Arizona to Oregon: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Arizona does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Oregon'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.
Standard application with credit for out-of-state training and experience, then the Oregon journeyman exam (all states except Idaho and Montana)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A plumber licensed in any state other than Idaho or Montana applies for the Journeyman Plumber license on the standard Journeyman Plumber License Application (form 440-2571) with the $100 non-refundable fee; the out-of-state license itself does not waive anything, but the experience behind it counts. The applicant qualifies for the exam in one of three ways: proof of completing an out-of-state apprenticeship program that meets the Oregon four-year standard; official transcripts showing at least 576 hours of classroom training in the OAR 918-695-0030 subjects plus employer-verified 3,850 hours of residential and 3,850 hours of commercial on-the-job experience meeting the category minimums (sewerage 300/300, DWV 1,300/1,300, soldering and brazing 200/200, water supply 1,100/1,100, fixtures 700/700, miscellaneous 250/250); or, with no classroom proof, 7,700 residential and 7,700 commercial hours lawfully obtained while holding a license with a similar scope to an Oregon journeyman plumber. Only lawful work experience gained in compliance with the other jurisdiction's rules is accepted, the division counts at most 2,000 hours per year, and each employer completes a Plumbing Experience Verification Form (440-2571a); copies of all plumbing licenses ever held and proof of a high school diploma, GED or college degree are also required. Once approved, the applicant receives a Letter of Authorization, schedules the four-hour, 64-question open-book exam at one of ten Oregon testing locations within 60 days, and must score 75 percent or better; the license is mailed with passing results, and a failed exam may be retaken after 30 days with a reapplication form.
The Oregon journeyman exam is a single open-book exam that covers the Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code, administrative rules, calculations, drawings and safety; no separate law or business exam exists. No exam fee is published separately from the $100 application fee; the exam page says only that changing test locations after the Letter of Authorization requires paying the license fee again, and ORS 693.135 caps the journeyman application fee at $100. The three-year renewal fee is not published on a machine-readable official page; ORS 693.135 caps it at $50 per year. acceptsMunicipalOriginLicenses is set to true because Oregon's default path credits 'lawful work experience' from any jurisdiction (OAR 918-030-0010(6)) and form 2571's double-hours pathway asks only for 'a license with a similar scope of work'; it does not rest on a state-issued origin license. Municipal licenses never qualify for the reciprocity path, which is limited to states with signed agreements. No typical processing time is published for plumbing applications.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Completion of an out-of-state plumbing apprenticeship program recognized by Oregon (a non-registered program is accepted only if it meets the Oregon four-year standard); OR at least 576 hours of verified classroom training in the OAR 918-695-0030(2)(a) subjects plus 3,850 residential and 3,850 commercial on-the-job hours meeting the category minimums; OR 7,700 residential and 7,700 commercial on-the-job hours lawfully obtained while holding a license with a scope similar to an Oregon journeyman plumber
- All experience must be lawful work experience gained in compliance with the regulations of the jurisdiction where it was performed; the division counts no more than 2,000 hours per year and requires an employer-signed Plumbing Experience Verification Form (440-2571a) for each employer
- Proof of a high school diploma, GED or equivalent (a college degree substitutes), a 2x2 passport-style photo, and copies of every individual or contractor plumbing license ever held in any state
What you'll do to get licensed in Oregon
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). Journeyman Plumber License Application fee (form 440-2571), non-refundable; covers application review, exam authorization and issuance of the three-year license (ORS 693.135 caps this fee at $100).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Oregon Journeyman Plumber examination administered by the Building Codes Division at an Oregon testing location: 4 hours, 64 questions, open book, covering the Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code, administrative rules, calculations, drawings and safety; minimum score 75 percent; must be taken within 60 days of the Letter of Authorization; 30-day wait after a failure.
- 3Continuing education. Complete continuing education (if applicable). Not required to obtain the license; for each three-year renewal the licensee completes 24 hours of approved continuing education including 4 hours of code change and a 4-hour Oregon rule and law course (reduced for new licensees under OAR 918-030-0150).
Published fees on this path total $100, 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.
- Trade exam
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education · if applicable
How Oregon licenses journeyman plumbers
Oregon journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber (JP)”
Statewide license
Issued by Oregon Building Codes Division (Department of Consumer and Business Services) / State Plumbing Board
Oregon issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber (JP) license through the Building Codes Division on behalf of the State Plumbing Board; under ORS 693.030 nobody may work in the trade of journeyman plumber without it, and commercial or industrial plumbing must be installed by a licensed journeyman or a registered apprentice working under one. A new applicant qualifies for the exam by completing a four-year Oregon plumbing apprenticeship, or by documenting 576 hours of classroom training plus 7,700 hours of on-the-job experience split 3,850 residential and 3,850 commercial across set work categories, or by documenting twice those hours (7,700 residential and 7,700 commercial) earned while holding a license with a journeyman-plumber scope. The application and license fee is $100 (non-refundable), and the applicant must pass the division's four-hour, 64-question open-book journeyman exam at an Oregon testing location with a score of 75 percent or better; there is no separate law exam and no national exam vendor. Oregon has signed journeyman plumber reciprocity agreements with Idaho and Montana only; qualifying holders of those licenses are licensed without examination for the same $100 fee. Every other out-of-state plumber applies on the standard form, receives credit for lawful out-of-state apprenticeship, classroom and on-the-job hours, and must pass the Oregon exam. Licenses run on a three-year cycle (all JP licenses next expire April 1, 2029) and renewal requires 24 hours of continuing education including 4 hours of code change and a 4-hour Oregon rule and law course.
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 Oregon journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Arizona?
- Yes. Oregon requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Oregon journeyman plumber license from Arizona?
- Published fees on this path total $100, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Arizona work hours count in Oregon?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Oregon's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Oregon to Arizona?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oregon to Arizona, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Building Codes Division - License continuing education · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Building Codes Division - License exams and locations (with Exam information PDF, exam-info-2016.pdf) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Journeyman Plumber License Application (form 440-2571) and Plumbing Experience Verification Form (440-2571a) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Building Codes Division - Individual licenses table: Plumbing - Journeyman Plumber (JP) and Plumbing Business (PB) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Building Codes Division - Journeyman plumber license (how to apply) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Building Codes Division - Reciprocal licenses · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- OAR chapter 918, division 30 - General Licensing Requirements · OAR 918-030-0010, 918-030-0015, 918-030-0020, 918-030-0030, 918-030-0060, 918-030-0120, 918-030-0150, 918-030-0210, 918-030-0230 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- OAR chapter 918, division 695 - Plumbing Licensing and Certification · OAR 918-695-0000, 918-695-0020, 918-695-0030, 918-695-0040, 918-695-0110 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- ORS chapter 693 - Plumbers (2025 edition) · ORS 693.030, 693.040, 693.060, 693.095, 693.103, 693.120, 693.135 · Oregon Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.