Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from North Carolina's official board.
North Carolina is one of the few states that licenses fire sprinkler work at the individual level as well as the contractor level, through the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors, which issues Fire Sprinkler Installation and Inspection Contractor licenses along with Fire Sprinkler Inspection Technician and Fire Sprinkler Maintenance Technician licenses. Contractor-level licensure requires NICET Level III certification before you may even sit for the examination.
| Requirements | The board's license definitions describe FS as water-based automatic fire sprinkler system design, installation and repair; FS-IC as NFPA 25 inspections of water-based fire sprinkler systems; RFSC as NFPA 13D systems in one- or two-family dwellings (also requires a P-I or P-II plumbing license); and RFSCD as design of NFPA 13D combination systems in one- and two-family dwellings (also requires a P-I or P-II license and an RFSC license). Eligibility as published by the board: to sit for the Fire Sprinkler Installation Contractor examination an applicant must hold a current NICET certification for "Fire Protection Engineering, Level III, Automatic Sprinkler System Layout"; for the Fire Sprinkler Inspection Contractor examination, a current NICET or ACE certification for "Inspection and Testing of Water-Based Systems, Level III"; for the Residential Fire Sprinkler Contractor examination, an active Plumbing Contractor license issued by the board for a minimum of two years plus a board-approved 16 hour course. The Fire Sprinkler Inspection Technician license requires 2 years (4,000 hours) of full-time experience in the inspection and testing of previously installed fire sprinkler systems, the installation of fire sprinkler systems, or a combination, and can be obtained without examination by holding a current NICET or ACE "Inspection and Testing of Water-Based Systems, Level II" certification. The Fire Sprinkler Maintenance Technician license requires 1 year (2,000 hours) of full-time experience at the place for which the license is sought as a full-time maintenance employee with exposure to periodic maintenance of fire sprinkler systems. Applicants must pass the applicable examination within 90 days of the eligibility notice and submit a License Activation Form and fee within 45 days of passing. |
| Reciprocity | The board states that there are no license reciprocity agreements with any other state and that all applicants must meet its requirements and pass the applicable examinations. It notes a Technical Examination Waiver Agreement with South Carolina that covers plumbing and HVAC contractors only, and that applicants must still pass the North Carolina business law exam, plus a Neighbor State License Recognition Act under which North Carolina residents currently licensed in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia or West Virginia may be eligible for equivalent licensure. |
| Renewal | Licenses are renewed annually. The board cites General Statute 87-22 that all licenses expire on the last day of December in each year following their issuance or renewal, states there is no grace period, and adds a $25 increase for renewal after January. A license may be reinstated within three years of expiration under 21 NCAC 50 .0409. Mandatory continuing education was eliminated by the board in 2012 and is no longer required to renew. |
| Notes | North Carolina is one of the few states that licenses fire sprinkler work at the individual level as well as the contractor level, through the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors, which issues Fire Sprinkler Installation and Inspection Contractor licenses along with Fire Sprinkler Inspection Technician and Fire Sprinkler Maintenance Technician licenses. Contractor-level licensure requires NICET Level III certification before you may even sit for the examination. |
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Sources: nclicensing.org, nclicensing.org, nclicensing.org, nclicensing.org. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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