California to Arkansas: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
California does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Arkansas'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 plumber without a reciprocity agreement (all states except Oklahoma)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman licensed in a state other than Oklahoma applies to the Plumbing and Natural Gas Section as a new journeyman candidate, documenting at least four years of plumbing experience; verified out-of-state apprenticeship and journeyman work counts toward that requirement, and the Section asks the origin licensing board to verify the license, exam history and any discipline. Absent an agreement the applicant sits the Arkansas journeyman plumbing examination, a written exam on the Arkansas Plumbing Code administered by the Section; Arkansas has no separate business-and-law exam for journeymen. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 17-1-108 the Section must grant automatic licensure to a holder of a substantially similar license in good standing who passed that state's exam, subject to any Arkansas-specific examination the Section still requires, so an applicant from a state with a comparable IPC-based exam should ask the Section whether the trade exam is waived. The applicant pays the Section's examination and license fees and thereafter renews annually.
The Department's rules say examinations are not required for reciprocal licensure when the other jurisdiction's license is substantially similar, meaning that jurisdiction has adopted a national model plumbing or gas code and uses a comprehensive exam created and proctored by a national examination agency or equivalent. Whether your exam qualifies is decided by the Committee of Plumbing Examiners on your application, so ask the Section at 501-661-2642. The Department's plumbing page also lists signed reciprocity agreements with Texas and Louisiana; applicants from those states should ask the Section for the agreement terms.
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 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Out-of-state experience counts when verified by the origin board or employer affidavits.
- Your California license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have passed a licensing exam in California that the destination considers comparable.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Arkansas
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Arkansas journeyman plumber examination, written, given by the Plumbing and Natural Gas Section on the 2018 Arkansas Plumbing Code, the 2018 Arkansas Fuel Gas Code and the Arkansas plumbing law.
- 2Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Journeyman application fee, sent with the application; a retake after failing any portion of the exam costs $50.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($75). Journeyman Plumber license fee, due before the license is issued and renewed annually.
- 4Other. Journeyman application with verification of out-of-state license, exam scores and code basis completed by the origin licensing board, plus experience verification (apprentice registration records or notarized employer affidavits).
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Any continuing education the Committee of Plumbing Examiners requires for renewal; the Department's published rules do not set an hour figure for journeyman plumbers, so confirm with the Section at 501-661-2642.
Published fees on this path total $150, 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
How Arkansas licenses journeyman plumbers
Arkansas journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (Committee of Plumbing Examiners)
Arkansas licenses plumbers statewide through the Department of Health's Plumbing and Natural Gas Section under the Arkansas Plumbing Law (Ark. Code Ann. § 17-38-101 et seq.), with the Committee of Plumbing Examiners setting qualifications and exams. The Journeyman Plumber license is issued to an individual who has completed four years as a registered apprentice under a licensed master plumber (or equivalent verified experience) and passed the Section's written journeyman examination, which covers the Arkansas Plumbing Code (an IPC-based code), the Arkansas Fuel Gas Code and the plumbing law; natural gas piping is part of the plumber license, and gas fitter licenses are separate restricted credentials. Licenses expire each December 31 and renew annually. Out-of-state applicants are handled by the Section case by case; the Department's plumbing page also lists signed reciprocity agreements with Oklahoma (journeymen, effective October 21, 2024), Ohio (master plumbers), Texas and Louisiana.
Why California has nothing to transfer
California journeyman plumber · “Journeyman plumber / certificate of competency (city-issued)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Issued by City and county building departments (no statewide journeyman plumber license)
California does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber or master plumber license. The only state plumbing credential is the C-36 Plumbing Contractor classification from the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), which is a contractor license qualified by a named individual, not a personal tradesperson card. Business and Professions Code §7053 takes wage employees outside the Contractors State License Law, so a plumber who works for a C-36 contractor needs no CSLB license; California's personal electrician certification (Labor Code §108) has no plumbing counterpart. Some cities and counties still examine and card journeyman plumbers (certificate of competency / journey-level plumber) for work in that jurisdiction. Those cards are not statewide, are not issued by CSLB, and an out-of-state journeyman plumber license is not recognized by any state board. An arriving journeyman should ask the building department where the job is whether a local plumber card is required and sit that city's exam; contracting independently requires a C-36 license, described at the master level.
How local licensing works in California
No state journeyman. CSLB's C-36 page and fee/reciprocity materials describe only contractor licensing. B&P §7053 leaves employed plumbers unlicensed at the state level. There is no DIR-style plumber certification.
How local cards work. Cities that still license individual plumbers typically issue a certificate of competency or journey-level plumber card after documented experience and a local exam. The card does not authorize contracting (that is C-36). Cards are not portable statewide; a Los Angeles card does not satisfy San Francisco, and vice versa. Other cities and some counties may also card plumbers; ask the building department where the job is for its current rules.
- Los Angeles (Department of Building and Safety - licensing / plumber exams)
- San Francisco (Department of Building Inspection - certificate of competency)
- San Diego (Development Services)
- San Jose (Planning, Building and Code Enforcement)
- Sacramento (Community Development / Building)
- Oakland (Building permits / trade licensing)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Arkansas journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in California?
- Yes. Arkansas requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Arkansas journeyman plumber license from California?
- Published fees on this path total $150, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my California work hours count in Arkansas?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Arkansas's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Arkansas to California?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Arkansas to California, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Application Instructions for Arkansas Plumber & Restricted Plumber Licenses (with license/fee table), 1/15/2026 · Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Arkansas Department of Health - Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (licensing, examinations, fees, reciprocity) · Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (Protective Health Codes) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Rules Pertaining to Master, Journeyman, and Restricted Plumber Licenses, Plumbing and Gas Inspector Licenses, Restricted Hospital Maintenance, Water and Sewer Service Line Installation · Ark. Admin. Code 007.04; Rules Pertaining to Master, Journeyman, and Restricted Plumber Licenses (eff. Sept. 5, 2024) · Arkansas State Board of Health · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Arkansas Code Annotated § 17-1-108 - Automatic licensure for individuals licensed in another state (Act 1011 of 2019, as amended) · Ark. Code Ann. §§ 17-1-106, 17-1-108 · Arkansas General Assembly · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Arkansas Code Annotated Title 17, Chapter 38 - Plumbers (Arkansas Plumbing Law) · Ark. Code Ann. §§ 17-38-101 et seq., 17-38-201 (Committee of Plumbing Examiners), 17-38-301 et seq. (licensing) · Arkansas General Assembly / Arkansas Department of Health · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- 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
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.