Florida to Arkansas: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Florida 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 Florida license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have passed a licensing exam in Florida 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 Florida has nothing to transfer
Florida journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber certificate of competency (county-issued)”
Licensed by cities and counties
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).
- Hillsborough County (Development Services, Journeyman Plumber Certificate of Competency)
- Miami-Dade County (Construction Trades Qualifying Board - Plumbing)
- Pinellas County (Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board - Plumbing Journeyman)
- Broward County (Building Code Division, Central Examining Boards)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Arkansas journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Florida?
- Yes. Arkansas requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Arkansas journeyman plumber license from Florida?
- Published fees on this path total $150, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Florida 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 Florida?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Arkansas to Florida, 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.