Arkansas to Oklahoma: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Oklahoma has a reciprocity agreement with Arkansas: a Arkansas journeyman plumber can get a Oklahoma license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Arkansas Plumbing Reciprocity Agreement (unlimited journeyman)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
CIB signed a multi-year plumbing reciprocity agreement with the Arkansas Committee of Plumbing Examiners effective October 21, 2024, covering the journeyman license only; CIB stresses it 'is not automatic reciprocity'. An Arkansas plumber who has held an Arkansas license for at least one year, holds at least an unlimited (unrestricted) plumbing journeyman license (an Arkansas master plumber may apply because that class exceeds the journeyman qualifications), and passed a plumbing exam sponsored by Arkansas rather than obtained through Arkansas's own reciprocity, applies on the Arkansas Plumbing Reciprocal License Application: the applicant completes Part 1, the Arkansas Department of Health Protective Health Codes section completes the Part 2 verification, and the original document bearing the Arkansas State Seal goes to CIB with $75 ($25 application plus $50 initial license, non-refundable). Eligible applicants do not take the Oklahoma journeyman exam and receive an Oklahoma Unlimited Plumbing Journeyman license, which includes some natural gas work. Applicants are ineligible if the license is revoked or suspended, discipline is pending, the license lapsed past the renewal window without re-examination, or they performed unlicensed plumbing work in Oklahoma within the past two years. The new licensee must still pay Oklahoma fees, complete Oklahoma continuing education and work under a licensed plumbing contractor.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Agreement
- Active since October 21, 2024
What you must already have
- You must have held your Arkansas license for at least 1 year.'have held their Arkansas plumbing license for at least one year'; OAC 158:30-5-4(c) also requires one year of lawful practice immediately before application.
- Your Arkansas license must be active and in good standing.
- Your Arkansas license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
- Holds at least an Arkansas unlimited/unrestricted plumbing journeyman license; a master plumber license qualifies as a greater class meeting the journeyman qualifications
- Has not performed plumbing work in Oklahoma without the required Oklahoma license within the past two years
What you'll do to get licensed in Oklahoma
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($25). Journeyman application processing fee, non-refundable under any circumstances (OAC 158:30-5-4(b)).
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($50). Initial journeyman license fee, paid with the reciprocity application.
- 3Other. Arkansas Plumbing Reciprocal License Application: Part 1 by applicant, Part 2 (Request for Verification of License) completed and sealed by the Arkansas Department of Health; original only, no photocopies or digital documents.
- 4Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Six hours of Oklahoma continuing education every 36 months to renew.
Published fees on this path total $75, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Oklahoma licenses journeyman plumbers
Oklahoma journeyman plumber · “Unlimited Plumbing Journeyman”
Statewide license
Issued by Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB), Plumbing Division
Oklahoma issues statewide plumbing journeyman licenses through the Construction Industries Board (CIB) under the Plumbing License Law of 1955 and OAC Title 158, Chapter 30, in Unlimited and Residential categories. An Unlimited Plumbing Journeyman applicant must be 18 and show three years of verifiable experience in the plumbing trade while employed by a licensed plumbing contractor (about 2,000 hours per year, so roughly 6,000 hours; Oklahoma hours count only while registered as an apprentice), or equivalent U.S. military experience, with a Committee-approved 1,000-hour program substituting for two years and a 500-hour program for one year. The applicant pays $75 ($25 application plus $50 initial license), and must score 75% on the Oklahoma plumbing journeyman exam administered by PSI ($92 per portion). CIB has one published plumbing reciprocity agreement, with Arkansas (effective October 21, 2024, journeyman only); other out-of-state journeymen may seek exam equivalency if the Board has approved their jurisdiction's exam, and a current out-of-state license otherwise expedites processing of the experience requirement. Journeymen must work under a licensed plumbing contractor, renew annually ($75) and complete six hours of continuing education every 36 months.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Oklahoma journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Arkansas?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Arkansas.
- How long do I need to have held my Arkansas license?
- At least 1 year before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Oklahoma journeyman plumber license from Arkansas?
- Published fees on this path total $75, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Does it work the other way, from Oklahoma to Arkansas?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oklahoma to Arkansas, the mechanism is endorsement.
Sources
- Oklahoma CIB - Arkansas Plumbing Reciprocal License Application (Unlimited Plumbing Journeyman Reciprocity Application Instructions) · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Arkansas Plumbing Reciprocity Agreement (Guidelines for Plumbing Journeyman License through Arkansas Reciprocity) · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Industry · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Application Information and Application for Plumbing Examination (Contractor and Journeyman, 9/2023) · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Forms · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Journeyman · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- OAC Title 158, Chapter 30 - Plumbing Industry Regulations (permanent rules effective 10/1/2024) · OAC 158:30-1-2, 158:30-5-1, 158:30-5-2, 158:30-5-4, 158:30-9-1, 158:30-9-1.4, 158:30-9-2, 158:30-9-4 · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma Plumbing License Law of 1955, 59 O.S. §§ 1000.1 et seq. · 59 O.S. § 1000.5A · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- State of Oklahoma Electrical, Mechanical, Roofing and Plumbing Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI) · PSI Services for the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Other · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.