LicensebyState

Florida to Montana: journeyman plumber license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 16, 2026· 11 sources

Florida does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Montana'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 application with experience credit, then the Montana journeyman examinations (all states except OR, ID, ND, SD)

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

A journeyman licensed anywhere other than Oregon, Idaho, North Dakota or South Dakota applies under the board's 'Out of State' method (ARM 24.180.604). The applicant submits copies of every plumbing license held plus a certified verification from the state or local licensing agency stating the date of licensure and the requirements for licensure; official verifications are also required from every jurisdiction where the applicant has ever held a professional license of any kind. If the origin state's qualifications are not equivalent to Montana's five-year standard, the applicant 'will receive credit for the years required by the original state' and documents the remaining years with Experience Verification Affidavits from employing masters or contractors (W-2s and pay records may supplement them). Applicants from states with no journeyman or master licensing instead provide notarized statements from qualified individuals with direct knowledge of five years of plumbing experience. The checklist states that applicants using the out-of-state method 'will be required to sit for all the required examinations': after board approval (about 30 days) the applicant schedules with IAPMO, pays IAPMO's fee, and passes both journeyman written examinations (100 code questions plus the diagram-based former practical, now also written) with 70% each. The application fee is $220 (fee schedule effective July 11, 2026) and an optional $100 temporary practice permit allows journeyman work for a Montana master plumber for 110 days while testing.

The Montana journeyman written exam covers the 2021 UPC together with Montana statutes, board rules and Building Codes amendments; there is no separate law exam, so examLawRequired is false. ARM 24.180.604 accepts verification from a 'state or local licensing agency', so a city-issued license is considered for experience credit. The 2023 checklist and packet still print a $400 out-of-state fee and $270 exam fee; ARM 24.180.401 as amended July 11, 2026 sets both at $220. IAPMO's exam fee amount is not published on any board page. Military members, spouses and relocating veterans are licensed under MCA 37-1-147 instead and may receive a temporary license while curing deficiencies.

At a glance

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Out-of-state hours
Count toward eligibility
Typical processing
About 30 days

What you must already have

  • You must document at least 7,500 hours of qualifying work experience.Five years and 7,500 aggregate hours of legally obtained plumbing experience (MCA 37-69-304, checklist Option 1), or a registered apprenticeship completion certificate. Years credited from the origin state's licensing requirement count toward the five; the balance must be documented by Experience Verification Affidavits from licensed masters or plumbing contractors
  • Copy of each out-of-state plumbing license held plus a certified letter of verification from the state or local licensing agency stating the date of licensure and the requirements for licensure (ARM 24.180.604); verifications must be sent directly from every board where the applicant is or has ever been licensed
  • Applicants from states with no journeyman or master licensing must supply a notarized statement or letter from qualified individual(s) acceptable to the board with direct knowledge of plumbing experience equivalent to five years

What you'll do to get licensed in Montana

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($220). Out-of-state / journeyman application fee under ARM 24.180.401 as amended effective July 11, 2026 (previously $400 out-of-state, $270 by examination); nonrefundable; paid online at ebiz.mt.gov/pol or by check.
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Montana Journeyman Plumber examinations administered by IAPMO after board approval: first written exam of 100 multiple-choice questions on the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code as amended plus Montana statutes and board rules (open book, 3 hours), then the second written exam replacing the former practical (three virtual isometric diagrams, 2.5 hours); 70% required on each.
  3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Examination fee paid directly to IAPMO when scheduling at www.iapmo.org/mt-testing; set by the vendor and not published on board pages.
  4. 4Other. Optional temporary practice permit (provisional license fee, ARM 24.180.401) issued once the applicant is approved to test; valid 110 days and allows journeyman work only in the employment of a named Montana master plumber (ARM 24.180.607) ($100) (if applicable).

Published fees on this path total $220, 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
  • Exam fee

How Montana licenses journeyman plumbers

Montana journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”

Statewide license

Verified September 16, 2026· 8 sources

Issued by Montana Board of Plumbers (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division)

Montana issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber license through the Board of Plumbers in the Department of Labor & Industry; a journeyman may work only in the employment of a licensed master plumber. A new applicant qualifies under MCA 37-69-304 with five years and 7,500 hours of legally obtained plumbing experience verified by a licensed master or plumbing contractor, or a registered apprenticeship completion certificate (approved trade-school or engineering study counts for up to two of the five years), then passes the IAPMO-administered open-book exams on the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code with 70% on each part. Since April 11, 2026 both the written and the former practical exam are given in written format. The application fee is $220 under the fee schedule effective July 11, 2026 (the 2023 packets still print $270); IAPMO's exam fee is paid separately; a $100 temporary practice permit lets an approved exam candidate work for a Montana master for 110 days. Licenses expire every September 1, renew for $160 and require 4 hours of code-related continuing education a year. Out-of-state journeymen from Oregon, Idaho, North Dakota or South Dakota are licensed by reciprocity without the Montana exam; everyone else receives credit for the years their origin state required but must pass the Montana exams.

Moving to MontanaLeaving Montana

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 FloridaLeaving Florida

Common questions

Do I have to take the Montana journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Florida?
Yes. Montana requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a Montana journeyman plumber license from Florida?
Published fees on this path total $220, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Florida work hours count in Montana?
Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Montana's eligibility requirements.
How long does the application take?
The board's published or typical processing time is about 30 days.
Does it work the other way, from Montana to Florida?
Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Montana to Florida, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

  1. MCA 37-1-304 - Licensure by endorsement -- reciprocity · MCA 37-1-304; 37-1-147 · Montana Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
  2. MCA 37-69-304 - Qualifications of applicants for journeyman plumber's license -- restriction on authority · MCA 37-69-304 · Montana Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
  3. State of Montana Plumbing Licensing Information - 2021 UPC Examination Information Sheet (IAPMO; Rev. 01/09/2023) · ARM 24.180.404, 24.180.407 · Montana Board of Plumbers / IAPMO · Other · verified September 16, 2026
  4. Montana Board of Plumbers - FAQ · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
  5. MAR Notice No. 2026-79.1 - Board of Plumbers Notice of Proposed Rulemaking amending ARM 24.180.401 Fee Schedule (May 8, 2026) · ARM 24.180.401 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Board of Plumbers · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
  6. Montana Board of Plumbers - Home · ARM 24.180.2102 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
  7. Montana Board of Plumbers - Journeyman Plumber Application packet (checklist, general information, application, Experience Verification Affidavit, Verification of Licensure) · MCA 37-69-304(2); ARM 24.180.603, 24.180.604 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Form · verified September 16, 2026
  8. Montana Board of Plumbers - Journeyman Plumber Licensing Requirements and Application Checklist (updated 02/09/2023) · MCA 37-69-304; ARM 24.180.504, 24.180.603, 24.180.604 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Form · verified September 16, 2026
  9. Montana Board of Plumbers - Plumber Journeyman license information · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
  10. MAR Notice No. 2025-126.1 - Board of Plumbers Notice of Proposed Rulemaking amending ARM 24.180.407 and repealing ARM 24.180.603 Reciprocity (November 7, 2025) · ARM 24.180.407, 24.180.603; MCA 37-1-304(3) · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Board of Plumbers · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
  11. Montana Substantial Equivalency Determinations (Business Standards Division, all boards) · MCA 37-1-304 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · 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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