Do I have to take the Alaska journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Florida?

No. The trade exam is waived on this path.

How long do I need to have held my Florida license?

At least 1 year before applying.

What does it cost to get a Alaska journeyman plumber license from Florida?

Published fees on this path total $250, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

Do my Florida work hours count in Alaska?

Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Alaska's eligibility requirements.

How long does the application take?

The board's published or typical processing time is about 10 days.

Does it work the other way, from Alaska to Florida?

Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Alaska to Florida, the mechanism is not applicable.

Florida to Alaska: journeyman plumber license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 16, 2026· 6 sources

Florida does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Alaska'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.

Reciprocal or provisional Plumber Journeyman certificate for any US jurisdiction with substantially similar requirements

Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.

Under 8 AAC 90.111 (effective August 8, 2025) Mechanical Inspection may reciprocate a plumbing certificate of fitness with any jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially similar to Alaska's, without a mutual agreement; it weighs the hours required, whether the jurisdiction tests, whether it requires registered-apprenticeship membership, and other factors, and 8 AAC 90.125 defines 'jurisdiction' to include a local government that licenses journeyman plumbers. The applicant must hold a current journeyman plumber licence held for a full year, files the Reciprocal/Provisional Application with a copy of the licence, and pays $50 plus $200 for a two-year Reciprocal Plumber Journeyman COF that renews as an ordinary journeyman certificate and allows trainee supervision; no Alaska exam is taken if the origin jurisdiction is found substantially similar. If the department decides the origin jurisdiction is not substantially similar it requests proof of hours and the applicant must pass the Alaska plumber journeyman exam (open book, 2018 UPC, 70%) before a certificate is issued (8 AAC 90.112(h)); legally performed out-of-state hours count toward the 8,000 under 8 AAC 90.890, and the applicant must supply the origin licence or a state letter confirming no licence was required. Alternatively a Provisional Plumber Journeyman COF ($50 plus $100, valid up to one year or until the origin licence expires, not renewable, no trainee supervision) lets an out-of-state plumber start work within about 7-10 business days and is upgraded to a reciprocal certificate unless the applicant opts out. Neither the reciprocal nor the provisional route covers fuel gas work: a provisional holder may not perform gas work (8 AAC 90.112(g)) because many states exclude gas from their plumber licence, and gas piping otherwise requires the Plumber Gas certificate or a full journeyman COF.

Mechanical Inspection publishes no list of which states' plumber licences it has found substantially similar; each application is decided case by case, so the exam waiver is not guaranteed. Whether a reciprocal (as opposed to provisional) Plumber Journeyman COF authorises fuel gas work is not stated; the regulation bars gas work only for provisional holders, and the full journeyman scope in 8 AAC 90.900(14) includes fuel gas piping. The exam path has no published exam fee; the department administers the exam itself and third-party proctoring is at the applicant's expense. AS 18.62.050(c) also lets an Alaska-based union verify a member's qualifications in lieu of the exam.

At a glance

Trade exam: Waived
Law / code exam: Not required
Out-of-state hours: Count toward eligibility
Typical processing: About 10 days

What you must already have

Your Florida license must be active and in good standing.
You must have held your Florida license for at least 1 year.Must have held the origin licence for a full year before the application date (8 AAC 90.112(a)); attach a prior licence if the current card lacks the issue date
Origin jurisdiction's requirements (hours, testing, registered apprenticeship, other factors) must be substantially similar to Alaska's as determined by Mechanical Inspection; otherwise proof of 8,000 legally obtained hours and the Alaska plumber journeyman exam are required (8 AAC 90.111, 8 AAC 90.112(h))

What you'll do to get licensed in Alaska

1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Nonrefundable certificate of fitness application fee (AS 18.62.030).
2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($200). Two-year Reciprocal Plumber Journeyman certificate fee; a Provisional Plumber Journeyman certificate costs $100 instead, lasts up to one year and does not permit gas work.
3Other. Copy of the current out-of-state licence (and a prior licence if the issue date is missing) attached to the Reciprocal/Provisional Application for Electrical and Plumbing Certificates of Fitness, emailed to [email protected] or mailed to the Anchorage office.
4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Alaska Plumber Journeyman exam (open book, 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code, four hours, 70% to pass, 30-day wait to retake) - required only if Mechanical Inspection finds the origin jurisdiction not substantially similar; no department exam fee is published.
5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. For renewal of the two-year certificate: 16 hours of approved continuing education in the preceding 24 months, at least eight on significant changes to the Uniform Plumbing Code and no more than eight industry related (8 AAC 90.192(c)); renewal fee $200.

Published fees on this path total $250, 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 · if applicable

Continuing education

Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.

Continuing education

How Alaska licenses journeyman plumbers

Alaska journeyman plumber · “Plumber Journeyman Certificate of Fitness”

Statewide license

Verified September 16, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Labor Standards and Safety Division, Mechanical Inspection Section

Alaska issues a statewide Plumber Journeyman Certificate of Fitness (COF) through the Department of Labor and Workforce Development's Mechanical Inspection Section; under AS 18.62.070 anyone doing plumbing subject to the Uniform Plumbing Code (the 2018 UPC, adopted by 8 AAC 63.101) must hold the appropriate certificate, and the section enforces plumbing in communities of 2,500 or more people (Anchorage inspects under a memorandum of agreement). A new applicant must hold a Plumber Trainee COF (which requires indenture in a US DOL registered apprenticeship) while accumulating 8,000 hours of legally obtained plumbing installation work (up to 4,000 military/vocational, 1,000 classroom, 2,000 gas and 500 utility hours may count; maintenance hours do not), then pass the department's open-book exam on the 2018 UPC with at least 70% within a four-hour limit. The COF costs $50 to apply for plus $200 on issue, is valid two years and renews for $200 with 16 hours of continuing education (at least eight on UPC changes). Separate restricted certificates exist for Plumber Gas (fuel gas piping, 4,000 hours) and Plumber Restricted Utility (water, sewer and storm service lines, 1,000 hours). Since August 8, 2025 the department reciprocates plumber journeyman certificates with any US state or local jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially similar (8 AAC 90.111) and offers a one-year provisional certificate to any out-of-state journeyman plumber; unlike the electrical programme, it publishes no list of plumbing reciprocity partner states.

Moving to Alaska Leaving Alaska

Why Florida has nothing to transfer

Florida journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber certificate of competency (county-issued)”

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 16, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by County and municipal licensing boards (no state journeyman license)

Florida has no state journeyman plumber license. The Construction Industry Licensing Board within DBPR certifies and registers plumbing contractors only (occupation codes CF/RF); s. 489.105 never defines 'journeyman', and the Board's plumbing application list has no journeyman credential. Hillsborough County states there is 'no State of Florida requirement for anyone to hold a Journeyman Certificate of Competency.' Section 489.1455, F.S., instead authorizes counties and municipalities to issue journeyman licenses in the plumbing (and pipe fitting, mechanical, or HVAC) trades to a person who scores at least 75 percent on a proctored journeyman exam, has completed a registered apprenticeship or 12,000 hours of on-the-job training, and completes Florida Building Commission coursework, and it requires every county and municipality to recognize a journeyman licensed by any other Florida county or municipality. Large urban counties run such programs (Hillsborough's Journeyman Plumber Certificate of Competency; Miami-Dade's Construction Trades Qualifying Board plumbing journeyman card). An out-of-state journeyman plumber license carries no state-level recognition, so an arriving plumber should expect to document experience and take the county exam in the first county that requires a card, after which that Florida county card is portable statewide under s. 489.1455(2).

How local licensing works in Florida

How local licensing works. DBPR's Construction Industry Licensing Board certifies (statewide) and registers (locally qualified) plumbing contractors and issues no personal license below contractor. Section 489.1455, F.S. lets counties and municipalities license journeymen in the plumbing, pipe fitting, mechanical and HVAC trades on three conditions: 75 percent on a proctored Block and Associates or other board-approved journeyman exam, a registered and state-approved apprenticeship or 12,000 hours of on-the-job training, and Florida Building Commission-approved coursework (within 6 months of certification). Subsection (2) makes every county and municipality recognize a journeyman licensed by any other Florida county or municipality. A journeyman card never authorizes contracting; the holder works under a certified or registered plumbing contractor.

Hillsborough County. Development Services issues a Journeyman Electrician or Plumber Certificate of Competency. Fees on the 2026-09-16 page: $50 nonrefundable initiation, $100 on acceptance, $70 one-time registration. The holder 'must always work under the supervision of a properly licensed Electrical/Plumbing Contractor.' Application is through HillsGovHub with apprenticeship completion (if any), an approved-agency exam score if already tested, and a verification-of-experience form. From the 2026-09-15 reading of the same hub: three years of proven field experience (up to one-half education equivalent), open-book exam at 75 percent or above, $240 fee; the county 'only reciprocates with Broward and Palm Beach County in specific trade categories' and only for journeymen who scored 75% or higher. The 2026-09-16 hub extract did not reprint those figures.

Pinellas County. The Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board journeyman application (read 2026-09-15 for HVAC/electrical FL; pinellas.gov and the PDF failed to extract on 2026-09-16) offered Plumbing, Electrical, Pipe Fitting, Air Conditioning and Sheet Metal Journeyman classifications: open-book independent-agency exam, about six hours, passing grade 70%, $75 non-refundable application fee, notarized employer experience certificates, six-year employment history and three character letters. No out-of-state reciprocity is printed on that form. Journeymen must be certified by PCCLB to work in the county.

Broward, Palm Beach, Orange and Duval. Broward County's Building Code Division Central Examining Boards use a contractor/journeyman packet (Chapter 9) that the HVAC and electrical FL files document for mechanical and electrical journeymen ($225 journeyman application / $120 renewal / $50 letter of reciprocity as of January 1, 2025; 75% GITS or ProV exam). Treat those as leads.

Out-of-state journeymen. None of the county programs reviewed publishes an out-of-state reciprocity rule. Expect to sit the first county's exam; a qualifying Florida county card is then recognized statewide under s. 489.1455(2).

Moving to Florida Leaving Florida

Common questions

Do I have to take the Alaska journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Florida?: No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
How long do I need to have held my Florida license?: At least 1 year before applying.
What does it cost to get a Alaska journeyman plumber license from Florida?: Published fees on this path total $250, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Florida work hours count in Alaska?: Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Alaska's eligibility requirements.
How long does the application take?: The board's published or typical processing time is about 10 days.
Does it work the other way, from Alaska to Florida?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Alaska to Florida, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

Alaska Certificate of Fitness Information Packet - AS 18.62 and 8 AAC 90 with FAQ (Version 20250715) · AS 18.62.010, AS 18.62.020, AS 18.62.030, AS 18.62.050(c), AS 18.62.070; 8 AAC 90.111, 8 AAC 90.112, 8 AAC 90.115, 8 AAC 90.125, 8 AAC 90.130, 8 AAC 90.192, 8 AAC 90.890, 8 AAC 90.900(14) · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - Frequently Asked Questions · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - License Types and Requirements (Plumber certificates of fitness) · 8 AAC 90.111, 8 AAC 90.112, 8 AAC 90.130, 8 AAC 90.135, 8 AAC 90.137, 8 AAC 90.140 · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - Home (jurisdiction, adopted codes, August 8, 2025 regulation change) · 8 AAC 63.101; AS 18.60.705 · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
Reciprocal/Provisional Application for Electrical and Plumbing Certificates of Fitness (v.20250828) · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Form · verified September 16, 2026
Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - Testing Information · 8 AAC 90.115 · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · 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.

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