Illinois to Arkansas: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Illinois 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.
Code Ann. § 17-38-30x and must be re-checked. Whether the Section treats § 17-1-108 automatic licensure as waiving the Arkansas journeyman exam is unknown; Oklahoma's statement that the 2024 agreement means eligible applicants 'will not have to take the journeymen test to be licensed in either state' implies the exam is otherwise required, so examTradeRequired is set true. Vendor hints of Arkansas plumbing reciprocity with Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi or Tennessee were not confirmed on any official page and are doubtful (Texas TSBPE and the Louisiana State Plumbing Board publish no agreements; Mississippi and Tennessee license plumbing contractors, not journeymen, at state level).
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 Illinois license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have passed a licensing exam in Illinois 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, administered by the Plumbing and Natural Gas Section on the Arkansas Plumbing Code (IPC-based); pass mark not confirmed.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Section examination fee for the journeyman exam; amount not confirmed (Department of Health pages blocked at verification).
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee. Initial Journeyman Plumber license fee, renewed annually; amount not confirmed.
- 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. Continuing education as required by the Committee of Plumbing Examiners for renewal; hours not confirmed.
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
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 is based on the Arkansas Plumbing Code (an IPC-based code); natural gas work is licensed separately. Licenses renew annually and out-of-state applicants are handled by the Section case by case, with one signed reciprocity agreement, covering journeymen only, in force with Oklahoma since October 21, 2024.
Why Illinois has nothing to transfer
Illinois journeyman plumber · “No journeyman tier (Apprentice Plumber is the only sub-licence)”
No individual license at this level
Issued by Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Plumbing Program
Illinois has no journeyman plumber licence. Under the Illinois Plumbing License Law (225 ILCS 320) the Department of Public Health issues a single Plumber licence plus an Apprentice Plumber licence; there is no intermediate journeyman card and no master tier, and the City of Chicago's parallel programme under Section 16 follows the same two-tier structure. Every person who performs plumbing must hold one of those two licences (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 programme, maximum six years as an apprentice) and work under supervision, or (2) qualify for the full Illinois Plumber licence, 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 licence counts as 'substantially equal' to the Illinois Plumber licence 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 licence route.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Arkansas journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Illinois?
- Yes. Arkansas requires the trade exam on this path.
- Do my Illinois 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 Illinois?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Arkansas to Illinois, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- 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 16, 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 16, 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.