Maine to Georgia: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Georgia has no reciprocity agreement with Maine. Your Maine experience counts toward eligibility, but you must pass the Georgia exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Licensure by examination with credit for out-of-state experience (no named reciprocity partners)
Nothing is waived, but your documented out-of-state hours count toward eligibility to sit the exam.
An out-of-state journeyman applies for the Georgia Journeyman Plumber license by examination under Rule 121-3-.02, the same as a first-time applicant, unless the Division has a formal written reciprocity or endorsement agreement with that origin board under Rule 121-2-.03. The applicant documents at least one year of plumbing work covered by the Georgia State Plumbing Code as Primary experience (direct installation under a licensed Master Plumber) or Secondary experience (for example county water/public-works maintenance or full-time plumbing inspection). Out-of-state installation under a licensed master is expected to count as Primary experience; the rule does not require the supervising master to hold a Georgia license. After two failures the applicant must complete a Board-approved review course before a third sitting (Rules 121-2-.06 and 121-3-.03). Licenses obtained elsewhere by grandfathering without an exam never qualify for Rule 121-2-.03 reciprocity and give no advantage beyond the experience credit.
Rule 121-2-.03 authorizes formal written agreements but lists no states; agreements[] is therefore omitted rather than guessed. acceptsMunicipalOriginLicenses is false because 121-2-.03 speaks of 'other state licensing Boards,' not city or county licenses. The one-year journeyman experience minimum is years, not hours; no 2,000-hour conversion appears in the retrieved rule text. Typical timeline omitted.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Minimum of one (1) year of Primary or Secondary plumbing experience covered by the Georgia State Plumbing Code (Rule 121-3-.02(5)); Primary experience is direct installation under a licensed Master Plumber
- Three licensed plumbers who can attest to the applicant's plumbing experience (Rule 121-3-.02(3))
What you'll do to get licensed in Georgia
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee. Fee, eligibility details, and processing steps are not published in a form we can list here. Please see the sources on this page to find out more..
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Georgia Journeyman Plumber examination; minimum score 70 (Rule 121-3-.02(2)). Vendor and candidate-handbook details were not published on the rules pages. After two failures, a Board-approved review course is required before a third sitting..
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Examination fee paid to the testing vendor at registration (amount and vendor not published on the rules pages retrieved).
- 4Other. Three licensed-plumber references attesting to experience (Rule 121-3-.02(3)).
- 5Other. Experience record documenting at least one year of Primary or Secondary plumbing work covered by the Georgia State Plumbing Code.
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 Georgia licenses journeyman plumbers
Georgia journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Georgia issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber license through the Construction Industry Licensing Board's Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers. Rule 121-3-.02 is the only CILB licensing rule that creates both master and journeyman credentials (electrical and conditioned-air rules license contractors only). A journeyman applicant must document at least one year of Primary or Secondary plumbing experience covered by the Georgia State Plumbing Code, score at least 70 on the Division's journeyman examination, name three licensed plumbers as references, and pay the Board's published application fee. Primary experience is direct installation under a licensed Master Plumber; secondary examples include county water/public-works maintenance work and full-time municipal or county plumbing inspection. Medical-gas piping is a separate statewide certificate (Rule 121-2-.11) available only to a current Georgia master or journeyman. Rule 121-2-.03 lets the Division issue a journeyman license by reciprocity or endorsement under a formal written agreement with another state board whose exam is substantially equal and who extend a similar privilege to Georgia licensees; the rules pages name no partner states. Everyone else applies by examination, with out-of-state hours counting toward the one-year experience minimum. Application-fee amounts, the exam vendor, CE hours and the renewal cycle are published on sos.ga.gov pages that returned 403 on this date.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Georgia journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Maine?
- Yes. Georgia requires the trade exam on this path.
- Do my Maine work hours count in Georgia?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Georgia's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Georgia to Maine?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Georgia to Maine, the mechanism is endorsement.
Sources
- O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 14 - Electrical Contractors, Plumbers, Conditioned Air Contractors, Low Voltage Contractors, and Utility Contractors · O.C.G.A. §§ 43-14-5, 43-14-6, 43-14-8 · Georgia General Assembly / Georgia Code · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 121-2 - Qualifications for Licensure (Construction Industry Licensing Board) · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.01, 121-2-.03, 121-2-.06, 121-2-.11 · Georgia Secretary of State, Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 121-3 - Application for Licensure (Construction Industry Licensing Board) · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02, 121-3-.03 · Georgia Secretary of State, Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02 - Statewide Master and Journeyman Plumber License · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02; O.C.G.A. §§ 43-14-5, 43-14-6 · Georgia Secretary of State, Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- How to Guide: Master and Journeyman Plumbers · Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Georgia State Board of Master and Journeyman Plumbers (Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers) · Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Board of Master and Journeyman Plumbers FAQ · Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.