Illinois to Alabama: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Illinois does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Alabama'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: direct admission to the Alabama journeyman exam (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
The Board 'does not currently have any active reciprocal agreements with any other states' at the journeyman level, so every out-of-state journeyman follows the same route: the origin license substitutes for Alabama's two-year apprenticeship and the applicant is admitted straight to the Alabama Journeyman Plumber examination. The Board's conditions are that the out-of-state license 'must have been issued based on successful completion of an exam with a minimum score of 70%', 'must be active and in good standing with no unresolved disciplinary issues', and that the origin licensing agency complete the bottom half of the Board's Request for Verification of License/Registration form (or supply the same information on agency letterhead). The applicant submits the Examination Packet for Out-of-State Applicants, sits the exam on the 2021 International Plumbing Code, and after passing has 90 days to file the journeyman pass packet and pay the certification fee. There is no business-law exam at the journeyman level. A plumber who also wants to do gas fitting must additionally register as at least an Apprentice Gas Fitter.
Fees are set in the Board's rules (Ala. Admin. Code r. 720-X-4-.01): $110 exam fee, $50 initial application processing fee and $75 initial journeyman certificate fee. The exam is open book, given by Prov, and requires 70%. The Examination Packet for Out-of-State Applicants is at https://pgfb.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Exam-App-Out-of-State-01-26.pdf; the Board's phone is (205) 945-4857.
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 have held your Illinois license for at least 2 years.In-state qualifier is a minimum of two years as an Apprentice (or Board-approved apprentice training plus registered apprentice time equal to two years). Out-of-state journeymen skip this by sitting the exam on a verified origin license instead.
- Your Illinois license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
- Your Illinois license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- Origin licensing agency completes the bottom half of the Board's Request for Verification of License/Registration form, or supplies the same information on its own form or letterhead
What you'll do to get licensed in Alabama
- 1Other. Examination Packet for Out-of-State Applicants (Exam-App-Out-of-State-01-26) with copy of the origin license and the completed verification form; submit by mail, e-mail or fax with a Credit Card or E-Check Authorization Form.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($110). Non-refundable Journeyman Plumber examination fee, paid to the Board once you are approved to test; there is no separate fee to Prov..
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Alabama Journeyman Plumber examination on the 2021 International Plumbing Code, given by Prov as an open-book computer exam; a score of 70% is required..
- 4Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Initial application processing fee, paid with the Packet for Applicants who pass Journeyman exam within 90 days of passing.
- 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($75). Initial journeyman certificate fee, paid with the pass packet within 90 days of passing. Certificates are annual and renew October 1 - December 31 for $75..
- 6Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Four hours of continuing education from a Board-approved provider for each annual renewal, due before November 1 to avoid a deficiency plan and deficiency fee. Not required to renew a first certificate obtained through the out-of-state route in the same calendar year..
Published fees on this path total $235, 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.
- Exam fee · $110
- Trade exam
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Alabama licenses journeyman plumbers
Alabama journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber (annual certificate)”
Statewide license
Issued by Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board
Alabama certifies Journeyman Plumbers statewide through the Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board in Homewood; under Ala. Code § 34-37-6(a) a Board certificate is required to engage in plumbing anywhere in the state, and the Board's pages describe no county or city plumber licensing. A new applicant must complete at least two years as a registered Apprentice Plumber (or a Board-approved apprentice training program plus registered apprentice time equal to two years, or two years of documented equivalent experience approved at a Board meeting), then pass the Board's journeyman plumber exam, which since January 1, 2023 tests the 2021 International Plumbing Code. After passing, the applicant has 90 days to pay the certification fees or must re-test. Certificates are issued for the calendar year and renew each October 1 - December 31, with continuing education due by November 1 to avoid a deficiency plan and fee. The Board has no journeyman reciprocity agreement with any state; an out-of-state journeyman may sit the Alabama exam directly if the origin license was earned by an exam passed at 70% or better, is active and in good standing, and is verified by the origin agency.
Why Illinois has nothing to transfer
Illinois journeyman plumber · “No journeyman tier (Apprentice Plumber is the only sub-license)”
No individual license at this level
Issued by Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Plumbing Program
Illinois has no journeyman plumber license. Under the Illinois Plumbing License Law (225 ILCS 320) the Department of Public Health issues a single Plumber license plus an Apprentice Plumber license; there is no intermediate journeyman card and no master tier, and the City of Chicago's parallel program under Section 16 follows the same two-tier structure. Every person who performs plumbing must hold one of those two licenses (Section 3(1)). An out-of-state journeyman therefore has nothing to transfer to: the choices are (1) register as an Illinois Apprentice Plumber (age 16 or older, sponsored by an Illinois licensed plumber or an approved apprenticeship program, maximum six years as an apprentice) and work under supervision, or (2) qualify for the full Illinois Plumber license, where Section 17(b) lets a plumber licensed by another state with substantially equal requirements sit the Illinois examination without first serving the four-year Illinois apprenticeship. Whether a journeyman-level origin license counts as 'substantially equal' to the Illinois Plumber license is decided by the State Board of Plumbing Examiners case by case and is not addressed on the IDPH page reviewed; see the master level for the license route.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Alabama journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Illinois?
- Yes. Alabama requires the trade exam on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my Illinois license?
- At least 2 years before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Alabama journeyman plumber license from Illinois?
- Published fees on this path total $235, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Illinois work hours count in Alabama?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Alabama's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Alabama to Illinois?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Alabama to Illinois, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Ala. Admin. Code ch. 720-X, Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board rules (complete, Jan-26 compilation) · Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board - Continuing Education (with Licensee CE Q&A PDF) · Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Examination Packet for Out-of-State Applicants (rev. 01/2026) · Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board - Exams (applications, packets, code edition, business law exam) · Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board - Home (renewal period and continuing education reminder) · Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board - How Do I Become Licensed (Apprentice, Journeyman Plumber, Master Plumber, companies) · Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board - Out-of-State Applicants (Applying for Certification in Alabama) · Ala. Code § 34-37-6(a)-(b); Ala. Admin. Code r. 720-X-17-.01 · Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining 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.