Illinois to Kentucky: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Illinois does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Kentucky'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 (Kentucky examination; apprentice experience credited)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Kentucky publishes no plumbing reciprocity or endorsement path that waives the journeyman exam. Under 815 KAR 20:030 Section 3, every journeyman applicant — including a person already licensed elsewhere — qualifies by two consecutive years as an apprentice plumber, or by a department-approved course on the practice of plumbing or the Kentucky State Plumbing Code plus one year as an apprentice, then must pass each portion of the Kentucky journeyman plumber examination with at least 75 percent (written questions on plumbing principles, KRS Chapter 318 and 815 KAR Chapters 2 and 20; a pipe-sizing drawing; and a practical installation section for which the applicant furnishes materials). The regulation does not limit apprentice experience to Kentucky, so documented out-of-state apprentice time is the credit an inbound journeyman receives; it does not list an out-of-state journeyman license as a substitute for that experience. Register on Form PLB-3 ($50 exam fee, passport photo), then file Form PLB-2 with the $60 license fee (prorated 7–18 months to the birth month). Passing scores are valid three years. Failed portions may be retaken within one year of first notice for the full $50 each time. There is no separate law or business exam.
No hour-per-year conversion is published in 815 KAR 20:030 (HVAC uses 1,500 hours and electrical 1,600 in other KAR chapters; do not assume either figure for plumbing). Whether a city- or county-issued origin license helps is not addressed; Section 2's out-of-state master path requires a license 'issued by another state,' so municipal origin licenses are treated as not accepted. The written exam includes KRS 318 and 815 KAR Chapter 20, so Kentucky law is tested inside the trade exam rather than as a separate LawCodeExam. No Prov/PSI plumbing bulletin was found; exams are department-administered quarterly.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 90 days
What you must already have
- At least two consecutive years of experience as an apprentice plumber, or a department-approved plumbing / Kentucky State Plumbing Code course plus at least one year as an apprentice (815 KAR 20:030 Section 3(1))
What you'll do to get licensed in Kentucky
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($60). Journeyman plumber license fee (Form PLB-2), $60; initial license prorated for not less than seven nor more than eighteen months and expires on the last day of the applicant's birth month; payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Kentucky journeyman plumber examination (department-administered; written, drawing, and practical portions; 75% required on each portion; regular sittings February, May, August, November). Written portion covers basic plumbing principles, KRS Chapter 318, 815 KAR Chapter 2 and 815 KAR Chapter 20..
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). Non-refundable journeyman examination fee with Form PLB-3; full $50 due again to retake any failed portion.
- 4Other. Passport-sized color photograph taken within six months (Form PLB-3); applicant furnishes plumbing materials for the practical portion after the department's one-week materials notice.
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Six hours of approved plumbing CE in the twelve months before each renewal (815 KAR 2:010); waived for the first renewal if the initial license issued within twelve months of renewal; no more than two hours safety; topics: business, job safety, Kentucky State Plumbing Code, or plumbing trade.
Published fees on this path total $110, 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 · $50
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Kentucky licenses journeyman plumbers
Kentucky journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Division of Plumbing
Kentucky issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber license through the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Division of Plumbing, under KRS Chapter 318 and 815 KAR 20:030. A new applicant must have either two consecutive years as an apprentice plumber or a department-approved plumbing / Kentucky State Plumbing Code course plus one year as an apprentice, pass every portion of the department-administered Kentucky journeyman plumber examination (written, drawing, and practical) with at least 75 percent, file Form PLB-2 with a $60 license fee prorated to seven to eighteen months ending on the birth month, and register for the exam on Form PLB-3 ($50, passport photo). Exams run in February, May, August and November. Licenses renew annually at $60 with six hours of continuing education under 815 KAR 2:010 (waived for the first renewal if the initial license issued within twelve months of renewal). 815 KAR 20:030 does not waive the Kentucky exam for out-of-state journeymen, does not use the word reciprocity, and names no partner states; an inbound journeyman documents apprentice-level experience and sits the Kentucky exam.
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 Kentucky journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Illinois?
- Yes. Kentucky requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Kentucky journeyman plumber license from Illinois?
- Published fees on this path total $110, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Illinois work hours count in Kentucky?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Kentucky's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 90 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Kentucky to Illinois?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Kentucky to Illinois, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) - home · Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet, Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- DHBC Division of Plumbing forms incorporated in 815 KAR 20:030 (PLB-1, PLB-2, PLB-3, DHBC L-1) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Division of Plumbing · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- 815 KAR 2:010 - Continuing education requirements (master and journeyman plumbers) · 815 KAR 2:010 Sections 1-2; KRS 318.054 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- 815 KAR 20:030 - Plumbing licenses (application, examination, and renewal) · 815 KAR 20:030 Sections 1-6 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- 815 KAR Chapter 20 - Plumbing (Kentucky State Plumbing Code chapter index) · 815 KAR Chapter 20 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- KRS Chapter 318 - Plumbers and Plumbing · KRS 318.010, 318.020, 318.030, 318.040, 318.050, 318.054, 318.080, 318.130 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.