Plumbing licensed contractor information & exams

A plumbing contractor licence allows an individual to obtain permits to perform plumbing work governed by the Winnipeg Building By-law. To qualify for a City of Winnipeg plumbing contractor licence, you must:

• Hold a Manitoba journeyperson plumber certificate or an inter-provincial red seal plumber certificate with no expiry date
• Pass the City of Winnipeg plumbing contractor exam
• Pay the contractor licence fee

Exam information

• Exams are open book and based on the following (paper copies must be brought to the exam; free downloads available):
• The National Plumbing Code of Canada 2020
• Manitoba Plumbing Code amendments
• Mobile phones and other electronic devices must be turned off during the exam
• Questions are true/false, fill-in-the-blank and long answer
• A calculator is required
• Passing grade is 70%
• Exam duration is 3 hours

Exam registration

Only those who register and pay the exam fee prior to the registration deadline will be able to write the exam. Seating capacity is limited. Register early.

Your City of Winnipeg plumbing contractor licence is issued to you personally, based on your personal qualifications, and not to a company or other entity. You are responsible for all plumbing work performed under permits obtained via your licence whether you perform the work personally or not. You remain responsible for active permits obtained by authorized signees and/or associated businesses even after they have been removed from your licence.

The contact information provided to us is assumed to be your current personal information. If you have provided business instead of personal information, or if information has changed, email contractorlicence@winnipeg.ca.

As a plumbing contractor you are expected to be familiar with, and comply with, the administrative and technical requirements of the current enforced edition of the Manitoba Plumbing Code, the Winnipeg Building By-law and the Planning, Development and Building Fees and Charges schedule, which outline the plumbing contractor's responsibilities, the permit procedure and penalties.

Your licence may be suspended or revoked if you have violated any of the provisions of the Manitoba Plumbing Code, the Winnipeg Building By-law or the conditions of your licence. This includes engaging in work without a permit where a permit is required or failure to call for inspection.

In the case of the sudden passing of a licensed contractor:

1. The licence status will be changed to inactive upon notification.
2. Do not attempt to obtain permits under the licence.
3. We cannot transfer permits to another contractor however, permit applications and issued permits where no inspections have taken place may be cancelled and applied for under another contractor licence.
4. A contact person must be assigned to take responsibility for closure of active permits. Contact the appropriate Inspections Branch to schedule final inspections or to develop a plan for larger projects.

Licensed contractors and authorized signees must be aware of the following conditions. Conditions must be acknowledged and signed as part of the licensing application process.

• Fees as outlined in the Planning, Development and Building Fees and Charges schedule, including:
• failure to call for an inspection or notify the City that work has been initiated within six months of obtaining a permit
• failure to call for re-inspection of a defect, or to obtain an extension from the City to correct a defect within:
• one month for work related to a "PR" plumbing permit (residential)
• seven working days for work related to a "PC" plumbing permit (commercial)
• failure to close a permit or obtain an extension from the City within three-years of a permit being issued
• work performed without a permit by an individual or contractor not licensed by the City for work which requires a permit and requires the permit holder to have a valid licence issued by the City
• The permit applicant must inform the City where any addition, deletion, deviation and/or revision of work is made regarding the scope of work approved under the subject permit.
• The licence may be suspended or revoked if the contractor has violated any of the provisions of the Manitoba Plumbing Code, the Winnipeg Building By-law or the conditions of this licence. This includes engaging in work without a permit where a permit is required.
• The contractor licence is intended to be continuous and if not renewed by the expiry date noted on the licence, a late fee will be added to the cost. If not renewed within two months of the expiry date, it will become invalid and the contractor will be required to re-write the exam to re-qualify. Licence renewal reminders will be sent via email; paper copies may not be mailed.
• The permit applicant must declare the value of the work, which shall include permanent or fixed equipment and devices as well as the labour, materials, and other devices necessary to complete the work for which the permit is being sought.
• An individual cannot hold more than one Plumbing Contractor Licence.
• Certification by the professional designer is required for all work for which a professional designer is involved.

If you wish to register a business name and have that name reflected on your plumbing permits, an associate business profile can be created.

New applicants can complete the Organization Information portion of the Licensed Contractor Information Form that is sent with the notification of exam passed. Existing contractors can request a current Contractor Information Update Form by emailing contractorlicence@winnipeg.ca.

If your business relationship changes, such as the business is closing or you are leaving a company (including retirement), the following applies:

1. We cannot transfer permits to another contractor. Permit applications and issued permits where no inspections have taken place may be cancelled and applied for under another contractor licence.
2. Ensure a new licensed contractor is in place for the company before your departure and that all new permits are obtained under the new contractor’s licence.
3. You are responsible for all work associated with permits obtained under your licence. You remain responsible for active permits obtained by authorized signees and/or associated businesses even after they have been removed from your licence.
4. If additional time to complete active projects is required, your licence must remain active for a term suitable for project completion. Active permits can be viewed using Permits Online.
5. Contact the appropriate Inspections Branch to schedule final inspections and ensure all active permits are closed.
6. In addition, if leaving a company:
1. Permits must be closed in a reasonable amount of time, preferably before company departure, but no longer than 60 days thereafter.
2. Upon request, an extension may be granted for larger projects that will not be completed within 60 days.
3. You must indicate who will be the company contact person for taking responsibility for permit closure after your departure. This does not negate your responsibilities as the licence holder.

All newly licensed contractors will automatically be sent a Permits Online registration email. Once registration is complete, you will have access to Permits Online where you can apply and pay for permit applications, track the status of applications and permits, and pay your contractor licence renewal fee. If you need assistance, contact Contractor Licensing at contractorlicence@winnipeg.ca or 204-986-5189.

Visit the Mechanical Information Centre for all plumbing documents, information, fees, news, etc.

The City publishes an updated list of licensed plumbing contractors daily. Only the contractor’s name and business name (if applicable) is published. This is not optional; all active licensed contractors are published. If there are any errors in published information, notify us of required changes at contractorlicence@winnipeg.ca.

If you have a staff member responsible for submitting permit applications on your behalf, you can add that individual as an authorized signee under your licence.

To add authorized signees, new applicants can complete the authorized signee portion of the Licensed Contractor Information Form that is sent with the notification of exam passed. Existing contractors can request a current Contractor Information Update Form by emailing contractorlicence@winnipeg.ca.

Authorized signees must be employed by you and you assume full responsibility for their permits and their actions related to permits obtained on your behalf. As permit applicants, authorized signees serve as the main contact for the permits they have obtained. You remain responsible for active permits obtained by authorized signees even after they have been removed from your licence. Where an authorized signee has been disrespectful to City staff, we may request removal of that signee, or suspend the contractor licence.

Emails are sent regularly at permit-related milestones. These emails are sent to the permit applicant's email address on file and, depending on the permit type, may include the licensed contractor if the permit applicant is an authorized signee. The City's business rules may not suit each company's business practices, so we recommend that you set up your email rules/filters to suit your business needs.

As a plumbing contractor, you have the option of activating your licence for a one-year or three-year term, which will expire on the date indicated on the licence. Licensing fees can be found in the Planning, Development and Building Fees and Charges schedule.

• Approximately one and a half months prior to your licence expiry date, you will receive a notice alerting you of the upcoming expiry and accepted methods of payment.
• Prior to expiry, reminder emails will be sent to the email address(es) on file.
• At each licence renewal, you will be asked to confirm your personal and business contact information and that of any authorized signees.
• A late fee will be automatically applied to all licence renewals made after the expiry date, with no exceptions.

Your contractor licence is intended to be continuous. Should your licence not be renewed within two months of the expiry date, it will become invalid and you must re-write the exam to re-qualify. If you allow your contractor licence to expire beyond two months, you are still responsible for all active permits under your licence until they are closed or cancelled.

If opting to not renew a licence or retiring:

1. We cannot transfer permits to another contractor. Permit applications and issued permits where no inspections have taken place may be cancelled and applied for under another contractor licence.
2. Licensed contractors are responsible for all work associated with permits obtained under their licence. They remain responsible for active permits obtained by authorized signees and/or associated businesses who have been removed from the licence.
3. A plan must be in place for closing all active permits under the contractor's licence before the licence expires. If additional time to complete active projects is required, the licence must be renewed for a term suitable for project completion (one-year or three-year). Active permits can be viewed using Permits Online.
4. Contact the appropriate Inspections Branch to schedule final inspections and ensure all active permits are closed.