Arizona to North Dakota: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Arizona does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is North Dakota's standard path for out-of-state applicants.
Your origin state does not issue a statewide license at this level, so there is no license to transfer. The destination's standard out-of-state path is shown; expect to meet it in full.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Out-of-state journeyman without a reciprocal agreement: application for the North Dakota journeyman examination (all states except SD, MN, MT)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
NDAC 62-02-01-01(2) provides that 'Applicants who are journeyman plumbers in other states who desire to work in this state in localities where a state journeyman license is required may make application for a journeyman examination and license,' with proof of the origin journeyman license 'vouched for as provided on the application blank.' The Board's FAQ adds that the applicant must meet NDAC chapter 62-02-01, must document four years and 7,600 hours as an apprentice working under a licensed master plumber, and must verify the out-of-state license 'by state endorsed letter which must state the type of license held, issue date of said license, whether the license was obtained through examination and whether or not the license is current.' Experience earned in states or localities that do not license plumbers is documented on the previous-practical-experience verification signed by the master plumber plus notarized letters from present and previous employers stating dates, hours and extent of work. The applicant pays the $50 application fee and $50 exam fee, must sit within six months of approval, and needs 70% on the five-part board-administered journeyman exam (2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code); the $100 journeyman license fee is paid on passing. NDCC 43-18-13.1 lets the Board register nonresidents without examination when their state's requirements are substantially equivalent and that state grants similar privileges, but the Board's published practice limits no-exam licensure to its three written agreements.
There is no separate law or rules exam; the journeyman exam covers the plumbing code and basic principles of plumbing (NDAC 62-02-01-03). The FAQ requires a 'state endorsed letter' to verify an out-of-state license, so a city-issued origin license is not recognized as a license, although the underlying hours can still be claimed through the master-signed verification and notarized employer letters used for non-licensing jurisdictions. NDAC 62-02-01-01(1) also offers a 'journeyman examination screening test' route (oral/written test plus a state-inspector report on an installation) for tradespeople with five years and 9,500 hours from localities without state licensing.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must document at least 7,600 hours of qualifying work experience.Four years and 7,600 hours (not less than 1,900 hours per year) as an apprentice plumber working under a licensed master plumber (NDAC 62-02-01-01(1), 62-02-01-01.1; FAQ). Out-of-state hours count; hours from non-licensing jurisdictions need the master-signed verification section and notarized employer letters.
- State-endorsed letter (Certificate of Endorsement) from the origin licensing agency stating the type of license held, its issue date, whether it was obtained through examination and whether it is current; a copy of the license alone is not accepted
What you'll do to get licensed in North Dakota
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Application fee for the journeyman examination and license (NDAC 62-02-01-01); filed online at members.ndplumbingboard.gov or on the fillable PDF emailed to [email protected].
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). Journeyman exam fee, one examination per fee paid (NDAC 62-02-01-02; Board exam-fees page); a failed exam requires a six-month wait and a new fee.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Board-administered North Dakota Journeyman Plumber exam: five parts (100 closed-book multiple-choice questions and a closed-book DWV pipe-sizing completion; open-book 40 completion questions, water pipe sizing and DWV with fixture units), five hours, based on the 2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code; 70% to pass; given every other month in Bismarck and Fargo; must be taken within six months of application approval.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($100). Journeyman plumber license fee on passing (NDAC 62-02-01-01(1)); license expires December 31 and renews annually for $100 (late renewal $50).
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 2 to 4 credit hours of plumbing-related continuing education within each two-year period to renew (NDCC 43-18-17.1); Board CE session or correspondence course $40.
Published fees on this path total $200, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Exam preparation
Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.
- Exam fee · $50
- Trade exam
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How North Dakota licenses journeyman plumbers
North Dakota journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by North Dakota State Plumbing Board
North Dakota issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber certificate and license through the North Dakota State Plumbing Board under NDCC chapter 43-18 and NDAC chapter 62-02-01; a license is required wherever there is a public water or sewer system, and a journeyman may run a plumbing business only in cities under 1,000 population and rural areas. A new applicant must have served four years and 7,600 hours as a registered apprentice under a licensed master plumber (1,900 hours per year; accredited plumbing-school graduates earn credit by grade average), then pass the board-administered journeyman exam - five parts, two closed book and three open book, five hours, based on the 2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code - with 70%. Fees are a $50 application fee, a $50 exam fee and a $100 journeyman license fee; licenses expire every December 31 and renew for $100, with 2 to 4 hours of continuing education required in each two-year period ($40 board session). Exams are given every other month in Bismarck and Fargo and a failed exam carries a six-month wait. Journeymen from South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana may be licensed without examination under the Board's written reciprocity agreements; all other out-of-state journeymen apply for the North Dakota examination, with their origin license vouched for on the application.
Why Arizona has nothing to transfer
Arizona journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber (City of Phoenix)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Issued by City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department (no state journeyman licence)
Arizona has no state journeyman plumber licence. The Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) licenses only plumbing contractors (C-37 commercial, R-37 residential including solar, CR-37 dual), and an individual plumber works as an employee of a licensed contractor without any personal state credential. The one large jurisdiction verified here that licenses individuals is Phoenix, whose Building Construction Code requires all permitted plumbing and mechanical work to be performed by a City of Phoenix Journeyman (Plumber and Gas Fitter) or a registered Apprentice: the journeyman card requires passing a $100 exam based on the 2024 UPC or IPC plus the 2024 IFGC at an approved testing site, documenting at least four years of trade experience, and paying a $50 fee for a three-year licence. An out-of-state journeyman plumber licence has no state-level recognition and Phoenix publishes no reciprocity, so an arriving journeyman takes the Phoenix exam to pull permits there and otherwise simply works under an ROC-licensed contractor. Other Arizona cities (Tucson, Mesa and others) were not verified for this entry.
How local licensing works in Arizona
How local licensing works. Arizona licenses plumbing contractors at the state level through the Registrar of Contractors and leaves individual tradesperson licensing to cities. The Registrar's classification page, application page and A.R.S. 32-1122 describe no journeyman, master or individual plumber licence; the state credential is a business contractor licence in the C-37, R-37 or CR-37 classification qualified by a named qualifying party. Phoenix is the only jurisdiction verified here that licenses individual plumbers.
Phoenix. The Planning and Development Department issues Journeyman licences in the Plumber and Gas Fitter, Mechanical, Gas Fitter, Mechanical and Gas Fitter, and combined Plumbing, Mechanical and Gas Fitter trades, plus Apprentice licences. A journeyman plumber applicant must first pass a journeyman exam at an approved testing site (Arizona Sheet Metal JATC in Phoenix for union and non-union candidates, or P.I.P.E. in Tempe for union members; $100 paid to the site; based on the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code and 2024 International Fuel Gas Code, or the 2024 International Plumbing Code and 2024 IFGC), then apply in person or by mail to 438 W. Adams St. with proof of at least four years of experience in the trade (a United Association Journeyman Plumber, Fitter or Refrigeration Fitter union card, a Sheet Metal Workers union card, or a notarized statement on company letterhead signed by a company official), photo ID, the exam result and the $50 fee (paid within 60 days of the exam; $100 for the combined Plumbing, Mechanical and Gas Fitter card). The licence is valid three years and renews for $20 ($40 combined). An apprentice licence (one year, no exam) requires a notarized letter confirming current employment as a plumber, mechanical or gas fitter apprentice and work under a licensed journeyman or Arizona-licensed contractor at all times. The qualifying party of an ROC-licensed contractor does not need a journeyman licence to perform or observe work under the Phoenix code, and may optionally buy one for $50.
Other cities. Tucson, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, Glendale, Tempe and other municipalities were not checked for this entry; a plumber should confirm local requirements before pulling permits outside Phoenix.
Out-of-state holders. Neither the Registrar of Contractors nor Phoenix recognizes an out-of-state journeyman plumber licence or exam. Phoenix's page and brochure contain no reciprocity or endorsement language: every applicant passes the local exam and documents four years of experience, although the experience letter may come from an out-of-state employer or a national union card. Outside Phoenix no personal licence is required to work for a licensed contractor. Documented out-of-state experience does count toward the four years of practical trade experience an ROC qualifying party needs to open a plumbing contracting business (see the master level).
Common questions
- Do I have to take the North Dakota journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Arizona?
- Yes. North Dakota requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a North Dakota journeyman plumber license from Arizona?
- Published fees on this path total $200, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Arizona work hours count in North Dakota?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward North Dakota's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from North Dakota to Arizona?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from North Dakota to Arizona, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- North Dakota Administrative Code Chapter 62-02-01 - Plumber Licensure · NDAC 62-02-01-01, 62-02-01-01.1, 62-02-01-02, 62-02-01-03, 62-02-01-04, 62-02-01-06, 62-02-01-07 · North Dakota Legislative Branch (State Board of Plumbing rules) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota Century Code Chapter 43-18 - Plumbers · NDCC 43-18-08, 43-18-10, 43-18-11, 43-18-13, 43-18-13.1, 43-18-15, 43-18-16, 43-18-17, 43-18-17.1 · North Dakota Legislative Branch · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Licensing Applications · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Continuing Education Requirements Overview · NDCC 43-18-17.1 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Exam Fees · NDAC 62-02-01-02 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Exams: General Information · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - FAQ (reciprocal licensing with South Dakota) · NDCC 43-18-13.1 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Home · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Laws and Rules · NDCC ch. 43-18; NDAC Title 62 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.