If you work in Nassau County, there’s no single electrician or plumber license to get. Nassau County’s Office of Consumer Affairs says so directly: the towns, cities and villages in Nassau license plumbers and electricians. Here’s how to work out which license you need.
Who licenses what
Nassau is split into:
- Three towns: Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay.
- Two cities: Glen Cove and Long Beach.
- Dozens of incorporated villages inside the towns, like Westbury, Floral Park and Bayville.
Each of these can set its own licensing rules. In practice, the one that matters is the one where the job is, because that’s where permits are pulled and inspections happen.
Examples of how it works
- Town of Hempstead: the town code requires a Town of Hempstead master electrician license to do electrical work there professionally. Applications go to the town’s Examining Board of Electricians. The code also allows licenses for masters licensed elsewhere in New York when that place’s rules match and it agrees in writing to do the same for Hempstead.
- Village of Floral Park: its code recognizes master electrician licenses issued by the Towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay.
- Village of Westbury: runs its own Examining Board of Plumbers. You can’t do plumbing work in the village without a certificate or license from that board.
- Village of Bayville: recognizes master plumbers licensed by a Nassau town who hold a certificate of competency from that town’s board.
These are examples, not a full list, and codes change. Before you apply, call the building department of the town, city or village where you’ll work and ask which license they require and which others they accept.
Which license to go for first
Most people start with the town where their shop does the most work, since a town license is often what villages inside that town look for. Ask the masters you work under which license they hold and why. They’ve already been through it.
What every board will ask for
The details differ, but every board wants to know you’ve put in real years under a licensed master, and wants it on paper. Ask the board for its application packet early, so you know what proof it accepts. In the meantime:
- Log every workday, with the shop and the hours.
- Get your shop to sign off on your hours while you work there.
- Keep W-2s and pay stubs from every job in the trade.
- Stay in touch with the masters you work under, since boards may ask them to confirm your experience.
FirstHand’s hour log does the first two for you: you log each day from your phone, your shop approves it, and the record stays yours if you change shops. It doesn’t replace a board’s forms, but your years are already written down when you need them.
Working in Suffolk too?
Suffolk works differently: master electricians are licensed by the county. See How to get a master electrician license in Suffolk County.