Where a Pennsylvania journeyman plumber license transfers

How local licensing works. Pennsylvania does not license plumbers. Each city that licenses the trade does so under its own ordinance through L&I, a plumbing board, or a codes office. Residential plumbing contractors doing $5,000 or more of home-improvement work in a year must also register with the Pennsylvania Attorney General under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act; that registration is not a trade licence and involves no exam.

Philadelphia (verified). L&I issues Plumber Apprentice, Journeyman Plumber and Master Plumber licences (trade-licence list). The journeyman page, last updated with the Plumbing Advisory Board, is the only plumbing service page opened in full. Scope: drainage, cesspools, traps, waste vents, water piping, and fixtures attached to plumbing elements, excluding gas or electric heaters; work must be under a licensed master plumber; the card does not authorise operating a business. Experience: registered Philadelphia apprentice for a minimum of four years, or proof of a similar authorisation from any other state or local jurisdiction with equal or greater qualification requirements, subject to L&I approval. Exam: ICC Journeyman Plumber Examination; must reference the current Philadelphia Code and associated standards, or the application must be filed within 12 months of passing. Photo: 2 in. × 2 in. colour. Fees: $126 licence ($25 non-refundable application fee applied to that amount; balance due on approval); $126 annual renewal; 1.5% of the licence fee per month if more than 60 days late. Apply via eCLIPSE or in person at 1401 JFK Blvd. (Permit and License Center). PLI issues person-held trade licences in other trades; plumbing exam, fee, experience and whether a journeyman tier exists were not verified. Do not assume Pittsburgh waives a plumber exam.

Allentown. Building Standards and Safety licenses electrical, plumbing and sheet metal trades. Operating a contracting company requires both a trades licence and a city business licence. No reciprocity language appears on the trades-licensing page. In Philadelphia, document four years (local apprentice or equivalent out-of-jurisdiction authorisation) and pass the ICC Journeyman Plumber Examination on the Philadelphia Code (or apply within 12 months of that exam). Elsewhere, expect a separate city application and usually a local or ICC exam. Statewide reciprocity: none.