiler Laws & Rules book is free to download for study, and an exam copy is provided at the PSI testing center — it is the one reference the candidate does not carry in.

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4. Which Code Editions Are Tested

This is a live issue and the single most common source of wasted study money.

• The 2024 North Carolina State Building Code has been postponed repeatedly by the Governor and the General Assembly. Under the Hurricane Helene regulatory-flexibility act, the 2024 Code becomes effective 12 months after the first day of the month following the State Fire Marshal's certification that publication, distribution and Residential Code Council constitution are complete. As of the Board's June 1, 2026 update the earliest possible date is May 1, 2027, and that date has not been set and may be further delayed.
• Until the new codes become effective, all exams for plumbing, heating, fuel piping and fire sprinkler licensing are based on the 2018 edition of the codes shown in the Book Reference List: Administration, Plumbing, Fuel Gas, Mechanical, Energy Conservation and Residential, together with the NFPA standards referenced in the 2018 code (2013 editions of NFPA 13 and 13D, 2011 edition of NFPA 25).

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5. Waivers and Recognition Routes

• South Carolina technical exam waiver. North Carolina currently holds a technical examination waiver agreement with South Carolina only. A South Carolina Commercial Mechanical, Heating (HT) license maps to Heating Group 1 – Class I; Commercial Mechanical, Air Conditioning (AC) maps to Group 2 and Heating Group 3 – Class I; Commercial Mechanical, Packaged Equipment (PK) maps to Heating Group 3 – Class I; Residential HVAC maps to Heating Group 3 – Class II. The waiver covers only the technical section — the North Carolina business section must still be taken and passed — and the applicant must still meet the North Carolina experience requirements. There is no license reciprocity.
• Neighbor State License Recognition. Individuals currently licensed in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia or West Virginia who are currently residents of North Carolina may obtain an equivalent North Carolina license after submitting an active NC driver's license, proof of a physical NC residence address, and copies of all current licenses held in any jurisdiction.
• Military and military spouse. A military-trained applicant or military spouse who satisfies G.S. 93B-15.1 may be licensed without examination on payment of a $30.00 application fee and the $150.00 annual license fee; the Board must notify an applicant within 30 days if the training or experience does not satisfy the requirements, and must specify the criteria the applicant failed to meet.