To become eligible to sit for the exam, candidates must submit application to be reviewed by the Board. Applications are reviewed quarterly at each Board meeting.

Application
Application Information

The NCICLB exam will be focused on (4) key areas: Water Efficiency/Conservation, Irrigation Contracting, Irrigation Construction and Basic Business Skills.

The exam will be divided into three (3) sections

1. Water Efficiency/Conservation – 50 questions
2. Irrigation Contracting/Irrigation Construction – 60 questions
3. Basic Business Skills – This includes calculating basic business computations (ie: calculating Profit Margins, estimating, calculating job costs, calculating labor and/or material costs and areas that would assist in a licensed irrigation contractor to be profitable) – 40 questions

Each section will be scored separately. Once a section is passed, it does not need to be retaken. All 3 sections must be passed in order to be eligible for licensure.

Format:

–      Open Book – candidates may use books/references during the exam (electronic references, i.e. laptops/tablets, will NOT be allowed)

–      Exam will be given on paper (pen/paper)

–      Questions will be a mix of multiple choice and multiple answer

Number of Questions: 150

Time Limit: 4 Hours

Passing Scores:

Water Efficiency/Conservation: 70%

Irrigation Contracting/Irrigation Construction: 70%

Basic Business Skills: 70%

Retests of individually failed sections: Yes

Exam Fees (subject to change/reviewed annually): 

$340 first exam / $240 for any subsequent try, or retake of any section(s)

$100 study guide fee – each candidate must purchase the new NCICLB exam study guide before sitting for the exam (one-time fee)

To better support candidates, the Board developed a comprehensive study guide tailored specifically, to the new NCICLB exam. This project has been nearly a year in the making, and we are pleased to announce that the NCICLB Study Guide is now complete and will be provided to all candidates registering for the exam.

Frequency of exam:

Candidates may take the NCICLB exam a maximum of four (4) times per calendar year. There is no set required wait time between tries – a candidate who does not pass, and would like to retake the exam, may do so at the next available session.

Guidelines:

The publicly available/open-source information will be combined into a PDF or similar format and emailed to candidates.

NOTE: All recommended reference materials are just that, recommended materials – there are many resources that can be useful; those materials that are not specifically recommended are the candidate’s responsibility to locate and use to educate themselves.

Recommended Study Materials:

North Carolina General Statute §89G
NCAC Chapter 23
Rainbird Landscape Irrigation Design Manual
Rainbird Low-Volume Landscape Irrigation Design Manual
Toro Basic Irrigation Design Manual
Hunter Handbook of Technical Information
Hunter Residential Design Guide
NC Dept of Rev – Contractor Sales Tax Rules 4-18-18 Pg 17 Table
Exerpts from Contractors – Low Voltage Exceptions NC Title 2 Chapt 18 Elect
Thrust Blocking Excerpt v24.10.1
Article 8A Underground Utility Safety and Damage Prevention Act
Pathway to Profits Excerpt v24.6.4
Exam Formula Sheet v24.11.2

Additional Recommended References:

Any irrigation, basic business skills or math education books/resources, manufacturer’s guidelines for installation and service, or any other source the candidate believes may be advantageous to their test taking endeavor. Reference books can be bought from multiple different sources. Administration recommends doing your own research in finding books for the best price. *Used copies of most reference books can be found through online searches and many popular e-commerce sites, sometimes for better prices.*

PRELIMINARY NEW EXAM INFORMATION August 16, 2023:

Since 2009, the NCICLB has used the Certified Irrigation Contractor (CIC) exam prepared by the Irrigation Association (IA) as the licensing exam. After May 17, 2023, the CIC will no longer be administered by the NCICLB. However, individuals will still have the ability to take the CIC through the IA, and apply for licensure with the NCICLB by “previous CIC”.

Individuals who wish to become licensed prior to the new exam being available are encouraged to take the CIC exam through the IA in order to apply for an NC irrigation contractor license by previous CIC. Please note: solely passing the CIC exam does NOT grant licensure. After passing, you must complete the application process through the NCICLB before receiving a license.

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ALL CANDIDATES:

Passing the Exam: Upon successful completion of the exam and prior to being licensed, the candidate must:

• Obtain a Surety Bond in the amount of $10,000 or an irrevocable letter of credit in the amount of $10,000 from a bank.  The original Surety Bond MUST be submitted to the Board.
• Order a seal (the Board will provide the order form).
• If applicable submit a corporate application to the Board along with a $100 application fee.

Continuing Education: Yearly continuing education is required for license renewal. During the calendar year that the candidate passes the NCICLB examination, the successful candidate will be considered to have met the Continuing Education (CE) requirement for that calendar year.

If the candidate does not fit into the criteria above, the individual is required to obtain ten (10) credits of continuing education before being eligible for their first renewal. The ten (10) credits are comprised of four (4) business credits and six (6) irrigation credits. All Board approved continuing education courses are listed on the Board website under the continuing education tab.