Maryland to District of Columbia: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
District of Columbia has a reciprocity agreement with Maryland: a Maryland journeyman plumber can get a District of Columbia license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Reciprocity with Maryland (journeyman plumber)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
The Board of Industrial Trades posts an official bulletin titled 'New Licensure Reciprocity for Maryland Plumbing Professionals in DC.' That path is treated here as exam-waived reciprocity for a Maryland journeyman plumber who holds a current active license in good standing. Apply through the DLCP online portal with the documents the board page lists for plumbing (certificate of completion and/or employment verification letter), a letter of good standing from the Maryland plumbing board if requested in the same manner as electrician reciprocity, a passport-style photo and government ID, and pay the $65 application fee and $110 journeyman license fee. The Reciprocity section of the same board page still describes only electrician MD/VA reciprocity, so Maryland plumber applicants should follow the bulletin and portal instructions rather than the electrician paragraph.
If the bulletin does not actually waive the trade exam, this row should be dropped and Maryland applicants use the default endorsement path.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Maryland license must be active and in good standing.
What you'll do to get licensed in District of Columbia
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($65). Application fee (non-refundable).
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($110). Journeyman license fee, up to 2 years (expires March 31 of even-numbered years).
- 3Other. Maryland license documentation (and letter of good standing if the bulletin or portal requires it), uploaded with the online reciprocity application.
Published fees on this path total $175, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
How District of Columbia licenses journeyman plumbers
District of Columbia journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by DC Board of Industrial Trades (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection)
The District of Columbia issues a person-held Journeyman Plumber license (the Board also licenses journeyman gasfitters as a related specialty) through the Board of Industrial Trades in the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), the same board that licenses electricians and refrigeration mechanics. Under D.C. Code § 47-2853.122 a journeyman plumber must have worked as an apprentice plumber or gasfitter at least 8,000 hours over at least 4 years (a mechanical-engineering degree plus 2 years of practical experience verified by a licensed master, or comparable experience the Board accepts, also qualifies) and then pass the PSI-administered exam, unless the applicant presents a national certifying organization's journeyman plumber certificate that waives both the exam and the subsection (b) experience path. Fees are a $65 application fee and a $110 license fee for a term of up to 2 years; plumber and gasfitter licenses expire March 31 of even-numbered years. The Board publishes a Maryland plumbing reciprocity bulletin; the Reciprocity section of the board page still describes only Maryland and Virginia electricians. No District-law exam applies to journeyman plumbers (§ 47-2853.12(c)(3)).
Common questions
- Do I have to take the District of Columbia journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Maryland?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Maryland.
- What does it cost to get a District of Columbia journeyman plumber license from Maryland?
- Published fees on this path total $175, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Sources
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.12 - License, certification, and registration criteria; waiver · D.C. Code § 47-2853.12(b)-(d), (l) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.121 - Scope of practice for plumbers or gasfitters · D.C. Code § 47-2853.121 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.122 - Plumbers or gasfitters: eligibility requirements · D.C. Code § 47-2853.122 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- DC DLCP - Board of Industrial Trades (plumbers/gasfitters: apply, exams, fees, reciprocity notices) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- DLCP bulletin - New Licensure Reciprocity for Maryland Plumbing Professionals in DC · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Board of Industrial Trades · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- DC DLCP - Plumbing/Gasfitting license application instructions (linked from Board of Industrial Trades) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Occupational and Professional Licensing · Form · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.